Rating: 
Summary: The greatest disappointement of my life
Review: One thing is to write a fictional work, another is to completely change the known history.This book should be in a alternate history listing. Since the death of Marius to the education of Caesar, the history of Rome itself, all is too wrong to be read by someone who has no knowledge of history and that may believ in these lies.
I read only half of the book, the plot is weak, the author knows nothing, but I mean really nothing about history.Even children should not read it
Rating: 
Summary: had promise but disappointing
Review: As someone who loves books about ancient Rome, I was excited to read this book. The book starts out strongly with a description of Caesar's childhood, and while I liked the author's narrative ability, I couldn't get passed the historical inaccuracies. I had just finished reading October Horse and so knew a great deal about Caesar and this book just takes too many liberties with Caesar's childhood, Marius, the identity of Caesar's boyhood friend, and Sulla's march on Rome. I suggest the Masters of Rome series instead.
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Summary: Fast paced book
Review: I though this was a great book. The pace was fast and the writing excellent. Considering this is the authors first book I can't wait to read more in the future.
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Summary: Conn's Caesar is much better!
Review: I am amazed at the several reviews here giving EMPEROR a much lower status to Colleen McCullough and her Rome series. I am posting this simply because I disagree. I bought GATES for the simple reason that it has the same characters and much the same events and I have tried several times to get into McCullough's MASTERS series and I find that I cannot. Thank you Conn for making a story about Julius and Marius fast-paced and easily read! Colleen's writing style is obviously geared for elementary students, even though the books are hundreds and sometimes a thousand pages long. As I stated, I have attempted on several occasions to finish just the first book, FIRST MAN, but find myself forcing myself to read it after getting annoyed with trying to figure out how the twenty different people she mentions on one single page all fit into the overall story. And how Colleen does her way of getting into the characters minds. When Colleen takes twenty-five pages to say Marius walked from one end of the forum to the other, or to merely put on his sandles, Conn simply says it and it's over and done with and his writing is much better!
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Summary: This author is no McCullough-- Disappointing
Review: After having spent months reading Colleen McCullough's engrossing series on Rome, and being a lifelong lover of all things Roman, I thought this book was a sure thing when I picked it up. Alas, it is a dud. Very little happens in its pages. It has moments of good storytelling, but it drags in such a way that I am convinced that the author was hired on by the publisher to stretch his novel idea into three or four books. The characterization is not bad, but the plot moves at a snail's pace and when I was done I felt like I had not gotten my money's worth. Not a good feeling. I didn't feel like I read the same book that was blurbed on the cover. If a person wants to read gripping novels of Rome, one has to turn no farther than Colleen McCullough. Iggulden uses the same characters, but they are two-dimensional, predictable, and sophomoric. A poor effort. Either go to the library and get it for free or don't bother.
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Summary: The Best Bok Ever Written !
Review: I'm only 14, but very intristed in Roman history. I live in Brazil, so I am avid for any chance to read an English book, especially one about my favourite subject.
If you haven't bought it yet, get off this computer NOW and go to a bookstore ! The descriptions are fascinating, even if some parts are historically inacurate. It's the sort of book you aren't able to put down for a second!! There is a little romance, politics, friendship........You name it !!!! I cried when I finished reaing it because it was SOOOO GOOD!!!
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Summary: He gives flesh to historical figures
Review: I can't believe that this is his first book! I rarely read novels
that tie to historical events, but this one got my eyeballs on the
local bookstore shelf. The more I read into the book, the more I
start to think "Well, I can't wait until January 2004 for the
second one!".
Rating:
Summary: Fiction vs. facts
Review: The book is simply great. It takes us very well through the early years of two most prominent figures of Roman History. A few regrets though: the storytelling is not at the height of the challenge. There are some anachronisms in the book writing style and it should have been taken care of. Also, History could have been respected a little more to the point ; at least to respect the great characters and their lives that make up this beautiful novel... More to come and soon I hope!!!
Rating:
Summary: Briliant book
Review: EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT... An amazing book that I could not put down.
Brilliantly conceived.
Rating:
Summary: makes history extremely interesting
Review: this book was great and refreshing as igguldon depicts a clear picture of brutal Rome.
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