Written by: Robert Harris
Submitted By: Peter Marsh
The eagerly awaited third of Harris' Cicero trilogy was published 2015, & as I had read the first two soon after their publication, I decided to restart the series to refresh my memory. I would thoroughly recommend doing this, as it gives Harris' sweeping highly informed account time to soak into you and you feel (as with Mantel's Wolf Hall & Bring up the Bodies), that these are momentous events, politics and human interactions happening NOW. Several (relative) disappointments in Harris' recent cannon (Ghost, and The Fear Index) have been recompensed by his return to complete the great Cicero story, and i predict this trilogy will stand the test of time to be RH's magnum opus. I hope there's more Roman period material to come from his pen. Don't be put off by the fact that this is a story of largely political events, Harris is a master of drama and character development, building up tension and excitement comparable to Mr Cornwall's Saxon / Dane confrontations, and given the setting, there is plenty of blood! The period of the end of the Roman Republic and the rise and fall of Julius Caesar is fascinating, and Harris' expertise in meticulous historical research is plainly evident. It makes me want to read more about the history behind the novels, just as The Last Kingdom novels (about to start the 4th.....I'm addicted!) urge me to learn more about the Saxon period. A must for fans of historical fiction.
