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?s 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, vulnerable ? fought to reach the top. ?Sometimes it is foolish to articulate an ambition too early ? exposing it prematurely to the laughter and scepticism 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: #25900 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Synopsis
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?s 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, vulnerable ? fought to reach the top. ?Sometimes it is foolish to articulate an ambition too early ? exposing it prematurely to the laughter and scepticism 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??

From the Publisher
Ancient Rome is the setting for the stunning new novel from Robert Harris, the number one bestselling author of Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel and Pompeii.

From the Back Cover
'Harris’s best so far, rapid and compelling in narrative, copious in detail, thoroughly researched but also, which is more important, thoroughly imagined… Irresistible’ Allan Massie, Sunday Telegraph

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’s 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, vulnerable – fought to reach the top.

'In Harris's hands, the great game becomes a beautiful one.' The Times

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

‘A joy to read in every way, and as a mirror to the politics of our present age has no equal.’ Independent

Customer Reviews

Another excellent historical novel
This is another excellent historical by Robert Harris which I can thoroughly recommend. Although I know this period of Roman history reasonably well, it kept me very interested throughout and had me wanting to continue my reading of it as quickly as I could.

Some may be disappointed that it does not have the same kind of plot line as Pompeii, but it is a different sort of book - a reflection of how politicians strive to get power and how they wield it when they have it, together with the lengths that they will go to and the compromises (not least with their own principles) that they are prepared to make. Nothing new under the sun there!

Harris has a very readable and articulate style, and wears his historical knowledge lightly. He brings late Republican Rome to life, whether the seedy apartment blocks of the Subura, the grand villas of the rich and mighty, or the senate and court houses where Cicero and others are making their thunderous speeches. And his use of Cicero's private secretary to tell the tale works excellently, with Tiro giving a slightly different perspective from his master's on the events and characters being described.

Well worth buying and reading!

John Grisham in togas
Not normally a fan of historical novels, I make an exception for those of Robert Harris. With well drawn characters and consistently good writing, he brings alive ancient Rome and makes the political machinations of the long-gone Empire seem as relevant and exciting as modern issues.

Imperium is a novel of politics and intrigue, rather like a John Grisham in togas. The narrator is Tiro, a slave and the secretary of the principal character, Cicero. Tiro makes a good choice for narrator - his position means he has sufficient access to witness the action, yet whilst retaining a degree of independence from it.

The novel was rather less of a thriller in the literal sense than I expected - the tension and excitement derives purely from politics, speeches and declamations in court. While the lives of the characters are vaugely threatened at some points, it is political death that is more feared here (though in the brutal Roman days, sometimes the two were the same).

The Roman Empire is brought vividly to life and the reader is quickly immersed in a society that is so different from - and yet in many ways so similar to - our own. There is a wonderful cast of believable, rounded characters - some decent, some corrupt, some weak, but all utterly human. Imperium is full of good observations of human nature and behaviour.

Mostly an easy read, I sometimes found all of the long, similar sounding Roman names a bit confusing and occasionally had to thumb back to work out who was who and why a certain thing was significant. But on the whole Harris does fairly well at putting in little reminders and clues to help the bemused reader. Some knowledge of Roman history and customs may make the novel a little easier to follow, but I managed well enough without any - and of course it makes the events more of a surprise!

Overall, Imperium is a surprisingly gripping read which mostly maintains a good pace. There are some slower sections but the reader's interest and investment in the likeable characters, and the general quality of the writing, is enough to get through these easily enough. This is a rather original read and would appeal to anyone who likes a good story, but especially those with an interest in politics or history.

A Wonderful Read

Robert Harris had world wide acclaim for his novel Pompeii and once you have had such praise it is very difficult to live up to the expectation of the reading public with a follow up book. In Harris's case he has not only lived up to the expectation, but in my opinion exceeded it by some distance.

Pompeii was a wonderful book and I enjoyed it tremendously and it is impossible to compare it with Imperium as like for like book, because they are not. Yes they are both about Romans and the Roman Empire but that is where the similarity ends.

Imperium is about the life and times of Cicero as told by Tiro, his secretary. It is the story of how one man - ambitious, clever, compassionate, devious, and vulnerable fights his way to be Consul of Rome

Cicero, one of the most famous Romans of all time. A man who had great political ambitions, but one who hated war and was in the main a pacifist. He served only briefly in the military as a young man and this at a time when men of Cicero's background used the military as a stepping stone to improve their political ambitions and gain high office.

Instead Cicero chose a career in law and proved to be an excellent orator and a shrewd politician. He was elected to each of the Roman offices (quaestor, aedile, praetor, and consul) on his first try and at the earliest age at which he was legally allowed to run for them. Having held office made him a member of the Roman Senate. During his term as consul (the highest Roman office) in 63 BC he was responsible for unravelling and exposing the conspiracy of Catiline.