The year is 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 will face each other at last in civil war, led by the two greatest generals ever to walk the seven hills. Thus begins Conn Iggulden’s towering saga of Julius Caesar as he approaches his final destiny—a destiny that will be decided not by legions but by his friend Brutus and an Egyptian queen named Cleopatra, who will bear his only son....

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

The Gods of War follows Julius Caesar through politics and passion, ruthless ambition and private grief, and into the corruption of power itself. Those he has loved will play a part in his triumphs—as will the jealousy and hatred of his enemies.

From the spectacles of the arena to the whispered lies of conspirators, Conn Iggulden brings to life a world of monumental drama. And at its heart is one extraordinary friendship—marked by fierce loyalty and bitter betrayal, with dark events shrouded in noble ideals.


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Emperor - The Gods of War
Comment: The final of the excellent series I have been reading. Although told to expect to wait 21 - 28 days for delivery to the South Pacific it arrived in less than 10 days. I was thrilled as I had just concluded the 3rd in the series. Great service from Amazon. as always.
I recommend Conn's books to any lover of History.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Emperor Saga-
Comment: I could not put down Iggulden's Series once I had started reading it and I kept reading until all four were behind me. The fascinating tale of an amazing leader.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Caesar triumphant
Comment: Exciting part of the series Iggulden has written about the youth and rise to power of Julius Caesar. Very well researched story that involves the conflict and competition between Julius Caesar and Pompei. Very entertaining historical fiction.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Thumbs up
Comment: The book arrived in good condition. It took only a week and a half to ship from the USA to Europe which was quicker than I expected.
Overall I'm happy with my purchase

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The brilliant conclusion
Comment: Every schoolboy and girl knows what is going to happen at the end of a quadrilogy about Caesar's life. Nevertheless, the story continues with relationships building and fast-moving action from battle to battle, as the inevitable conclusion approaches.
Julius and his supporters confront Pompey and pursue him to Egypt. From that point onward, it is impossible to put this book down until you have read the final words. The twists and turns, and the intrigue that the powerful Cleopatra brings to the scene, just make this story totally captivating.

The only disappointing part for me is that the first unbelievable line of all four books is the way that Brutus is persuaded to join the assassination plot against his lifelong friend by their mutual lifelong enemy. You would expect that, with all that had gone before, Brutus would just have skewered the man who made such a treacherous suggestion, wiped the dirty blood off his sword, and left the traitor where he deserved to be. Although that would fly in the face of all that we were taught at school, it would have satisfied me, because I never did believe very much of what my history teacher told me.

I would conclude that a historical fiction has to be extremely well told to keep the reader interested through the passage of four books. I was much more than merely interested, I was swept along by the pace and the style and had to keep reading at all times, just to find out what happened next. Pick up The Gates of Rome and read the first chapter, and you won't rest until you've read the final chapter of The Gods of War.

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