Caesar : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A Fine Historical Novel, Yet a Bit Cool to the Touch
Review: This one's a well-executed historical excursion into Roman times, the era of Caesar and his enemies to be precise, when the Roman Republic teetered on the brink of its own demise. Caesar comes brilliantly to life in this chronicle of his later career: his prosecution of the Gallic Wars leading up to his sweeping successes on the field of battle in the wake of civil conflict. All the personalities of the fascinating Romans of the day are sketched sharply here as counterpoint to the ever-brilliant Caesar as these busy, carping politicians and patricians maneuver around and outside Caesar's carefully honed sphere of influence to unseat and defeat him. And yet they never stand a chance as we know from the outset. The novel is a little cool and abstract in some parts and some of the personalities seem oddly distant. Caesar, too, seems almost too perfect, little better than a finely carved marble bust. And yet we do get to view how the man might have thought and operated from inside his own head, a fascinating view to be sure. The most interesting character in this tale though was, I think, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey) who is tiresomely pompous and all too human and never a match for Caesar, though he never sees that with sufficient clarity himself, until the end. Indeed, none of them seem a match for the Great Man, making one wonder whether Caesar really was so substantial a fellow or if he was just matched up against a bunch of dolts. Well, perhaps facing a man with such formidable skills inevitably makes dolts of all the rest of us. I had to wonder, though, how Rome managed to do anything significant with such incompetent leadership -- until Caesar came along that is. But in the end it was the very human Pompey who moved me as he rowed off into Egypt and history, a defeated general dreaming only of getting out of the way of the more than natural force his hubris had helped unleash.

Rating:
Summary: Colleen is the best!!!
Review: Her website will be working at the end of August. colleenmccullough.com

Perhaps we will have an answer to our wait.

Rating:
Summary: Vivid and dynamic
Review: I must day that McCullough's series is a continuing thrill to read. She has made Rome come alive with all its splendor and righteousness (the boni). Pompey the Great is painted in such a way that one understands his goals, while Caesar gets stronger and stronger. Marcus Antony is also seen as a central supporting character here, and Octavius gets his introduction. Egypt comes alive with all her Nile inundation problems, the Ptolemies are explained, Alexandria bustles with life. Can't wait for the next one, and, at the very least, this has whetted my appetite for some serious Latin studies.

Rating:
Summary: More Truth Than Fiction
Review: Gaius Julius Caesar is one of the most brilliant figures in human history. Not only one of the greatest military commanders who ever lived, but also a consummate politician, a gifted public speaker, and one of the greatest writers of latin prose ever. He excelled at everything he took up. While no one can truly say where the genius of a person like Caesar comes from, McCullough does a good job of portraying Caesar and the other players in this dramatic period in a way that makes their personalities and actions clear. And they are all here: Cicero, Cato, Brutus, Cassius, Pompey, Labienus, Mark Antony and all the rest. And, of course, Caesar. We even get a brief glimpse of the young Octavius.

The writing is very good. The characters ring true. It's fiction because she invents conversations and conjures up personal incidents, but it is clearly very well resaerched and McCullough has thorough command of the factual material she is covering. She doesn't dwell on the specifics of battles, but prefers to give the reader events through the interplay of the conflicting characters, bringing out the impact of both their abilities and their flaws on the outcome.

This is history. It is both fascinating and accurate in its portrayal of what happened and why. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone. It is at least as entertaining as any fiction you'll ever read.

Rating:
Summary: The October Horse
Review: For all those eagerly awaiting the October Horse, and wondering what on earth "Morgan's Run" is, then do not despair! Colleen McCullough had to change publishers and they asked her to take a break from Rome. So "The October Horse" and the one after that currently titled "The Queen of Beasts" (?) ARE being written, and should be with us soon.

Moving on from that, therefore, a word about "Caesar". The novel is, quite simply, a pleasure to read. The care lavished on it, in its drawings, maps, glossary, and of course the plot itself which is the fall of the Roman Republic. It's great!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book!
Review: This is the first book I have read by this author. Now I'm hooked on this series. Great read.

Rating:
Summary: McCullough is too wrapped up in Caesar
Review: "Caesar" was actually the first of McCullough's 'Masters of Rome' books I read, and at first, I was breathless. I had simply never before had the pleasure of reading a historical novel with such accuracy, excellent writing style, yet at the same time not 'wooden' in any way. With these books, you do not get the impression that McCullough is retelling an old story, but rather, it is completly fresh ad wonderful. Famous moments in history, such as Caesar crossing the Rubicon and Clodius' murder on the Appian Way are simply brilliant. The writing style, descriptions, research, even her potraits of various leading Romans are faultless! So what was it that prevented me from giving the book 5 stars? Firstly, as soon as I had finished with "Caesar" I went to "The First Man in Rome" and worked my way back. I then saw that McCullough had lost a great deal of her earlier brilliance. In her first two novels escpecially, McCullough did not have an awful lot to go off from ancient sources, and had to therefore rely upon her own imagination to carry her through. Due to arriving in a period in history which is exceptionally well-recorded (curse Cicero!) she does not introduce many twists and turns. This means that large parts of the novel recount Caesar's adventures in Gaul, or Roman politics, and not much emphasis upon Roman family life or indded the personal life of anybody - except, of course, Caesar. And this is my second problem with the novel. Caesar is simply too perfect. So calm, so brave, so handsome, so clever as to become rather dull. Added to which, so much emphasis was placed upon Caesar that other characters cannot develop properly. A hint of McCullough's old genius for character development is seen in Clodius, but his death comes practically as soon as he is re-introduced to the reader (a full Clodius-study was done in "Caesar's Women) Cicero was barely mentioned considering his importance at this point in time, and whatever happened to Marcus Antonius? When I was doing Ancient History at advanced level, Antony was always my favorite character, yet McCullough simply did not give him enough time or effort to develop properly! It did occur to me that McCullough could have had a great deal of fun with interactions between very different characters - the exchanges between cool, clear Caesar and merry, happy-go-lucky Antony are alwys amusing and Antony's Forum scenes are hilarious! Yet again, McCullough does not let them develop.

