Product Description

The third volume in the acclaimed Emperor series, in which Conn Iggulden brilliantly interweaves history and adventure to recreate the astonishing life of Julius Caesar - an epic tale of ambition and rivalry, bravery and betrayal, from an outstanding new voice in historical fiction. THE GATES OF ROME, THE DEATH OF KINGS and now THE FIELD OF SWORDS tell the powerful, dramatic story of the friendship and enmity between the two men who ruled the Roman world. Following the defeat of the Spartacus rebellion, Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus, who have been sent to run the Roman colonies in Spain, return to challenge powerful senators to become one of the Consuls of Rome. Political opposition, family quarrels, armed rebellions and corruption make this a highly contemporary scene, fuelled by the intrigue of the major characters, who are now developing as full adults. As he takes the legions north into mighty battles with the Gallic tribes, the imperious stand of Caesar and the leadership of his men, his new friendships with fellow leaders and his overwhelming ambition, begin to separate him from Brutus, the great swordsman and warrior. Their long friendship reveals ominous cracks under the strain. Although the Gallic conquests lead to Caesar's triumphal entry into Britain, the victories on the battlefield cause political rivalries at home, and ultimately the famous choice is presented to Caesar and Marcus Brutus. They must choose whether to cross the Rubicon - together or singly - and to take the fight to Rome itself. Conn Iggulden is a brilliant storyteller. Characters jostle for space in the crowded streets, on the battlefields and in the corridors of the Senate. The friendship and rivalry between Caesar and Brutus provides compelling reading. Each book in the EMPEROR series causes readers to return to the previous novel, and ensures they also look forward hugely to the next.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #550 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 656 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Emperor - Field of Swords takes Colin Iggulden's sequence of novels about the rise of Julius Caesar to a point where Caesar is forced to bid for mastery of the Roman world. Iggulden is intelligent and precise about the internal dynamics of the triumvirate of Caesar, the elderly rich Crassus and the proud Pompey. This alliance was never more than pragmatic and there was always going to be a settling of accounts--thus far so good, but Iggulden's idealizing of Caesar leads him at times into ignoring the sheer complexity of the affairs of the late Republic. This is a version of Rome which downplays the alliance of street and snob, and treats Caesar as if he were always an apostle of order--it is a historical novel which plays worrying games with historical fact.

Iggulden is fascinating on Caesar as governor and general--in the areas, that is, where we have the words of the man himself, rather than the spin put on his actions by his enemies. There is a real sense here of the practicalities of ancient warfare, of hard footslogging in difficult terrain and planning supplies for the long haul of sieges and forced marches - Iggulden may oversimplify politics, but he is intelligent about battle. --Roz Kaveney

Review
'If you liked Gladiator, you'll love Emperor' The Times 'A brilliant story -- I wish I'd written it. A novel of vivid characters, stunning action and unrelenting pace. It really is a terrific read.' Bernard Cornwell 'The great events and breathtaking brutality of the times are brought lavishly to life.' Guardian

Guardian
‘The great events and breathtaking brutality of the times are brought lavishly to life.’

Customer Reviews

A must read
The 3rd book in this amazing series may be the best. This series is a must read, even if you are not a historical fiction person. The combination of fact & fiction is so seamless and so well written that I have recommended this to all my friends who have loved it. This is a must for your bookshelf! Caesar lives!

Emporer series
This is a review based not just on "The Field of Swords" (third installment) but the entire quadrilogy. Whether you love ancient history fiction or non fiction you'll enjoy this book and the entire series. For fiction lovers who haven't yet tread through the pages of historical epics, than this is a great series to begin the adventure.

The recreation of the brutality of the battles and the atmosphere of ancient cities is realistic. The author almost transports you to another world.

Be warned though, if you like your protagonist a hero/heroine, you'll be badly disappointed. The primary character (Juluis) begins the journey in the first book "gates of rome" as an innocent boy. By the third installment, he has become a war mongering monster, whose selfish drive towards world domination is like a cancer. The character looses a lot of faith as the story progresses and probably as I have found, you will hate him with every page turn. He shows total disregard for his family, friends and the men who fought alongside him.

Still, the supporting characters are wonderful. Tuburk, Renius and the old man Cabera are just some of the wonderful characters along with the familiar Pompeii and Crassus.

A great series, none the less.

Great book
A tremendously exciting book that is also more useful than a history lesson at school.