The Civil War

By: Julius Caesar

Narrated by: Robin Field

Length: 7 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

The Civil War is Julius Caesar’s personal account of his war with Pompey the Great - the war that destroyed the five-hundred-year-old Roman Republic. Caesar the victor became Caesar the dictator. In three short books, Caesar describes how, in order to defend his honor and the freedom of both himself and the Roman people, he marched on Rome and defeated the forces of Pompey and the Senate in Italy, Spain, and Greece. Julius Caesar himself was one of the most eminent writers of the age in which he lived. His “Commentaries” offer a unique opportunity to read the victor’s version of events.

Julius Caeser was born on 13 July 100 BC. His family, the Julii, claimed descent from the ancient kings of Rome and from the goddess Venus. Caesar rapidly carved out an impressive political career, forging an alliance with Pompey and Crassus in 60 BC. The Civil War is Caesar’s attempt at an explanation of the war that changed the Roman world.

Public Domain (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

All hail!

There was no other life, or death, that impacted the course of Western history as that of Julius Caesar. He was a Chad and a half, and had his reforms been successful in the Roman Republic, not only could the despotism and excesses of the Empire have been avoided or at least tempered, it would have revolutionized the ideas of Justice and Equity in all of the West.

Great history - self aggrandizement

This is a classic historical narrative. Julius Caesar deftly weaves the facts together in such a way as to make himself out to be an innocent, persecuted hero. The brilliance of Caesar shines through, regardless. His keen grasp of situations is illuminating.

Great historical information

I enjoyed this book thoroughly, especially from the POV of Julius Caesar. The narrator’s voice made it hard for me to stay engaged, but that’s a personal preference.

speed it up a bit and the book becomes good

slow narration, but good diction, great classics should never be passed by, and to enter into the mind of Julius Caesar is quite fascinating

Excellent reading of a classic.

What made the experience of listening to The Civil War the most enjoyable?

I've enjoyed reading Caesar's works for decades. This let me revisit it while on the road and puttering at various tasks around the house. It is a story I'll return to.

What other book might you compare The Civil War to and why?

The obvious example is the Gallic War by Caesar. It is also a well told story written by a major participant. Like this one, it's entertaining to look for Caesar's self aggrandizement, though he hides it well.

Have you listened to any of Robin Field’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I chose this version of Caesar because of Robin Field's reading. Once again he makes me feel that I'm listening to the author. I'll be looking for more of his work.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Caesar's generosity to his opponents, particularly to the legionaries, but also to their commanders, is a stark contrast to the massacres of his followers by those same opponents. Undoubtedly there's some exaggeration on his part, but his popularity with the common Roman soldier and man in the street is more understandable from seeing his approach to the conflict.

Needs a new bon-British translation.

The translation is awkward. It refers to Roman currency in pounds sterling and siege equipment as "guns". There are other weird word choices such as battalions and squads and the constant referral to English city pronunciation that's stated after saying the Latin name which makes the entire work not very immersive.

A great book

A great leader and author. The book is a great anthology of what happened to the man and his kingdom during his reign. I recommend this book.

Terribly translated

The translator made numerous errors in judgement, not limited to:
labeling the provisions gathered by either army as "corn" which wasnt introduced to Europe until the 1400s - when it was discovered in the Americas.
labeling cohorts as battalions - another term that came in to the use centuries after this book was written.
I couldn't get past the second chapter the errors were so bad

Caesar vs Pompey

Caesar’s Civil War covers the period in Roman history from 49 to 48 B.C. The book primarily covers Caesar and his rival Pompey. I was disappointed in the book as I expected this to be a first person account as Julius Caesar was the author. But it is written in the second person more like a textbook. Maybe this is the fault of the translation from Latin to English. The book goes into Caesar’s role as Governor of Gaul; Caesar presents himself as the victim of a conspiracy occurring in Rome led by Pompey and Marcus Cicero. On 10 January 49 B.C. leading only one legion General Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River the boundary between Gaul and Italy proper, a legally proscribed action forbidden to an Army-leading Roman General. Thus began the Civil War. Caesar marched on Rome and Pompey fled Rome to central Italy. The book covers the battles but also the battles of Spain, Greece and African campaigns. The descriptions of the lay of the land as related to strategic advantages for battle were interesting. I was surprised at Caesar leniency toward the defeated solders. This was an interesting book but I was disappointed there was not more personal insight by Caesar. Robin Field did a good job narrating the book.