An electrifying and spectacular conclusion to a universally loved, epic series that leaves you emotionally drained as Julius Caesar’s end comes to pass. This mammoth tale transports you back in time to when Rome was all powerful and dominating across the globe, taking the lead in social change and command changing the course of civilization for the future. Here in an Empire that is lead by a single man of great aspirations one is not prepared for the changes that occur, in regards to the leadership of Rome and control of such a gigantic empire that stands in such high supremacy throughout the land. The tension and friction between Pompey and the mighty Caesar builds up to such a crescendo, that erupts throughout the lives of those that surround them effecting social status and the future for the great cities. Conn Iggulden has to be one of the most accomplished and recognizable writers of historical fiction, who brings the life and times of those whom he is describing accurately and realistically to life in such vivid color as to transport the reader into his creation. Surpassing all expectations I was blown away again by his creativity, imagination and brilliant writing that made this book not just a good read but a truly great one that is highly memorable. One feels as if you get to know those great figures within our history on a personal and intimate level, understanding how they thought, felt and why they acted as they did. You are able to clearly picture the surroundings that touch upon all senses, as you delve into civilian culture of the time and how great battles were made and fought. This series is so striking with its eye-catching, bold covers of bright colors being blood red, emerald and mauve they cannot fail to stand-out on the bookshelf as something distinctive and a bit special. Conn Iggulden writes in such a way as to leave a big gap between himself and other writers, who look to him as inspiration and insight, where the combination of skill and creative flair go hand in hand producing something spectacular. You can see instantly as you read how much dedication, time and effort and research has gone into forming a story that is both fascinating and enjoyable to read, hence it feels as if one has merged both fiction and non-fiction together. The importance of leadership, control and power is highlighted throughout as you study the very foundations of this city that leads the way to our present time. Social hierarchy and connections with other individuals also plays a huge role in the lives of Caesar’s loyal servants, when deciding the fate of Brutus for example or Mark Antony. Reading this book is like opening a window onto the past and seeing a changing world that is brutal, bloody and magnificent through the eyes of one of the most outstanding and remarkable rulers that ever lived. Julius Caesar was known for his determination and strength, his willpower and resolve to protect his beloved home and his people whilst encouraging change that revolutionizes the entire world. Here is an author who is as passionate about his enjoyment of the written word as he is about his history and those individuals whom we can never forget, that shaped our lives and our existence with their ideas and visionary philosophies. Completely compelling, this forceful read will move you emotionally to the core touching your very heart and soul with such a powerful force that will be forever etched within ones memory as something most poignant. This series is one that will be read again and again, as it is by far something of such enormity as to not be left on the bookshelf. If you are looking to find out about this iconic figure and time in history from a most original angle, then Conn Iggulden is an author who can present it to you in a way that you won’t forget.
I am becoming a huge fan of Conn Iggulden historical novels. I have read both the Emperor Series about the life and times of Julius Caesar and the Conqueror series about Genghis Klan.I enjoy how the author transcends these historic people, places and spaces into the present tense - you can practically feel the dust of the march before the battle, the fear of facing an enemy and the relief that you have survive another day.It is also interesting to note the parallels between Julius Caesar and Genghis Klan. Both men were among the most brilliant warriors and Generals in history. Both were driven ambitious men with excellent leadership abilities (given the fact that they were both essentially dictators). They were able to win the support, respect and loyalty of their soldiers, they pay attention to detail and were great planners - they changed the world.Many Goodreads followers gave this series a bit of a bad rap for taking poetic license a bit too far and not paying enough attention to historic accuracy in writing about these events. I am a strong advocate in the rule of not allowing the facts to interference with a good story. I want the author to get the essential facts about the places, events and people during that time and write a good fictional story about what might have happened to you and I if we lived in that time and place.The author takes some literary license with Brutus and his childhood friendship with Caesar but I was impressed on how well the author did tell a great tale using real facts about real people in real places. The framework of this story was essentially accurate as I discovered when I used my reading tablet tools to quickly research the actual battles, generals, cities and senators of Rome.Whether it was crossing the Rubicon or the Battle of Pharsalus, the reader can click on the word and quickly research (Wikipedia) the event complete with maps and a full description of the actual event as history has recorded it. I love these features!Where Iggulden succeeds magnificently is his battle scenes. With flourishes worthy of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, Iggulden brings the battles alive. He’s able to effectively explain the intimate details and decisions that make these enormous battles as much about wits as swordplay but still portrays the shocking violence of men engaged in battle on the ground. The final earth-shaking battle is as well-drawn as any of the conflicts in the series, pitting Caesar not just against Pompey, one of the smartest military minds of his time, but also against Brutus, who knows Caesar as well as anybody.The end, when it comes, is as swift and merciless as we’ve been led to believe. It would have been more satisfying for the book to engage the reader a bit more, placing Caesar in context and further illuminating the reasons behind his downfall.At the same time, Iggulden deserves fair credit for crafting a magnificent, world-spanning epic about one of the world’s truly compelling figures over the course of these four books. The Emperor series has been a thought-provoking antidote to typical historical fiction, rich with the veracity of history and yet full of explosive cinematic action. Conn Iggulden is a master of historical action.
What do You think about The Gods Of War (2007)?
