Product Description

When Tiro, the confidential secretary of a Roman senator, opens the door to a terrified stranger on a cold November morning, he sets in motion a chain of events which will eventually propel his master into one of the most famous courtroom dramas in history. The stranger is a Sicilian, a victim of the island's corrupt Roman governor, Verres. The senator is Cicero, a brilliant young lawyer and spellbinding orator, determined to attain imperium - supreme power in the state. This is the starting-point of Robert Harris' most accomplished novel to date. Compellingly written in Tiro's voice, it takes us inside the violent, treacherous world of Roman politics, to describe how one man - clever, compassionate, devious, and vulnerable - fought to reach the top. 'Sometimes it is foolish to articulate an ambition too early - exposing it prematurely to the laughter and skepticism of the world can destroy it before it is even properly born. But sometimes the opposite occurs, and the very act of mentioning a thing makes it suddenly seem possible, even plausible. That was how it was that night. When Cicero pronounced the word "consul" he planted it in the ground like a standard for us all to admire. And for a moment we glimpsed the brilliant, starry future through his eyes, and saw that he was right: that if he took down Verres, he had a chance; that he might - just - with luck - go all the way to the summit...'

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #64918 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 384 pages

Allan Massie, Sunday Telegraph
‘Harris’s best so far, rapid and compelling in narrative…
thoroughly researched but also, which is more important, thoroughly
imagined… Irresistible’

Tom Holland, Guardian
‘Genres ancient and modern have rarely been so skilfully
synthesised… Gripping and accomplished.’

Peter Kemp, Sunday Times
‘Fascinating… Imperium masterfully dramatises issues not only
pertinent to a vanished world but to our own.’

Customer Reviews

superb read , great characters and a thrilling story
This is my 4th Robert Harris book after starting with The Ghost as a summer treat in Spain , I enjoyed Popeii and Archangel but not as Much as Ghost , however I believe Imperium is little short of a triumph.

The research is excellent and his prose flow nicely , the structure of the book which is in effect narrated by Cicero's Slave Tiro (the originator of shorthand) is a great device.

I have literally been unable to put the book down and loved the trial sequences and public speeches which apparently are totally based on factual event's. I read a lot of books but this one is a real cracker and on reaching the last page my thought's were of delight in the material but great regret in saying Goodbye to Tiro and Cicero and all the character's that Robert Harris has bought so vividly to life.

Cracking read
Puts you right there and will be the cause of some sleepless nights , I had to read it straight through. Marvelous cover to cover

Plodding
How this book garnered so many excellent reviews is beyond belief. It is a plodding story of what should be a vibrant episode in Roman times. It is flat, the characters never leave the page. How can anyone give it 5 stars??