Rating: 
Summary: Worthy Successor to I, Claudius
Review: Claudius the God is the sequel to the legendary "I, Claudius". Though not quite as powerful as its predecessor, the book continues the story of Claudius after his ascension to the throne. The book points out the many pitfalls of ruling a state; Claudius, sadly, is as much at the mercy of his wife as the Emperor Augustus was his -- a blind spot that nearly costs Claudius his throne. The advice Claudius receives from his friend Herod Agrippa in the beginning of the book -- to "trust no one", is indeed good advice. As a character, Herod Agrippa steals the book -- the book's first seventy or so pages deal with his story, which form a very amusing and interesting digression -- and shows how Herod Agrippa's influence in Rome is instrumental in bringing the Senate around to recognizing Claudius. Claudius introduces legal reforms; converts the harbor at Ostia into an all-season port to help secure Rome's food supply, conquers Britain, and revives the Roman religion. The book is a wealth of historical detail and interesting anecdotes. The book is also engaging and entertaining; although one soon sees that the job of Emperor is no fun indeed -- Claudius has as much cause for paranoia as any of his predecessors. The book is a must read for anyone who reads "I, Claudius", and is a very good work of literature that brings the Roman age to life.
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Summary: Claudius a God? Deified, yes. But no God.
Review: Claudius the God: And His Wife Messalina is the second of Robert Graves' two part (fictional) account of the life of Tiberius Claudius. While still fascinating history and a must for anyone who has read I, Claudius, it does not match its predecessor in quality but exceeds it in quantity. In my opinion, it fails to live up to the expectations set by I, Claudius for numerous reasons. First of all, Graves spends way too much time talking about people and things for which I have little or no interest, such as Herod Agrippa, his trials and tribulations, his family, the geography of the Middle East, which I couldn't follow even with the provided cartographic map, Claudius's military campaigns abroad, and his allusions to groups of people I've never heard of, many of whom seem to be organized as tribes, and his inane discussions of trivial matters such as festivals and the like. What I particularly liked about I, Claudius was that Robert Graves got to the core of what he had to say without excessive verbiage. Unfortunately, he deviates from that course in Claudius the God. Secondly, too many characters are simply unlikable, such as Herod Agrippa himself, along with most of the people associated with him, and Messalina in particular, Claudius's third wife, by whom he had two children, Octavia (but was she really his?) and Drusus Germanicus, named in honor of Claudius's father and brother, respectively, but later better known as Britannicus, the agnomen, or honorific title passed down to him from his father, bestowed on Claudius by the Senate for his military victories in Britain, although he himself never once engaged in battle, nor had he ever been, for being the "fool" that he was, his family never gave him an education in studying how to be a soldier, as he was not expected to live long, let alone ever become Emperor,[Messalina] who was a querulous, conniving, deceitful, inethical and immoral woman. Even so, this book provides a lot of good history, especially for those who have read I, Claudius.
Rating: 
Summary: engaging!
Review: Graves' portrait of Claudius may be a little generous, given the records of the actual man by his contemporaries, but he can make his case well, I think, with the sources he chooses to utilize. But who cares anyway! Any lover of ancient Rome or epic stories in general will love this book. The details of the exploits of Claudius are mind-boggling; by the end of it, you'll feel as though you spent time in the ancient Medditerranean. If he had written this story in fifteen volumes, I would read them all. And while it's a great book on it's own, I'd suggest reading 'I, Claudius' first.
Rating:
Summary: Graves is a stupendous writer!
Review: Having read I, Claudius I was given the advice...to read the following title: Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Vintage International) by Robert Graves. As having read the first novell I therefore had my reservations. Could it possibly be as good as that first novell. To my utter surprise this second book about Claudius is just as good. Highly Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Oh, Claudius, how you have fallen
Review: I still rate this novel 3 stars, but do so apprehensively. First off, do not read this unless you've read the first text, "I, Claudius," an excellent book. If you've read the first Claudius book, this is a must read, since Graves' so abruptly ends the first novel, practically midsentence. The second novel, is actually more interesting historically, than in the personal trials witnessed in I, Claudius. Graves' interpretation of Claudius as a benign but naive person, begins to breakdown in the face of fact. Many historians and many of Claudius' contemporaries thought of him as a monster and an idiot. Although I do not agree that Claudius was an idiot, I do not however, find him the brilliant yet unworldly man we find in Graves' "Claudius the God." By the end of the novel, I found so many contradictions, even in Graves' own text, that I found I could not agree with his conception of Claudius the Emperor. There are some brilliant passages, with Claudius' tortured existence with his first wife, and a conquest of Britain which is quite fun, but unfortunately the best passage, is how Graves' slyly eulogizes Claudius, with a satirical poem written by Seneca, a fawning Roman Senator.