As it was to be expected this last book in the series dives into Caesar's final stage of his "adventures". The conclusion of his conflict with Pompey is well documented and thoroughly depicted in the series of battles culminating with Pharsalus. I had the feeling that, in comparison with the other books, this one had more awe-inspiring scenes. One of the most interesting scenes (not entirely attested by the historical facts, but not entirely dismissed either) was in Pompey's command tent when he met three envoys from Caesar, envoys who had only one role - to saw dissent in Pompey's ranks, even at the price of their lives. To know that those men were also high ranking officers in Caesar's army who chose to accept Caesar's final orders to them shows, in my view, how they all revered the man and the general, Julius Caesar. Moving on to the other shore of the Mediterranean, in Egypt, the clash of civilizations is masterfully done by Iggulden. As a fan of ancient Egypt I was enthralled by the setting, the customs and the events. Finally, the coronation scene is simply breathtaking in its strength and meaning. I cannot imagine Caesar's pain, fury, disappointment when he gauged the crowd's reaction when Mark Anthony attempted to crown him in the Senate square. And not once, but three times. Even though it appeared to be staged, an exercise in humility if you want, in his mind it was not supposed to go down thus. While walking unknowingly towards his impending doom he somehow remembers his healer's prophecy, that he will die in Rome on the Ides of March. He chooses to ignore this memory, confident that he is surrounded by people who would not see him hurt. Iggulden also mentions in his notes that history tells us Caesar actually received a scroll from an unknown messenger warning him of the conspiracy, possibly from Brutus, which he held in his hands, unread, in his final moments.What I take from this tale that spanned over 2,500 pages is that greatness brings enemies and that even your closest friends can fall prey to envy and spite. It was an awesome series which I heartily recommend to anyone who seeks to find out more about Caesar's life, or who simply enjoys a great historical fiction novel.
—Alex
My, but this series was a letdown. While there are many fictional works that tend to bend history to their own dramatic purposes (in this genre, HBO's Rome series comes to mind), they still manage to hew close enough to the facts to make a decent mix of history and imagination. Iggulden has decided to take the ignoble path of tossing history right out the window. So many of the basic facts of this well-known story are so distorted and/or ignored that it really detracts from the enjoyment one might get from it. What is more distressing is that some readers not familiar with the story of Julius Caesar might actually make the mistake of thinking that they may be learning something by reading this woe-begotten series. This series has Caesar and Brutus growing up together, whereas historically, Caesar is believed to have been Brutus' father. Once this most basic of facts is twisted... well, it's all downhill from there. This series is the equivalent of a book covering The Revolutionary War, in which Thomas Jefferson and his brother Abraham Lincoln team up to assassinate John Adams. Yes, it's that ridiculous.I probably would have given this series two stars as some sort of crazy, alternate-universe fable on the life of Caesar, but the last two audiobooks are an abomination. The reader huffs and puffs in a performance worthy of a second-rate dinner theater, and his constant mispronunciations of the names of some of history's most well-known figures (seriously, Cicero pronounced as "Kickero"?) made me imagine that I was listening to a Monty Python skit.
—Bill
O último livro da saga "O imperador"...e é absolutamente fantástico!!! Conn Iggulden passou a ser um dos meus escritores de preferência, pois o seu dom para a escrita maravilhou-me!A descrição da Vida de Júlio César já me fascinava no passado, pois das suas mãos um império ganhou força e lugar no tempo que ainda hoje é recordado e visível, ou não fossem as ruínas romanas um marco da passagem deste povo por inúmeros lugares.No centro deste último livro, encontramos um Júlio César sedento de conquista e se no passado condenou todos aqueles que tentaram saciar a sua sede de poder sem olhar a meios, também ele algures no tempo vira o seu pensamento e se deixa levar pela fama alcançada com intensão de também ele se tornar um imperador...objectivos elevados e que incomodam amigos próximos. E entre eles Marco Bruto que abandona o seu amigo indo juntar-se a Pompeu. Acredita Marco Bruto que se pompeu ganhar a primeira grande luta entre Romanos talvez roma recupere o passado de uma républica que tudo tinha para vingar e honrar os seus cidadãos. Mas Pompeu perde e Marco Bruto é obrigado a retornar para debaixo das asas de César, um César que o perdoa deixando muitos inquietos com tal atitude. Neste perdão, conseguimos ver um pouco da grandiosidade de Júlio César que julgamos ter sido perdida na sua cegueira em construir um Império. Um homem que honra as suas amizades acima de tudo.Mas é no Egipto que se dá a grande reviravolta em Júlio César e também aqui este encontra Cleopatra, que lhe dá um filho...o filho sonhado e no qual depositam os dois a esperânça de um dia este ser imperador de Roma e do Egipto.Júlio César regressa a Roma, no final de quase uma vida a combater e é em Roma que morre às mãos dos que na Républica acreditam e que em César apenas vêm um homem sedento de poder...o resto da história conhecemos todos "Também tu Bruto?"...Mesmo ficcionado, não deixa de ser uma saga repleta de aventuras não só em batalhas travadas entre povos, mas também repleto de batalhas travadas por cada um dos personagens históricos aqui descritos...afinal no fim somos todos carne, osso e alma...e é aqui que se trava a maior de todas as batalhas!!!Não posso descrever muito mais deste livro nem dos outros, porque é apenas na leitura dos quatro que irão compreender a grandeza da história de Júlio César que mesmo ficcionada em algumas partes é descrita com uma emoção que me cativou e que de certo vai dislumbrar os que de História gostam.Obrigado Pai, por me teres aguçado a curiosidade nestes livros!!!!
—Sara
