Rating: 
Summary: a fine historical novel.
Review: a fine historical novel i do not hesitate to strongly recommend
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting but not terribly memorable
Review: Admittedly, my only knowledge of the work of Graves comes from reading "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God." I picked up this book because I positively loved the aforementioned works, and am a great fan of late Roman / early Byzantine history. I was also hoping for some in depth descriptive scenes of the battles which defined the career of Belisarius. "Count Belisarius" sounded like a book tailor-made for me.I was left disappointed. While the book had a lot of similar historical intrigue as may be found in "I, Claudius," the battle scenes lacked pop and the characters were flat. Belisarius himself seemed one-dimensional. This could have been a product of the narration style Graves chose for this book (i.e., telling the story through the eyes of one of Antonina's slaves). It put him in a bit of a straight-jacket when it came to recounting scenes the slave in question could not possibly have seen. Finally, I picked up a certain animus for Christianity that I never noticed or didn't remember in Graves's other works--particularly in his unkind treatment of Pope Silverius. This was perhaps the most disappointing aspect of all, from my perspective. To sum up "Count Belisarius" in one word--forgettable. This time period, and Belisarius in particular, are so intensely interesting, complex, and notable that they deserve much grander treatment than this.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but not terribly memorable
Review: Admittedly, my only knowledge of the work of Graves comes from reading "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God." I picked up this book because I positively loved the aforementioned works, and am a great fan of late Roman / early Byzantine history. I was also hoping for some in depth descriptive scenes of the battles which defined the career of Belisarius. "Count Belisarius" sounded like a book tailor-made for me. I was left disappointed. While the book had a lot of similar historical intrigue as may be found in "I, Claudius," the battle scenes lacked pop and the characters were flat. Belisarius himself seemed one-dimensional. This could have been a product of the narration style Graves chose for this book (i.e., telling the story through the eyes of one of Antonina's slaves). It put him in a bit of a straight-jacket when it came to recounting scenes the slave in question could not possibly have seen. Finally, I picked up a certain animus for Christianity that I never noticed or didn't remember in Graves's other works--particularly in his unkind treatment of Pope Silverius. This was perhaps the most disappointing aspect of all, from my perspective. To sum up "Count Belisarius" in one word--forgettable. This time period, and Belisarius in particular, are so intensely interesting, complex, and notable that they deserve much grander treatment than this.
Rating: 
Summary: This ain't worth it
Review: As a huge fan of Claudius and a lesser fan of some of Graves' other works this one comes at the very bottom of my list of preferred RG titles. The plot is ungainly, the action is plodding and the overall point to the novel seems obscured by Graves greater interest in the wider view of Roman society, which is all very well but goes unexplored in the text. After the directness of the persona in 'I, Claudius', I was shocked by the boredom induced by this book. Re-read 'Claudius' for the thirtieth time, its a better and more entertaining use of time than this.
Rating:
Summary: A great historical novel by the master of the genre himself.
Review: If you loved "I, Claudius" please read this book as well! It's about the sixth century Byzantine general Belisarius in the service of the great emperor Justinian. Belisarius is the scorge of the Vandals, the Persians and the Goths, but they are not the only enemies he has. Back in Constantinople the emperor, jealous of his succes, is continuously plotting against his loyal subject. If it weren't for the friendship between Belisarius' wife and the empress Theodora, things would have looked much bleaker for the Roman empire because Belisarius is doing just fine in kicking the barbarians back to the frontiers of the old empire. Fans of historical novels and Graves will find much to enjoy here and in the process learn a lot about a relatively unknown period in the history of the Roman empire, namely the one after the fall of the Western Empire and between the actual Byzantine period. This is a period when the emperors in Constantinople still considered themselves to be masters of the entire mediterranean, if not in actuality , then at least in name and constantly strove to reassert their authority. In conclusion this is a real pearl and not to be misssed by fans of Graves or for that matter by anybody interested in reading great historical novels. Remco Groeneveld
Rating:
Summary: biased opinion
Review: Mine is a biased judgement. This book started me off on a lot of very fruitful and productive thinking about Graves's novels. It's funny, gripping and a wonderful blend of rewriting of the 18th century sentimental classic by Marmontel with contemporary anthropology, classicism and a touch of personal speculation. The narrative context is entirely plausible and the story shows that Roman politics were as sordid and twisted as ever even after the Roman conversion to Christianity.
