Dynasty

The Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar

By: Tom Holland

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 16 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Author and historian Tom Holland returns to his roots in Roman history and the audience he cultivated with Rubicon—his masterful, witty, brilliantly researched popular history of the fall of the Roman republic—with Dynasty, a luridly fascinating history of the reign of the first five Roman emperors.

Dynasty continues Rubicon's story, opening where that book ended: with the murder of Julius Caesar. This is the period of the first and perhaps greatest Roman emperors. It's a colorful story of rule and ruination, from the rise of Augustus to the death of Nero. Holland's expansive history also has distinct shades of I, Claudius, with five wonderfully vivid (and, in three cases, thoroughly depraved) emperors—Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero—featured, along with numerous fascinating secondary characters.

Intrigue, murder, naked ambition and treachery, greed, gluttony, lust, incest, pageantry, decadence—the tale of these five Caesars continues to cast a mesmerizing spell across the millennia.

©2015 Tom Holland (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

do you like rome?

You do? gotta read it
so exciting. nero, the senate, everything. power snd people. timeless. glory days

Highly recommended

The author's delivery of this rather dry subject made this a very enjoyable read. I will definitely check out his other books on the subject. The audiobook has a great narrator, which helps to do the same.

I'd definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy ancient history.

Truth is better than fiction

One of the greatest dramas come to life in your ear. Well told with great narration. You have to hear it to believe it.

Amazing

Definitely lived up to the hype heard on podcasts and advertising. And he has written many others just as good.

La fascinante locura de la realidad

Tom Holland nos sumerge en la apasionante crónica del período dinástico de la familia Julio-Claudia en este libro. A través de una narrativa impecable, nos invita a vivir el día a día de la cultura romana, utilizando como eje central a los protagonistas políticos de una época tan compulsiva como fascinante.

Holland logra magistralmente transportar al lector a la antigua Roma, permitiéndonos ser testigos de las intrigas, ambiciones y excesos que caracterizaron a esta época. De este modo, nos encontramos con personajes tan complejos como Augusto, Tiberio, Calígula, Claudio y Nerón, quienes, con sus luces y sombras, dan vida a una historia que se asemeja más a una novela de ficción que a la realidad histórica.

Lo que más destaca de esta obra es la capacidad de Holland para combinar el rigor histórico con un estilo narrativo ágil y ameno. El autor nos presenta una gran cantidad de información de una forma accesible y atractiva, sin sacrificar la profundidad del análisis.

Pretty good

Entertaining, although not as good as Rubicon.

Overall an edifying narrative of the emperors in the house of Caesar. Bridging from where Rubicon left off with Scipio Africanus, taking us through the Roman Civil Wars, and the rise and fall of the House of Caesar. From the rise of Augustus, the establishment of the Augustinian dynasty, down through the fall of Nero.

Dynasty given its timeframe and subject matter was more a of chronicle than its predecessor Rubicon. A few chapters dragged on a bit. Others were attention grabbing. Was awaiting the climax like Rubicon, it never came. The rise and fall of the House of Caesar was more of a slow burn.Well suited for the audio book format. Solid narration.

Vivid narrative historiness

Holland creates memorable characters -each with distinctive strengths and flaws - from not only the first emperors, but also their principal friends and enemies. The story follows the flow of power from Augustus to Nero at a brisk pace but includes many entertaining digressions that can be startlingly funny, bizarre, violent and vulgar - some anecdotes have all these features simultaneously. My only misgiving is at times the gnawing feeling that "there is simply no way this could be true." But the true details are lost to history and confused by any agenda lurking in the few existing primary sources. Rather than giving a litany of wishy-washy possibilities for each event accompanied by disclaimers about historical accuracy, Holland chooses one version and pulls no punches recounting it, making the history of the Julio-Claudians vivid and entertaining. We'll never know the real facts, but this version is at least a entertaining and plausible one.

Glad this was my first audible book

Holland is a brilliant writer - giving life and interest to these stories.

The narration is wonderful and draws you in.

Great Historical Narrative !

Great flow to the book ! Starts in the days of the Republic , ends at the death of Nero . Amazing amount of information & fascinating tidbits throughout !
Derek Perkins does a wonderful job as usual !

Amazing story

The book reads like a long epic with amazing insight and facts I had never heard!