JulieM

My book review for www.audiojukebox.comToday is March 15th, or as most of us know, the Ides of March. The three most common facts known about Julius Caesar is that he was one of the greatest rulers of the Roman Empire, he was assassinated on the Ides of March, and he created an amazing salad dressing that he named after himself. Okay, so I made up that last bit about the salad dressing to see if anyone really reads these reviews. But if you are at all curious and want to learn more about the life of Caesar, or even want to hear some thrilling historical fiction, then listen to Conn Iggulden’s Emperor series. There are four books to this amazing series that cover Caesar’s entire life starting as a young boy growing up in Ancient Rome through his rise to power as a military conqueror and dictator and finishing with his decline and assassination. Each book in this series is pretty lengthy – The Field of Swords weighs in at over 17 and a half hours, which might seem a bit of overkill in describing the life of any individual, even a type A overachiever like Julius Caesar. But Conn Iggulden’s books cover so much more than the mere life of one man; they provide a vivid storytelling experience that describes the people, the times and the amazing power of the Roman Empire. The Field of Swords begins in Spain where Caesar has led his legions on a very successful campaign that has captured the Iberian peninsula for Rome. Although his political enemies, feeling threatened by his status as a conqueror and hero, want him to stay away from the city, Julius decides to return to Rome and run for election as Consol. As with elections today, winning the support and votes of the people costs a small fortune, and the election leaves Caesar victorious, but heavily in debt. What is the best way to get out of debt? Conquer a neighboring territory, of course, and Caesar heads off to run a campaign in Gaul. The story alternates between Caesar’s military campaign in Gaul and Britain and the political intrigue and treachery back in Rome. Both parts are exciting and filled with many major historical players of the time – Pompey, Mark Antony, Crassius, and Brutus, as well as a large cast of colorful and well depicted fictional characters. I loved learning about the military strategy of the highly trained and disciplined Roman legions as well as the complex negotiations in the political arena, making this book not only highly entertaining, but definitely worth the listen for the history lesson.The audiobook is read by Paul Blake. This is my first experience with him as a narrator and I have to say that my feelings about this performance are mixed. His voices for various characters were satisfactory, but not distinct enough that I could tell one character from the other by simply hearing a piece of dialog. This did not really cause any confusion as far as the plot is concerned, but it made this performance feel not as polished. I also found his narrations of descriptive text passages to be overly emotional and over acted, which for me, detracted from the book. However, either he improved over time or I became accustomed to his style because after 5 or 6 hours into the book, I was hooked and found myself loving the story. So, whether you want an exciting novel of ancient Rome, or want to learn more about the great man, Julius Caesar, then Friends, Romans, and Countrymen – lend your ears to this audiobook and enjoy a captivating story.