Imperium by Robert Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Imperium is a work of historical fiction set in the last years of the Roman Republic. The books is written as if Tiro, the slave and personal secretary to Marcus Cicero was writing a biography of his master. This novel follows Cicero as he enters the political life with the goal of being elected consul, which was the highest elected office of the Republic. Along the way we meet such historical figures as Pompey the Great and Crassus and Cato and even Julius Caesar.

One of the interesting things is that Tiro really did write a biography of Cicero but it disappeared with the fall of the Roman Empire. Tiro is also known for the invention of short-hand and it is through this mechanism that so many of Cicero’s speeches have been preserved.

Mr. Harris has done an excellent job of bringing this period, and some of the principal actors, to life. Cicero is completely dedicated to the Republic, but he is a “new man” and does not come from one of the old families and thus has to play the political game without a large fortune or the backing of the patricians.

I found the book to be a great read – very well written and quite informative about this period of Roman history. I knew who Cicero was but I really knew nothing about him as a person or a politician. It is also interesting how some aspects of politics have not changed in two thousand years! I have tried to avoid spoilers in this review, but it is easy enough for anyone to use Google to see if Cicero ever became consul.

So I heartily recommend this book. I should point out that it is the first book of a trilogy concerning Cicero. I’m looking forward to reading the others.