Lustrum

By: Robert Harris

Narrated by: Bill Wallis

Rome, 63 BC. In a city on the brink of acquiring a vast empire, seven men are struggling for power. Cicero is consul, Caesar his ruthless young rival, Pompey the republic's greatest general, Crassus its richest man, Cato a political fanatic, Catilina a psychopath, Clodius an ambitious playboy.

The stories of these real historical figures - their alliances and betrayals, their cruelties and seductions, their brilliance and their crimes - are all interleaved to form this epic novel. Its narrator is Tiro, a slave who serves as confidential secretary to the wily, humane, complex Cicero. He knows all his master's secrets - a dangerous position to be in.

From the discovery of a child's mutilated body, through judicial execution and a scandalous trial, to the brutal unleashing of the Roman mob, Lustrum is a study in the timeless enticements and horrors of power.

Critic reviews

Harris is the master. With Lustrum, [he] has surpassed himself. It is one of the most exciting thrillers I have ever read

Harris communicates such a strong sense of imperial Rome - the book is awesomely well-informed about the minutiae of everyday life

Thoroughly engaging ... The allure of power and the perils that attend it have seldom been so brilliantly anatomised in a thriller

Harris never makes his comparisons between Rome and modern Britain explicit, but they are certainly there. And that's the principal charm of his ancient thrillers - their up-to-dateness

Magnificent ... Better than Robert Graves's Claudius novels

A read to be savoured

Wry, clever, thoughtful, with a terrific sense of timing and eye for character.

Thrillingly paced and narrated ... What grips most about Lustrum is the seriousness with which the political issues at stake are taken, and the vividness of the characterisation

Offers great insight into the psychology of political calculation

Deeply satisfying, impeccably researched and spectacularly topical ... This is a thriller to die for ... The pace never falters, and the politics are sharply relevant

Just as good as the first in the series

What a gripping time in history this was. Bizarre what could have happened would Cicero have condemned Caesar when he had the chance.

totally engaging narrator, excellent prose and character writing

I loved this book just like the previous one. Listening to the narrator feels like listening to a stage play of these events in the best way. As someone who normally listens to sci-fi and fantasy, I was amazed at how engaged and thrilled I was just listening to conversations with little 'action'. Very good book!

Interesting for History Lovers

If you could sum up Lustrum in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, serious, historical

If you’ve listened to books by Robert Harris before, how does this one compare?

More informative, less entertaining.

Which character – as performed by Bill Wallis – was your favorite?

Pompeii the Great.

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

Cicero's self-flattering poem.

Any additional comments?

How do I 'submit' this? Oh, now Preview is available.

excellent story supported by an even more excellent storyteller

the acting in here is supremely magnificent. I could feel each character's distinct personality and this is thanks to the narrator who read the story with so much passion, this is like a stage play. only issue is inconsistent pronunciation of some names but that scene where cicero chased and shamed caitilina away is just superb piece of reading.