Emperor : The Death of Kings - Softcover

Conn Iggulden

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007169795 ISBN 13: 9780007169795

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2004

Synopsis

The first book in Conn Iggulden's highly impressive Emperor series, The Gates of Rome, marked the author out as one of the most accomplished practitioners of the sweeping historical novel.The second book, , creates another panoply of the Ancient World with the young Caesar serving onboard a war galley in the dangerous tempest-tossed waters of the Mediterranean. Achieving a striking victory with his already fully formed intellect and forceful personality, things suddenly turn disastrous for him when he is captured by pirates and imprisoned on the North Coast of Africa. But Caesar knows he is not fated to end his prospects here, and uses his charisma and leadership abilities to forge a lean and lethal squadron of warriors who break out of captivity and find themselves involved in a bloody uprising in Greece. And, inevitably, Caeser is soon back on his way to Rome for another encounter that will have tremendous consequences both for him and his fellow Romans. Iggulden's skills are many and he is well aware that narratives such as this must have an irresistible forward impetus, and that's maintained with an inexorable control here. And he knows that the reader must constantly have the details of these fabulous ancient times conjured afresh throughout the book--but never at the expense of the trajectory of the story.The author's key achievement, though, is in his laser-sharp characterisation of Caesar and those he encounters--and this is where the real splendour of The Death of Kings Caesar is very much a man of his time, but the conjuring trick of allowing the modern reader to enter his psychology is always handled with quiet assurance.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

Brilliant?stunning,? raved the Los Angeles Times about Conn Iggulden?s first novel, Emperor: The Gates of Rome. ?Iggulden is a grand storyteller,? declared USA Today. Now Iggulden returns to the landscape of ancient Rome and the life of Julius Caesar in a new novel filled with all the sumptuous storytelling that distinguished his first book. Sweeping from the windswept, pirate-ruled seas to the stifling heat of the Roman senate, Iggulden takes us further down the path to glory as Julius Caesar comes into his own as a man, warrior, senator, husband, leader. In a sweltering, sparsely settled region of North Africa, a band of disheveled soldiers turn their eyes toward one man among them. Ragged, dirty, and half starved, the men will follow their leader into the mad, glorious fight for honor and revenge that only he wants to fight. Their leader is named Julius Caesar. The soldiers are Roman legionaries. And their quarry is a band of pirates who made the mistake of seizing Julius Caesar?and holding him for ransom. Now, to get his revenge, Caesar will turn peasants into soldiers, building a shipborne fighting force that will not only decimate a pirate fleet but will dominate the Mediterranean, earning him the coveted title Military Tribune of Rome.While Caesar builds a legend far from Rome, his friend Gaius Brutus is fighting battles of another sort, rising to power in the wake of the shocking assassination of a dictator. Once Brutus and Caesar were as close as brothers, both devoted to the same ideals and attracted to the same forbidden woman. Now, when Caesar returns?with the winds of glory at his back?they will find themselves at odds. For each has built an army of elite warriors?Caesar?s forged in far-flung battles, Brutus? from Rome?s political killing fields. But in an era when men die for their treachery and their allegiances, the two men will soon be united by a shock wave from the north. There, a gladiator named Spartacus is gathering strength, building an army of seventy thousand desperate slaves?to fight a cataclysmic battle against Rome itself.Filled with unforgettable images?from the death throes of a king to the birth of Caesar?s child, from the bloody battlefields of Greece to the silent passion of lovers?Emperor: The Death of Kings is an astounding work, a stunning blend of vibrant history and thrilling fiction.

About the Author

Born in London, Conn Iggulden read English at London University and worked as a teacher for seven years before becoming a full-time writer. Married with two children, he lives in Hertfordshire.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0007169795
• ISBN 13: 9780007169795
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352