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The Roman Trilogy Series

This series plunges into the turbulent waters of ancient Rome, chronicling the rise and political machinations of one of history's most iconic figures. Through the eyes of his loyal secretary, you'll explore the intricacies of senatorial struggles, electoral corruption, and constant threats to free speech. The narratives portray an ambitious yet vulnerable protagonist, whose journey from radical lawyer to the state's first citizen is filled with strategic maneuvering and public manipulation. This compelling saga captures the timeless essence of politics, showcasing human fallibility and aspiration in a setting both alien and familiar.

The Cicero Trilogy
Dictator
Conspirata
Imperium

Recommended Reading Order

  1. Imperium

    • 403 pages
    • 15 hours of reading

    When Tiro, the confidential secretary of a Roman senator, encounters a terrified stranger on a cold November morning, he unwittingly sets off a series of events that will lead his master into a historic courtroom drama. The stranger, a Sicilian wronged by the corrupt governor Verres, brings a case to Cicero, a brilliant young lawyer and orator eager to achieve supreme power. This marks the beginning of a compelling narrative, told from Tiro's perspective, that immerses readers in the treacherous world of Roman politics. It explores how one man—clever, compassionate, and vulnerable—navigates the complexities of ambition and power. The story emphasizes the significance of articulating ambition, as Cicero's bold declaration of his aspirations ignites hope and possibility. Robert Harris reflects on his long-standing fascination with politics, likening it to a contact sport. He highlights the timeless elements of oratory, strategizing, and public manipulation that make politics exhilarating. Cicero’s journey is not just a historical account but a universal exploration of ambition and the thrill of political life.

    Imperium1
    4.2

  2. Conspirata

    • 384 pages
    • 14 hours of reading

    Conspirata is “a portrait of ancient politics as a blood sport,” raves The New York Times. As he did with Imperium, Robert Harris again turns Roman history into a gripping thriller as Cicero faces a new power struggle in a world filled with treachery, violence, and vengeance. On the eve of Cicero’s inauguration as consul of Rome, a grisly discovery sends fear rippling through a city already racked by unrest. A young slave boy has been felled by a hammer, his throat slit and his organs removed, apparently as a human sacrifice. For Cicero, the ill omens of this hideous murder only increase his dangerous situation: elected leader by the people but despised by the heads of the two rival political camps. Caught in a shell game that leaves him forever putting out fires only to have them ignite elsewhere, Cicero plays for the future of the republic…and his life. There is a plot to assassinate him, abetted by a rising young star of the Roman senate named Gaius Julius Caesar—and it will take all the embattled consul’s wit, strength, and force of will to stop the plot and keep Rome from becoming a dictatorship.

    Conspirata2
    4.2

  3. Dictator

    • 544 pages
    • 20 hours of reading

    'Confirms Harris's undisputed place as our leading master of both the historical and contemporary thriller' Daily Mail There was a time when Cicero held Caesar's life in the palm of his hand. But now Caesar is the dominant figure and Cicero's life is in ruins. Cicero's comeback requires wit, skill and courage. And for a brief and glorious period, the legendary orator is once more the supreme senator in Rome. But politics is never static. And no statesman, however cunning, can safeguard against the ambition and corruption of others. 'The finest fictional treatment of Ancient Rome in the English language' Scotsman

    Dictator3
    4.3

Related books

  • The Cicero Trilogy

    • 992 pages
    • 35 hours of reading

    'One of the great triumphs of contemporary historical literature.' The TimesWITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR'Laws are silent in times of war.' CiceroOne of the great epics of political and historical fiction, The Cicero Trilogy charts the career of the Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero from his mid-twenties as an ambitious young lawyer to his dramatic death more than thirty years later, pursued by an assassination squad on a cliff-top path.The extraordinary life that unfolds between these two episodes is recounted by Cicero's private secretary, the law cases and the speeches that made his master's name; the elections and conspiracies he fought; the rivals who contended for power around him - Pompey, Crassus, Cato, Clodius, Catalina, and, most menacingly, Caesar; and, at the heart of it all, the complex personality of Cicero himself - brilliant, cunning, duplicitous, anxious, brave, and always intensely humane.More than ten years in the writing, and now published in a single volume for the first time, The Cicero Trilogy brings the world of the Roman republic vividly to life. Here is its grandeur, ambition and corruption; and here is its tumultuous collapse into dictatorship and anarchy - a story of the fragility of democratic institutions that holds a warning for our own time.

    The Cicero Trilogy
    4.5