Rating: 
Summary: Hail Caesar
Review: This novel typical of Colleen's writing style starts slowly, as she introduces to the reader The Plot and Characters. The plot is intriguing as it unfolds. The Characters are richly fleshed out in loving details, warts and all.The length of the Story may be a little bit long for most readers' comfort. However, the length is necessary to do the plot justice as Colleen takes the reader on a helter-skelter forced march from the British Isles to Germany and Greece. The battles are numerous with sufficient detail on Caesar's strategy. All in all, Colleen paints and overly generous picture of Caesar. Here in this novel Caesar towers and dominates above his peers in every aspect. Pompey Magnus was reduced to a whimpering, diffident and incompetent adversary. Doesn't Caesar have any weakness at all? I would like to suggest for better understanding and enjoyment that the reader reads the earlier 4 novels, starting with The First Man in Rome prior to reading Caesar. In my opinion Colleen writes wonderful novels and Caesar adds another feather to her cap. Hail Caesar!
Rating:
Summary: Best of the series!
Review: This was the first Colleen McCullough novel I've ever tried to read. I remember saying to my girlfriend about 120 pages in "I think I've found another great one" -- and I meant that I've finally found another contemporary novelist who's intensity level was as focused and whose storytelling power was as solid as just about any other contemporary writer. However, Caesar is *not* a place to start with McCullough. It is too complicated. I'm aware that writing this review will not win any "helpful" votes, but I've got to speak my mind. I thought McCullough's description of Caesar was the best physical and emotional description of a character I've ever read. Her description of his eyes may have been worth the 8 bucks alone. And if I'd have been an early editor, I would have suggested she stay with his character like a bloodhound on a perfumed fugitive. The novel is at its best when her imagination is on and she's just describing a character or a scene or writing dialogue. *That* is when McCullough is without peer. My beef with this book is that she simply tries to do way too much. I got lost when she moved the story back to Rome around pages 150-200 while Caesar was not there. On one page alone I counted 17 different character names, and ultimately this is what did in this novel for me. Way too many characters who just appear for seemingly no reason, and then dissappear. It is just too difficult to follow. Indeed, the initial heft of a 900 page novel isn't exactly a welcome mat into a novel. I imagine those of you who read McCullough will say that it's easy to follow. And fun! And exciting! And I'll not argue that McCullough has the inate ability to tell a story as well as anyone. And *that* is rare. Ultimately, I gave up on this novel at page 277. But it's a strange "giving up." I think I'll try another McCullough novel in the future. Her storytelling ability is that good. I think she could make the reading world spin on its head if she turned her immense talent to telling a more simple story, and kept one or two characters right in the forefront of each chapter (I'm imagining Alfred Hitchcock taking on the "B"-type movie in Psycho and forever changing the landscape of American cinema). Let the imagination do the work for you, McCullough. Give us a simple story. You're that good! You are! You really, truly are! Stacey
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