Despite this, the book is definetly on my must-read collection and should be leapt upon by anyone with an interest in history or a taste for great writing.

Rating:
Summary: McCullough is back in top form
Review: In her fifth installment of the Masters of Rome series, McCullough is back to outstanding form. The previous installment, 'Caesar's Women', was a disappointment compared with the prior three treatments which revolved around Marius and Sulla. While 'Caesar's Women' dallied, giving a lurid and voyeuristic look at Caesar's sexual conquests and political maneuvering, 'Caesar' returns to its more fascinating and exciting roots, focusing once again on the military conquest and senatorial infighting that made the first three books so powerful.

This segment deals with Caesar's military campaign in Gaul, Pompey's attempt to dominate the Senate as the first man in Rome, and finally Caesar's famed crossing of the Rubicon to march on Rome. As always, McCullough, through a combination of meticulous research and gifted storytelling, vividly brings to life a fascinating period of history and those who made it great.

McCullough's treatment of Caesar is far more positive in this installment, showing both his brilliance as a military commander and his acumen in garnering political support. We see how Caesar was able to defeat Pompey and the 'Good Men' of the Senate despite inferior military numbers by enlisting the support of the people of Italia. With this grass root support and through fair treatment and military pardons, he was able to add to his army with each victory as the majority of the conquered soldiers defected to his side.

Unlike many devotees of this series, I am not a history buff, but I love a great story. McCullough is so thorough in her descriptions and potent in her storytelling, that this book will be as enjoyable to the fiction connoisseur as the history enthusiast. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves to read with one caveat:

Beware! You will get hooked and have to read the whole series.

Rating:
Summary: Going Beyond the Familiar
Review: I have wished for many years that I could own a time machine. In lieu of that I spend most of my time reading history, whether sources, fiction or scholarly works. I try to get to a place where I know the culture and time so intimately that I could close my eyes and smell the spices.

I have been delighted by McCullough's Rome series, Caesar no less than the other books. McCullough handles the many battle and strategy sections adroitly. What could be stultifying passages of political machinations are instead riveting. I don't even read modern books focusing on war and politics! Yet McCullough writes a series that is more a page-turner than many bestselling authors do.

Some reviews have commented on the way McCullough seems infatuated with Caesar to the detriment of other characters. It is an intellectual danger to expect that everyone in every time acts from the same motives, aspires to the same goals, can go no higher in character than the lowest common denominator. Expecting this, we cannot imagine that someone like Caesar could exist. From necessity McCullough spends a lot of space trying to communicate what to some readers will be a very alien character. To know that someone can seem to do no wrong (and dealing- or more often not dealing- with the feelings of jealousy that brings) is very different from really understanding how such a person feels and operates. The world has seen only a few people like Caesar in recorded history--probably under 10.

Perhaps there is less characterization in this novel than previous ones. On the other hand, the entire politcal situation is much more complex and demands more space. Perhaps she might have ended the novel before the Eastern campaigns, using the space for more characterization, but then we might never get to the end of the series. Not that I want it to end! But I do want it to progress. I hope the next installment comes out soon.

Rating:
Summary: Caesar, Caesar and more Caesar!
Review: At the end of "Caesar's Women", McCullough's claim is that the next book would have been titled "Let the Dice Fly". Instead, she named it "Caesar", which is quite revealing in the book's content. I loved the book, but would have liked a bit more emphasis on some of the other characters. Curio, for instance, is presented as a throughly likeable character, yet he is just skimmed over, Mark Antony also, at this point in his life was a character who could have added a great deal of life and fun to the novel, along with Marcus Caelius. The other characters simply were not given their due, which was a pity. Caesar, on the other hand, is developed that bit too much, and it does become quite tedious. I admit that on first reading of the book, I skipped large parts in order to get away from Caesar and to find a contrast. For those familiar with ancient Rome, McCullough's idolisation of Caesar does become somewhat irritating, especially when this meant other famous historical characters were cut down to accomodate this great man. Where is Cicero, for example, he is barely mentioned considering his power and influence at this point. Brutus also disappears into the shadows, mentioned only occasionally. The young womanising alcohol-abusing Marcus Antonius we see only fleeting glances of. This is a great pity because this book is brilliantly written and researched - but Caesar loses his charm and appeal after a while.

Like many of the people writing in on this page, I am eagerly awaiting "The October Horse" and would be very grateful for any information. In the meantime however, Allan Massie offers a scandulous Rome, littered with sex, drama and, I hate tosay, inaccuaracy! however, it is a very interesting read. Also Steven Saylor's books are excellent, well researched and interesting, and Taylor Caldwell's book, "A Pillar Of Iron" offers a different view on Cicero and his contemporaries. Despite the hero-worship of caesar, McCullough and Saylor are without a doubt the best writers on this period in ancient Rome.