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Read Fortune's Favorites (1994)

Fortune's Favorites (1994)

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Rating
4.32 of 5 Votes: 1
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ISBN
0380710838 (ISBN13: 9780380710836)
Language
English
Publisher
avon

Fortune's Favorites (1994) - Plot & Excerpts

The third book in Colleen McCullough's "Masters of Rome" series, after "The First Man in Rome" and "The Grass Crown", begins just a few years after the latter. Sulla gets back to Rome, the beauty of his early days giving way to a toothless self with a hideous wig and an addiction to wine, and true to character, wreaks terrible vengeance on his enemies - Young Marius, Cinna and Carbo- and becomes Dictator of Rome. The seeds of Rome's Republic days were probably sown that early as Sulla changes laws that had persisted for years. But what he also aids is the rise of the two other "Fortune's Favourites". He gave enough room to Gnaeus Pompeius, who, very early in life gave himself the title Magnus and sought to play down the other moniker Kid Butcher, and was the wealthy provincial whose military machinations and continuous search for military glory finally made him senior consul without being a member of the Senate. Though not easily, Sulla also helps free Gaius Julius Caesar from the position of flamen Dialis, the yoke that a bitter Gaius Marius had hung on his neck before he died. And then, true to his promise, Sulla makes an exit, on his own terms.In this book, through the later years of Sulla, and the early years of Caesar and Pompey, the author brings to life the character of Rome and its citizens. The presence of other familiar characters like Cicero, Spartacus and Mithridates add to the excitement. With a few eventful campaigns, the author also gets to pace the book well, allowing the characters to build slowly. Pompey's supreme confidence in his own abilities, his showiness, the ignominy he suffers at the hands of Sertorius, and his tantrums when things don't work his way all give us a glimpse of his character, a stark contrast to the confident yet subtle-when-required Caesar, whose diplomatic and military coups at an early age showed that he was destined for greatness. The brilliance of Caesar's mind is on display as he brings a truce between Crassus and Pompey, uses his aunt's death to show Romans that he is indeed Gaius Marius' true successor and explains how time was his greatest ally all point to him indeed being the "greatest prime mover of them all"

This book, which covers from Sulla's return to Italy, march on Rome, and establishment of himself as Dictator-for-life through to retirement and death... and then keeps going for another 200-300 pages (ending with a mildly-entertaining, if aseptic summary of Spartacus' uprising -- insufficient willingness to fantasize in the absence of primary source material? -- and Pompey's reduction of Mithridates). What a slog. I lost momentum when I failed to take it with me on vacation and now am having difficulty motivating myself to return to it. McCullough's view of historical fiction seems to be to elaborate everything she could possibly research as it happened, as opposed to condensing material to bring out specific themes or concentrating on a specific narrative. The narrative itself is readable enough, it's just that I can no longer bring myself to care for this series when I know:(1) Julius Caesar's fame appears to derive more from his succession by his nephew Augustus than any of his own accomplishments or reforms (all of which had multiple precedents); and(2) McCullough is carrying the series through a 7th book, Antony and Cleopatra, and PAST the battles of Actium and Phillippi. What's next? A recap of I Claudius?I feel as though I'd be more thoroughly and entertainingly served by William Gibbon, whom McCullough makes look a master of concision.

What do You think about Fortune's Favorites (1994)?

Fortune's Favourites is where the Masters of Rome series really gets into its stride. It's hard to pinpoint how exactly, but there seems to be more colour and movement than in the first two books, making this the first one where the ending comes up before you're ready.It opens with Sulla's return to Italy and the civil war that results, giving us plenty of time to ogle this extraordinary young man Pompey. From there it swirls breathlessly through the years of Sulla the Dictator, giving us time to check in on a young man called Caesar, before taking us on a rolicking adventure from the distant heat of Spain to the oriental decadence of Anatolia, with stopovers at the siege of Mitylene and pirate strongholds to tide us over. If I had one criticism it would be that McCollough's descriptions of these places still don't put me on the ground, where I can feel the hard-packed earth and smell the brine and olives on the breeze, but I'm wondering if that's an unfair criticism since I'm not sure McCullough ever got to visit these places herself.No matter: if it's still short on florid descriptions, Fortune's Favourites makes up for it with some much-needed variety in the action. Besides the familiar Senate and Comitia wrangling and yet more civil warring, there's plenty of strategy discussion for we armchair generals, chief among them Pompey's campaign against Sertorius in Spain and the grand idiocy of Spartacus, a very different story to the one Hollywood tells. There are even elements of courtroom drama, such as Cicero's prosecution of Gaius Verres, and the whole thing builds up to a triumphant climax with the consulship of Pompey and Crassus.As always, though, the chief pleasure of the series is taking these titanic figures of legend - Caesar, Pompey, Crassus, Sulla, Cicero - and seeing them interact as real people, all fighting to influence these historic events from ground level. That happens in every book of this series, but in Fortune's Favourites, it's somehow brighter and more alive. A fabulous read.
—Dane Sørensen

Another excellent book in Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series. I've always liked long books with lots of characters and complex plots. Over the years I've tended to become less tolerant of shoddy writing. These books cover all the bases - long, involved, very well written - and this one equals its predecessors. If you have any interest in ancient Rome and are willing to go through thousands of pages that seem to go by entirely too quickly, I recommend you start with First Man in Rome, pass me here at book three and keep going through the end at book seven. Unless the books take a serious turn for the worse, and reviews I've looked at say they do not, it'll be well worth your time.I have another series that I have spread out on my calendar so as to not run out too quickly. I read one book from Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin books every summer. I've been reading one book from this series every winter. The only problem with my plan is that I will be done with Rome long before the Royal Navy, but I have some years yet.In short, an equal to the other books in the series, all of them among the best books I've ever read.
—Shane

The third book in Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome Series that began with The First Man in Rome, Fortune's Favorites covers the period from 83-69 B.C. It picks up shortly after The Grass Crown left off. Lucius Cornelius Sulla has defeated King Mithridates of Pontus and expelled him from the Asia Province, and is headed home with the intention of becoming Dictator of Rome. While Sulla's career has reached its peak, Gaius Julius Caesar has just come of age. Caesar's adventures are mythic: from military glory to being kidnapped by pirates; from battling a slave rebellion led by the ex-gladiator Spartacus, to political intrigue in the Roman Senate. Caesar is the Ancient World's version of James Bond -- he is a handsome, brilliant, fearless, womanizing rake who is also hard-working, loyal and ambitious. McCullough brings history to life in such a way that in spite of a basic familiarity with the events to come, I can't wait to see what happens next.
—Becky

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