Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome (Abridged)

by Robert Harris Narrated by Oliver Ford Davies

Overview

From the bestselling author of Fatherland and Pompeii, comes the first novel of a trilogy about the struggle for power in ancient Rome.

In his “most accomplished work to date” (Los Angeles Times), master of historical fiction Robert Harris lures readers back in time to the compelling life of Roman Senator Marcus Cicero. The re-creation of a vanished biography written by his household slave and righthand man, Tiro, Imperium follows Cicero's extraordinary struggle to attain supreme power in Rome.

On a cold November morning, Tiro opens the door to find a terrified, bedraggled stranger begging for help. Once a Sicilian aristocrat, the man was robbed by the corrupt Roman governor, Verres, who is now trying to convict him under false pretenses and sentence him to a violent death. The man claims that only the great senator Marcus Cicero, one of Rome's most ambitious lawyers and spellbinding orators, can bring him justice in a crooked society manipulated by the villainous governor. But for Cicero, it is a chance to prove himself worthy of absolute power. What follows is one of the most gripping courtroom dramas in history, and the beginning of a quest for political glory by a man who fought his way to the top using only his voice-defeating the most daunting figures in Roman history.

Editorial Reviews

FEB/MAR 07 - AudioFile

Crooked senators, rigged elections, bribed judges. Sound familiar? No, it isn’t Washington circa 2006. It’s Rome 2,000 years ago. Into this governmental murderous melee comes young Marcus Cicero, determined to attain his imperium—the ultimate power. His slave, Tiro, chronicles Cicero’s rise to that power. Portraying Tiro, as well as Cicero, and other superstars of ancient Rome, including Julius Caesar, Oliver Ford Davies is unsurpassable in making all the historical events and players as accessible as today’s headlines. No easy feat since Cicero is considered one of the world’s greatest orators. Robert Harris’s epic is presented here in a fitting epic production, but it is Davies’s pacing, phrasing, and emotionally peaked presentation that make this the best historical listening experience of the year. M.T.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

FEB/ MAR 07 - AudioFile

Crooked senators, rigged elections, bribed judges. Sound familiar? No, it isn’t Washington circa 2006. It’s Rome 2,000 years ago. Into this governmental murderous melee comes young Marcus Cicero, determined to attain his imperium—the ultimate power. His slave, Tiro, chronicles Cicero’s rise to that power. Portraying Tiro, as well as Cicero, and other superstars of ancient Rome, including Julius Caesar, Oliver Ford Davies is unsurpassable in making all the historical events and players as accessible as today’s headlines. No easy feat since Cicero is considered one of the world’s greatest orators. Robert Harris’s epic is presented here in a fitting epic production, but it is Davies’s pacing, phrasing, and emotionally peaked presentation that make this the best historical listening experience of the year. M.T.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171064006
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	09/19/2006
Edition description:	Abridged

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