Emperor: The Gods of War: A Roman Empire Novel

By Conn Iggulden

Book Overview

Julius Caesar's final destiny will be decided not by legions, but by his friend Brutus and a bewitching Egyptian queen named Cleopatra in this thrilling novel of Ancient Rome from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Emperor: The Gates of Rome.

"Delightfully entertaining historical fiction."--Booklist

53 B.C.: Fresh from victory in Gaul, Julius Caesar leads battle-hardened legions across the Rubicon river--threatening Rome herself. Even the master strategist Pompey is caught unprepared by the strike and forced to abandon his city. The armies of Rome are poised to face each other at last in civil war, led by the two greatest generals ever to walk the seven hills.

For Caesar, the campaign against Pompey will test his military genius and his appetite for glory as the greatest fighting machine the world has ever seen divides against itself in a bloody conflict that sets brother against brother until victory or death. But another kingdom beckons--a world of ancient mysteries and languid sensuality, where a beautiful, bewitching woman waits to snare Caesar's heart.

From the spectacles of the arena to the whispered lies of conspirators, Emperor: The Gods of War brings to life a world of monumental drama: of politics and passion, ruthless ambition and private grief, and the corruption of power itself. And at its heart is one extraordinary friendship--marked by fierce loyalty and bitter betrayal, with dark events shrouded in noble ideals.

Ancient Rome comes to vivid life in Conn Iggulden's Emperor series:
THE GATES OF ROME - THE DEATH OF KINGS - THE FIELD OF SWORDS - THE GODS OF WAR - THE BLOOD OF GODS

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385343574
• ISBN13: 9780385343572
• Release Date: June 2009
• Publisher: Delta
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.71 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Emperor The Field of Swords

If you've read any of Iggulden's other works you'll know his style: he takes history, applies creative licence, and generates a thrilling story. The four books in the Emperor series need to be read as a series, and in order to get the overall story.... but they're good stuff.

Great reading

Just like every book that Conn Iggulden has written it is fast reading and hard to put down.

Emperor series

After reading all four books about Julius Caesar, I felt that I knew him personally. I couldn't put the books down.

Nice ending to a great series

I've really enjoyed the entire series, going so far as to buy a 10 euro copy of the last installation in an airport in Copenhagen. Iggulden seems to have followed actual historical events fairly closely and providing some educated insight into the personalities of these fascinating people. The only minor complaint is that the story actually seems a little rushed. It probably could have been separated into two separate novels: the final battle with Pompey and the adventures in Egypt. At the end of the historical note, Iggulden hints that he might write another novel that continues where this novel leaves off. I can only hope that he follows through.

Life at War with the Roman Legions

This is the continuing saga giving an insight into the life of one of the greatest men who ever lived, Julius Caesar. A man whose deeds were legendary and possibly only surpassed by the man he admired so much, Alexander the Great. The Field of Swords deals with the period in his life when he had amassed his own legion the Tenth, comprising of men who thought of him as a God and were more than happy to follow him to hell and back. Caesar take on the unenviable task of trying to quell the fearsome tribes of Gaul with his boyhood friend Brutus by his side. This campaign takes up the major part of the book and gives an insight into the problems Julius would have encountered with the war-like tribes he came across. The book ends with another sortie into Britain. While Caesar is away from Rome his old rival Pompey is making his own plans for immortality. The two men who have had an uneasy relationship are bound to have a confrontation in the near future, one that could be fatal . . .