In Let the Dice FlyMcCullough compellingly manages Julius Caesar's transformation from master politician and Pontifex Maximus into autocratic general. She begins the story five years after the last book in her Masters of Rome series, Caesar's Women, not long into his second term as governor of four provinces: Further Gaul, The Roman Province (the genesis of the name for the area of France known as Provence today), Italian Gaul, and Illyricum. At this point, Caesar has proven himself a brilliant general who has doubled Rome's income and land area. He himself has cemented close ties with his legates (officers) and his legionaries, proving himself as their commander by marching, building, and fighting right at their side. He has also taken enough booty to leave the debt-ridden political days behind. This book essentially covers the material that the first season of the popular HBO Rome series covers without the confusion -- provided the reader has read enough history beforehand. After all, McCullough has written four other novels setting the stage for Caesar's rise to the status of First Man in Rome, fully exploring and explaining the virulent and bitter opposition to him among a small group of very conservative Roman senators, called the boni. McCullough makes a very good case against these men, led primarily by Cato and a patrician enemy of Caesar's named Bibulus -- and who has ever heard of him? For them, their opposition is purely political and leads them to strip Caesar of everything: legions, provinces, and imperium. At this point,Caesar must either submit to exile or marching on Rome. Given all the years that they'd dealt with Caesar, it's rather amazing these men so foolishly backed him into this corner.Pompey, once friend and son-in-law to Caesar, swings to the boni cause out of jealous insecurity: even as the conservative senators fear that Caesar can become a king because of his pedigree, Pompey fears much the same because his ancestors are clearly not Roman.Let the Dice Fly shows a Julius Caesar becoming more isolated and godlike, awe-inspiring and worthy of a measure of pity, too. Unlike his Roman Senate days, Caesar has no close women confidantes or male friends even as he gathers to him devoted legates and soldiers who adore him and will fight to the death for him. Furthermore, McCullough begins to plant seeds of Caesar's fatalism. When speaking with a Celtic Druid about how he plans to live his old age, Caesar accepts the Druid's assurance that he won't live to old age. "The gods love you," the Druid says. And those whom the gods love don't live to old age. Several times Caesar comments that he wants his political enemies to continue to fight him in Rome because they make him strive harder. The last comment he makes in the book perhaps foreshadows the cause of his death: he tells a legate that the legate has too much faith in him and that he's susceptible to autocracy without opposition. It remains to be seen whether McCullough has Caesar walking to his death knowingly, but I rather suspect that she will. Perhaps she feels, as I do now, that Caesar would rather die the First Man in Rome than as a tyrannical old man who destroyed Rome's greatness.Besides all of that, the descriptions of several of Caesar's sieges in Further Gaul are fascinating. The boni scoffed at his dispatches, claiming that he exaggerated, but modern archaeology has confirmed at least one of his more amazing claims: his legions built 25 miles of walls around a site called Alesia. McCullough describes engineering as Caesar's favorite among the wide spectrum of his gifts.
Historical fiction at its best. This goes for the whole series. McCullough brings it all to life: the characters, the politics, the battle scenes, the cultural dynamics...She does this by weaving in an amazing array of characters, major and minor, who ground every storyline. It is enough of a feat that she makes historical characters bristle with life and ancient events burst with excitement. It is even more impressive that she pulls this off while giving us a pretty serious history lesson. She often deviates from the main storyline to offer an anecdote or explanation concerning some arcane item such as the Bona Dea cult, or the function of the crossroads colleges. These sidebars are woven in seamlessly and the pacing doesn't suffer at all. Instead the whole story is enriched along with our appreciation of various facets of the historical context. Though I haven't read Game of Thrones, descriptions of that series remind me of this in that both provide a rich immersive experience in a foreign world full of wars, loves, and political machinations. The characters are complex and compelling, causing us to care about them despite often being repulsed by their amorality. This series is a must-read for enthusiasts of Roman History and historical fiction, and I daresay it will reward the investment of many others as well. Give it a try.
What do You think about Caesar (2003)?
Caesar by Colleen McCullough covers Julius Caesars military and political battles from Britain and Gaul back to Italy (after crossing the Rubicon, a shallow river, now lost) through his battles with Pompey and the Roman Civil War.After the first book I read in this series (which was unfortunately not the actual first book of the series), I wondered if I could follow the battles, which make up the entire book.I still have trouble with the names, but otherwise the book did flow, and while this was more dramatic than Caesar’s Women, it did not engage me continually. However, there were times, such as with the Britannic King Vercingertorix and at the siege of Alesia when you feel Caesars military brilliance and then you feel his fatigue at Pharsalus.Because you know she has done her research, you have faith in McCullough’s characterizations of these iconic ancients. They become accessible. You cry with Fulvia and cringe at the death of certain people. I am reading a biography of Thomas Jefferson and at one point, Alexander Hamilton (a mastermind of the American financial system) mockingly replies to Jefferson’s statement as to the greatest men in history: “The greatest man who ever lived was Julius Caesar.”The man intrigued us 200 years before this book was written and McCullough perpetuates the fascination. by Colleen McCullough by Jon Meacham
—G Hodges
Amazing in historical detail, with useful maps and drawings. Real life and people sometimes make better stories than plain fiction and Caesar is one of the best books on the subject I’ve read. Some fiction amongst the facts makes this a literary experience certainly worth one’s while. Minus half a star for the beginning, which was a bit slow, but once I’d struggled through the first 200 pages I suddenly found myself hooked. I was impressed by the way the persons of Caesar and Pompey were depicted, and also by the way McCullough managed to write through the war of Gaul and make it interesting, too. Can't wait to read October Horse!
—Sanna
This is the book that started it all for me, in terms of Roman History. It picks up with Caesar in Gaul, and traces his most glorious battles, his rise to unequaled heights, and the forcing of the Senate that made him cross the Rubicon to defend his honor. Major historical events that shaped our world as we know it today are broken down and described in such a way that you can feel yourself there. McCullough dusts the layers of antiquity off Caesar, Cicero, Brutus, and others to make them not only human, but people you feel strongly about, in short, very well written characters. The appendix at the back is necessary, as there's a lot to learn and keep track of, but if you can master dealing with flipping back and forth a bit, this novel is certainly worth your time.
—Rufusgermanicus Meelberg
