Claudius the God

De: Robert Graves

Narrado por: Nelson Runger

Robert Graves continues Claudius' story with the epic adulteries of Messalina, King Herod Agrippa's betrayal of his old friend, and the final arrival of that bloodthirsty teenager, Nero.Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend us your ears: don't miss the first book, I, Claudius.©1962 Robert Graves (P)1987 Recorded Books

Reseñas de la Crítica

"This book, with or without its predecessor, is amusing and illuminating to a high degree." ( The New York Times)

Chapters?

Great story and recitation. Wonderful continuation of the previous work. However, The chapters and recitation are out of sync.

Fabulous sequel to I, Claudius

I enjoyed "I, Claudius" so much I bought and started this book immediately on finishing it. I'm very glad I did. I enjoyed "Claudius the God" even more.

"Claudius the God", like "I, Claudius" is top-shelf historical fiction, beautifully written, with perfect narration. What's better in this second book is that Claudius really comes into his own, grows as a character, and fulfills his potential.

I felt immense relief when Claudius gained control of his fate and really enjoyed where the author took the story from that point on. The new-ish (no pun intended) character of Herod is a great addition. The ending is brilliant (SPOILER ALERT:) though by the time Claudius dies, I found myself wishing it could have ended more better for him, his loved ones, and those loyal to poor old “King Log”.

I highly, highly recommend this book.

As good as the first...

The books makes a fine sequel to "I, Claudius," which I've already reviewed as being excellent. If you enjoyed that book, then you will obviously enjoy this fine piece of historical fiction.

This is a fictional autobiography of Claudius, fourth emperor of the Roman Empire. It is a narration of those events which transpired after Claudius became emperor. He has survived the reigns of the expedient Augustus, the perverse Tiberius, and the insane Caligula, where few others in his line have. But how long can he survive his wives?

Claudius is a sympathetic emperor and the narrator is entirely believable as Claudius himself. Attached to the end of this audiobook are readings from translations of Suetonius, Tacitus, and Cassius Dio regarding the death of Claudius as well as all that remains of Seneca's Apocolocyntosis. The translations are somewhat stilted but provide an interesting contrast between Graves' depiction of Claudius and those of the Roman Senators.

great

This and the first book are some of the best i have ever read. A must for people interested in Roman history.

splendidly crafted

Even better than the first one, i wonder what Claudius would have felt of his existence being remembered so far into the future and so well regarded.

A favorite book

Engrossing and highly detailed story full of historical facts, creativity, and drama. This and I, Claudius, are a must read!

The Reign and Death of Claudius

In this follow up to the masterpiece I, Claudius, we go through the subsequent history of Claudius as he was essentially appointed Emperor of Rome by the Praetorian Guards. Claudius is apparently the one person in Rome who didn't want to become Emperor. However, the political class in Rome had already been yoked to the loss of the Republic and no one actually had the guts to stand up and say no. The only message from the Senate was one asking him not to take the title until they had voted to give it to him.

Claudius had survived his murderous kin by always staying in the background and acting the idiot. However, he turned out to be a very conscientious and capable ruler. He completed two new aqueducts into the city of Rome and under his personal command the Island of Britain was actually brought into the Roman Empire. Although Julius Caesar had visited the place, Claudius conquered it and began the Romanization process which lasted for almost 400 years.

A lot of the story is how his wife Messalina plotted behind his back, slept with practically everyone in Rome, and eventually launched a comically absurd coup against him. Claudius eventually realized that if the Romans were to have their Republic back, they would need to be ruled by the completely incompetent. Thus he appointed his grand nephew Nero to be his successor, and once this was done his niece (who he had married) had him assassinated.

Robert Graves continues his masterful storytelling with this historical novel. Of course, this one seems a little smaller than I, Claudius because it focuses on the one person and his actions, but this is certainly a great addition to anyone's library.

A classic story impeccably read

Where does Claudius the God rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It is among my top ten

Who was your favorite character and why?

The eponymous Claudius who as the narrator takes us into the privileged but often fatal household of the Julio-Claudian Imperial family.

Which scene was your favorite?

Claudius' dunking in the Rhone during the reign of Caligula

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but I really couldn't manage it

Very strong presentation

I had to work a bit to get into this one but I don't know much about Roman history. This was a great intro. Runger did a stand up job, very solid. On to the sequel.

Engrossing

The story sucks you in.
Plot as random as Sopranos.
The narrator has a positive historical voice.