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Conspirata: A Novel of Ancient Rome |  | Author: Robert Harris
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $12.99
as of 7/31/2010 12:40 CDT details
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Seller: THE BOOK SHACK
Rating:  40 reviews
Sales Rank: 6969
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.8 x 1.1
ISBN: 0743266102
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780743266109
ASIN: 0743266102
Publication Date: February 2, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
On the eve of Marcus Cicero's inauguration as consul of Rome, the grisly death of a boy sends ripples of fear through a city already wracked by civil unrest, crime, and debauchery of every kind. Felled by a hammer, his throat slit and his organs removed, the young slave appears to have been offered as a human sacrifice, forbidden as an abomination in the Roman Republic. For Cicero, the ill forebodings of this hideous murder only increase his frustrations and the dangers he already faces as Rome's leader: elected by the people but despised by the heads of the two rival camps, the patricians and populists. Caught in a political shell game that leaves him forever putting out fires only to have them ignite elsewhere, Cicero plays both for the future of the republic and his very life. There is a plot to assassinate Cicero, 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 it and keep Rome from becoming a dictatorship. In this second novel of his Roman trilogy, following the bestselling Imperium, Robert Harris once again weaves a compelling and historically accurate tale of intrigue told in the wise and compassionate voice of Cicero's slave and private secretary, Tiro. In the manner of I, Claudius, Harris vividly evokes ancient Rome and its politics for today's readers, documenting a world not unlike our own -- where the impulse toward dominance competes with the risk of overreach, where high-minded ideals can be a liability, and where someone is always waiting in the wings for a chance to set the world on fire.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 40
Loved it but not quite as much as "Imperium" July 7, 2010
Pushing 60 (Maryland)
I hesitate to only give four stars...it's a great book and I wonder if my rating has more to do with the "facts" of the book than with the story and the way it's told. I would strongly recommend reading "Imperium" first...this book stands on its own but is more meaningful having read "Imperium." Just as with that book, the reader is transported back to Rome and the intrigue that plaqued the era of Cicero. I'm looking forward to the final book of the trilogy knowing now how it all ends.
 An engrossing novel of Roman politics and a compelling look at Cicero and Caesar June 11, 2010
Roger J. Buffington (Huntington Beach, CA United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The late era of the Roman Republic has a unique appeal to many Western readers because of its many similarities to the present day. "Conspirata" by Robert Harris is a superlatively good novel about the political career of Marcus Tullius Cicero, the great Roman Senator and advocate. This novel is the second installment in Harris' planned trilogy, following "Imperium." It is told from the first person perspective of Cicero's slave and indispensable assistant "Tiro" who indeed did write a biography of Cicero which has, unfortunately, been lost to history.
"Conspirata" takes the reader through the time during which Cicero was Consul of Rome, which office was the closest thing (excepting the occasional office of "dictator") that the Roman Republic had to a chief executive. The novel shows that Roman politics were, if anything, even more convoluted than our own, with conspiracies and cross-conspiracies constantly threatening the status quo.
This novel provides possibly the best novelization that I have come across of the Cataline Conspiracy. Historians as well as novelists have differed as to the nature of this episode of Roman history. Here, Harris makes a case that it was real, and that none other than Julius Caesar was involved in it. Harris' Caesar is portrayed very different than the moral, physical, and mental superman that Colleen McCollough makes him out to be in her "Masters of Rome" series. Here, Caesar is shown as a formidable, frightfully ambitious and ruthless man bent on achieving one-man rule of the Roman Republic. In fact, Harris seems to show that Caesar always intended to essentially remake the Roman Republic, the institutions of which he viewed as archaic and unsuited to the governance of an empire as opposed to a city-state. Of course, if that was Caesar's view, history has shown him to be correct. Certainly Harris' portrayal of Caesar is far more consistent with Caesar's later seizure of power after crossing the Rubicon. In fact, it seemed to me that Harris has a deeper and more nuanced understanding of such timeless Roman figures as Cato, Cicero, Crassus, and Pompey than did McCulloch in her series of novels.
This is a very well-written novel that will appeal to almost all readers who have an interest in Roman history. It may be too detailed for someone with little knowledge of the Roman Republic looking for a quick read, but for enthusiasts, this is a must-read. Highly recommended. RJB
 What Trilogy? June 8, 2010
David N. Soctt
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I ordered Emperium, Lustrum & Conspirata thinking I was getting a trilogy. I enjoyed Emperium and Lustrum. However, when I began reading Conspirata I discovered it was word-for-word the same book as Lustrum. What gives? Why is Amazon selling the same book under differen titles? I will write to Amazon and request a refund for Conspirata. Is this a printing error or a scam?
Excellect history and story.. May 17, 2010
John Capps (Gastonia, NC United States)
I had previously read about the Cataline conspiracy and the Clodius scandal in histories of the period, but also in John Maddox Roberts' entertaining mysteries ("The Cataline Conspiracy" and "Sacrilege"). However, I think both stories are retold in more coherent and plausible fashion here, although with less of a "mystery novel" approach.
Great and very documented novel of the en of the roman republic May 9, 2010
Mastercard (Montevideo, Montevideo, UY)
Is is a very good book, very well written , with a deep knolewdge of the historical reality ot those times but y recommend to read first Imperium because this book is the fight from Cicero to get the Consulship and Conspirata starts when he is elected Consul. I reccommend it very strongly.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 40
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