Robert Harris' latest historical fiction Agrippa (#1,385) carries an intriguing subtitle: A Novel of Ancient Rome's Descent Into Dictatorship. In case you're rusty on your ancient history, Agrippa was Caesar Augustus' right hand man and enabler.
Presented in the form of a memoir written at the end of Agrippa's long life the reader is whisked along with him through some of the most formative events in the history of the Roman Empire as it slides from a Republic through the sticky manipulations of dictators culminating in Julius Caesar's assassination. This all occurred when Agrippa and his close companion Octavius, Caesar's nephew, were still barely shaving. How they survived and managed to thrive in this ultraviolent era makes for gripping reading.
Were the Romans really so different from us today? Robert Harris' book proves that they weren't. There are lessons to be learned here. Highly recommended.
One other note; I really admired the cover art on this book, simple and elegant in design.
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