Rating:
Summary: Worthy, Worthy Sequel
Review: I was wondering how they were going to handle the final half of the Claudius series, because the narrator dies (historical fact, not spoiling.) How he ends up like his predecessors, most notably Augustus, is very captivating. Tragic, ironic, dramtic and very interesting, I found it to be great, but read the first book first, it will help you understand it better.
Rating:
Summary: love it
Review: if you are considering reading this book, make sure you read I, CLaudius first, that is a must. Then read Claudius the God. You will be so amazed at the lives of these people, real living people. I love to read historical fiction written in the first person. You really get involved in that person. You will be glad you read it.
Rating:
Summary: Uncanny Insight into the Roman Empire
Review: Like many, I came to "I, Claudius" and "Claudius, the God" after watching the truly wonderful PBS miniseries. I was surprised that Graves' Claudius is much less sympathetic than the character in the PBS production. In the novel, Claudius comes across as more than a bit ruthless, and is quite the braggart. Over-eager to shift blame from his shoulders to another's, this Claudius is no less entertaining. Instead, his brilliance shines through even more, and his biting commentary on the world around him is a joy to read. Another entertaining aspect of this novel is the larger role played by Claudius' childhood friend, Herod. Claudius has so few intimates in his life that it is a treat to learn more about the ambitious, charismatic (and self-appointed) King of the Jews. Herod's ultimate failure is even more saddening than it was in the series. At times, "Claudius, the God" gets bogged down in the intricacies of imperial administration, but as this is supposed to be a memoir, that's to be expected. While I appreciated learning about the daily life and toils of a Roman Emperor, at times the details of the projects runs a little dry. Maybe I'm just impatient to read about all the murder and mayhem, but that's one of the things that "I, Claudius" prepares you for. This book is a pleasure for both the casual reader and the student of Rome.
Rating:
Summary: Essential, but read I, Claudius first
Review: More diffuse and less focused than I, Claudius, despite covering a shorter time period and a smaller cast of characters, Claudius the God nevertheless succeeds brilliantly and in certain respects transcends its predecessor. Readers of the first novel can, thankfully, still take the wry wit, incredible sense of time and place and fascinating political machinations for granted. In this sequel, Graves clinically describes the claustrophobia of being a self-described republican forever trapped in the imperial "golden predicament". Graves intentionally writes an apologia for Claudius but it remains clear to the reader how much he came to abuse his power. Graves redresses the balance by including a fantastical satire of the reign and several pithy historical accounts of Claudius' death. The number of senators and knights executed during a supposedly benevolent reign is coolly spelled out, confronting the reader with the questions that Graves wants answered: was, in fact, Claudius - even the Claudius of the book - morally superior to his imperial predecessors? And if he was, does it make any difference, given the venality of the political system and the supine, self-serving nature of the Senate and the People?
It is a tribute, then, to the subtlety of Graves' characterisation that Claudius retains our sympathy to the end. Indeed, the terse semi-poem that Claudius composes after being forced to confront the true character of both his wife Messalina and of Rome, and his subsequent decision to play deaf, mute "King Log" to his successor's evil "King Stork" elicits only horror and pity. This decision, presented as an attempt to sabotage the imperial system, is surely more true to the dramatic structure than to historical truth. But throughout, the text is shot through with valuable historical insights - for example Claudius' fateful decision to snub the senatorial class in favour of freedmen, his attitude to the Jews and the early Christians, how Greek secular philosophy was gradually eroding the faith of the Roman elite in their own (borrowed) pantheon - that ensure that this rich book repays many, many readings.
Rating:
Summary: Read 'I, Claudius' first....
Review: Rightfully, this book has around 20% of the number of reviews as does the first half of the life of the same man by the same author. This is not nearly as good of a book as 'I, Claudius', I doubt that anyone reading this would be much surprised at this. 'I, Claudius' is considered as a classic of the English language whereas this is just a fairly strong 'good' book. There are a number of reasons for this. First, the first half (well, chronologically more...) of Claudius's life provides a better ground for Graves to do his job; he also seems to identify more with the character before he became emperor. When Claudius loses his humor and perspective, the whole of the series loses it's brilliance.... Setting this aside, this is still a highly entertaining and worthwhile book. I loved the first work better; I'd read it first. If you have read it, I am assuming, you liked it enough to come back to this page looking for more. And there is more here: it's just that it is slightly.... ever so slightly.... less....
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