By Paul Carrier
Marcus Tullius Cicero, possibly the greatest orator in the history of the Roman Republic, rose to power in Robert Harris’ Imperium, the first novel in a trilogy that recounts the statesman’s life and times in the Republic’s waning years. That volume drew to a close with Cicero’s election as consul, the highest political office in republican Rome.
In Conspirata, the second book in the series, Cicero uncovers and exposes a plot in 63 B.C. to overthrow the Republic, for which he wins the fulsome gratitude of the Senate and the love of the Roman people.
But such devotion proves short-lived. Rome’s democracy teeters on the verge of collapse as ambitious generals and unscrupulous politicians vie for complete control of the government.
In fact, the highly readable Conspirata ends with Cicero being forced into exile at 48. Will he reclaim his former prominence in the years to come? Dictator, Harris' final entry on this legendary figure, will tell the tale.
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