Rating: 
Summary: Erudite as usual -- but doesn't cut it.
Review: Robert Graves was a marvelous historical novelist & poet (just read Hercules, My Shipmate, Homer's Daughter, or I, Claudius). But this particular effort falls regrettably flat. It does, however, read like much of the actual material from the period. But Byzantine stuff tended to be rather portentous & stuffy -- bureaucratese par excellence -- and Graves captures the very essence of it here. Unfortunately, it doesn't work all that well for a piece of fiction like this is trying to be. The sense of "realness" in the people just doesn't shine through. There's no solid dramatization of the action and everything is told like a slow and ponderous memoir -- true to the times but less than satisfying from the point of view of historical fiction. Nevertheless, if you like historical stuff & an authentic feel for the time, you might like this one. But I'd recommend some of the others already mentioned instead. Or The Golden Warrior by Hope Muntz -- a really taut, authentic historical piece depicting a very different, and even more dramatic, time. That one's also one of the best historical novels ever written. Just thought I'd mention it. -- Stuart W. Mirsky
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre
Review: The story follows the Byzantine Empire's rule under Justinian and his greatest general, Belisarius. The narrator is the enuch servant of Belisarius' wife who follows him along on his campaigns.
The narrative closely resembles the fast-paced Greek narrative style which focuses more on action as opposed to character development. As a result, the characters appear two-dimensional and seem more like clumsy marionnettes being bounced around the stage of a puppet show. The relation between Belisarius' wife and the Empress Theodora seems to have the most depth in the story because of their unique relationship when they were younger. However, all of the other characters are shallow: the motives to their actions aren't really explored as much as they should be.
Although Graves tries bring forward the same murderous and conspiratorial plots as in "I, Claudius", this seems to come far short. The descriptions of the battles have some merit, particularly those of the Italian campaign and the siege of Rome. I did enjoy his descriptions of the incessant Christian factionalism that pervaded this period; showing how the religion was slowly emerging from its cult origins through the formation of more permanent and politically active institutions.
All in all, I felt as if I would have enjoyed reading a purely historical account of Belisarius more than the novel itself. I wouldn't recommend this novel as a first book to read by Graves for fear that it may bias the reader as to his other great literary work and scholarly contributions.
Rating:
Summary: Great Story, Weak Novel
Review: The story follows the Byzantine Empire's rule under Justinian and his greatest general, Belisarius. The narrator is the enuch servant of Belisarius' wife who follows him along on his campaigns. The narrative closely resembles the fast-paced Greek narrative style which focuses more on action as opposed to character development. As a result, the characters appear two-dimensional and seem more like clumsy marionnettes being bounced around the stage of a puppet show. The relation between Belisarius' wife and the Empress Theodora seems to have the most depth in the story because of their unique relationship when they were younger. However, all of the other characters are shallow: the motives to their actions aren't really explored as much as they should be. Although Graves tries bring forward the same murderous and conspiratorial plots as in "I, Claudius", this seems to come far short. The descriptions of the battles have some merit, particularly those of the Italian campaign and the siege of Rome. I did enjoy his descriptions of the incessant Christian factionalism that pervaded this period; showing how the religion was slowly emerging from its cult origins through the formation of more permanent and politically active institutions. All in all, I felt as if I would have enjoyed reading a purely historical account of Belisarius more than the novel itself. I wouldn't recommend this novel as a first book to read by Graves for fear that it may bias the reader as to his other great literary work and scholarly contributions.
Rating: 
Summary: Look to the source
Review: This book may not be one of Graves' best but in the spirit of Gibbon, he captures his sources well. However, for entertainment and a more immediate sense of the history, you may find it more worth your while to read Graves' source: Procopius, The Wars (not The Secret History!). It is less sentimental and gives a more edgy account of Belisarius' struggles and incomprehensible end.
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