Imperium by Robert Harris
For anyone familiar with Robert Harris’ previous literary outings the style of Imperium will be easily recognizable, for me it is an easy and readable style and although this is fiction, it is based on the true events and real people that shaped the Roman Empire - and for myself digesting ‘history’ in this way is more palatable than straight-forward historical texts, which I often find a little dense and heavy going. I suppose one could label this a historical, political drama, focusing as it does on the rise to fame of the famous orator and lawyer Marcus Cicero. The story is related through the eyes of Cicero’s slave/secretary over a period of years, encompassing such roman heavyweights as Crassas, Pompey and Ceasar along the way. Charecteration is subtle, especially with regards to Cicero - one minute appearing a paragon of virtue, the next something more sinister and selfish, and in this Harris manages to build an intricate character from his obviously detailed research. Like the predecessor Pompeii, Imperium re-builds a world we can only imagine with a subtlety and realism few writers can manage.
