Dictator by Robert Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dictator is the third and final volume in the Cicero trilogy by Robert Harris. Dictator begins pretty much where the second volume Conspirata leaves off. This is the time of the First Triumvirate of Pompey, Crassus and Caesar, and the struggle to preserve the traditions of the Roman Republic. Cicero as an ex-consul is prominent among the opposition to the triumvirate.

You can easily Google Cicero and find out how the story ends, but in case you haven’t, there are some spoilers in the next two paragraphs.

Cicero’s strategy in opposition to the triumvirate is to try to divide them. As he knows and has worked with each of the three, he tries to play one off against the others. Given enough time, this might have worked, but Crassus dies during a campaign, and Caesar and Pompey go to war with each other. Cicero and most of the Senate favor Pompey – Caesar is far more dangerous to the Republic – but Caesar defeats Pompey who is later killed. Caesar then becomes the Dictator and Cicero bends with the wind and makes an accommodation with Caesar.

With Caesar’s victory in the civil war, the Roman Republic is on its last legs. Caesar does not rule wisely, to say the least, and an opposition group forms in the Senate, which includes Cicero, at least to some extent. He is not included in the group that eventually assassinates Caesar, though he does work with them to try to restore the structure of the Republic. The truth is that, as Cicero points out, the plotters did not plan for anything other than killing Caesar. This power vacuum leads to the rise of Marc Anthony, Octavian and Lepidus: the Second Triumvirate.

With the spoilers out of the way, this is an interesting period in Roman history, and through Cicero’s eyes we see again and again how power can corrupt. Cicero is not immune form this either as we have seen through the course of the trilogy, but his loyalty is to the Republic and he is not primarily concerned with increasing his own power at the expense of the Republic.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s a well-written conclusion to the trilogy, and even knowing how it ends, I still enjoyed reading the book. I definitely recommend this book if you are interested in this period of history.