Caesar

From Publishers Weekly In this third in a projected quartet of historical novels set in ancient Rome, Massie (Tiberius) attempts to find new drama in the story of Julius Caesar's murder. The novel's narrator, a Roman general languishing in captivity among the Gauls, muses over the events that have brought down his career. He was once, it seems, Caesar's closest confidant-but became one of his chief betrayers. By casting his narrative in the form of a participant's testimonial, Massie opens a window onto the private triumph and tragedy that marked the final months of Caesar's life. Though the novel includes evocative, naturalistic descriptions (the account of the crossing of the Rubicon, for instance), the emphasis here is on character. In a series of rhetorical set pieces, the author represents the table talk of well-known personages. He follows previous novelists of Roman decadence in cataloging the sexual proclivities of the Roman worthies and explicitly echoes Shakespeare in describing the assassination and its aftermath. Ultimately, Massie's engaging work gives added zest to a familiar tale through its unique perspective. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Decimus Junius Brutus, a Roman general and one of Julius Caesar's closest friends, was one of the conspirators who killed Caesar on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. In this fictional memoir written while awaiting his death in Gaul, Brutus (cousin to the better known Marcus Junius Brutus) attempts to justify the murder by recounting Caesar's ever-growing lust for total power and his unbecoming desire to outshine Alexander the Great. Brutus and his friends believe that Caesar's megalomania has led him to betray the Roman Senate and destroy the Republic. Massie, a well-known British historian and novelist (Tiberius, LJ 9/15/93), has produced another solid portrait of ancient Rome. He succeeds in bringing to life the society that spawned, among others, Cleopatra, Cicero, and Mark Antony. Julius Caesar is portrayed in all his guises: libertine, orator, politician, and martyr. A good choice for all historical fiction collections. Nancy Pearl, Washington Ctr. for the Book, Seattle Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. 'To take the conspiracy against Julius Caesar - one of the most famous murder plots in history - and make of it something fresh and exciting is no small feat. This is what Allan Massie has done in this fine novel which should appeal equally to those who know their Roman history and those for whom it is only a cloudy rumour of remote events' Evening Standard From crossing the Rubicon to the Ides of March, this book follows the rise of Caesar in Rome and on the Empire's battlefields to the point where he must be toppled. This is the third in a sequence of Roman novels begun with "Augustus" and "Tiberius". The author also wrote "The Sins of the Father".