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Emperor Series, By Conn Iggulden


Julius Ratus

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Has anyone else read the Emperor series by Conn Iggulden? It is not the most historically accurate series about Caesar that has ever been written but it has a good storyline, at least I think so. I have read the first three and am waiting for the last to come out in paperback.

 

Would you recommend them, Julius? Bearing in mind, of course, that I am a terrible 'nit-picker'. ;) I have often picked one up in a bookshop and flicked through, but the writing did not engage me. However, I would be prepared to persevere with this for a well-told story. I do keep thinking about it, but have not yet taken the plunge.

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Has anyone else read the Emperor series by Conn Iggulden? It is not the most historically accurate series about Caesar that has ever been written but it has a good storyline, at least I think so. I have read the first three and am waiting for the last to come out in paperback.

 

Would you recommend them, Julius? Bearing in mind, of course, that I am a terrible 'nit-picker'. ;) I have often picked one up in a bookshop and flicked through, but the writing did not engage me. However, I would be prepared to persevere with this for a well-told story. I do keep thinking about it, but have not yet taken the plunge.

 

Do you like a completely artificial story (though well written and action packed) about a person, time period and series of events that have a great many historical sources to refute everything in the story?

 

If you don't mind an escape from the known history, it is an engaging tale. However if you prefer your fiction to be based on a bit of accuracy, you won't like this at all.

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Do you like a completely artificial story (though well written and action packed) about a person, time period and series of events that have a great many historical sources to refute everything in the story?

 

If you don't mind an escape from the known history, it is an engaging tale. However if you prefer your fiction to be based on a bit of accuracy, you won't like this at all.

 

Thanks, PP - I think, in that case, I will pass on this one!

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  • 1 year later...

I tried to read the first book in the series, but I just could not get through the facts and history he didn't follow. My husband really likes them because he knows almost nothing of the Roman Republic, so he can read it with an open mind. I have just started reading Imperium by Robert Harris. I can read it because I really don't know much about Cicero, so I don't have a preconcieved notion about the history. Make Sense?

 

Do you like a completely artificial story (though well written and action packed) about a person, time period and series of events that have a great many historical sources to refute everything in the story?

 

If you don't mind an escape from the known history, it is an engaging tale. However if you prefer your fiction to be based on a bit of accuracy, you won't like this at all.

 

Thanks, PP - I think, in that case, I will pass on this one!

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I started to read them but didn't get far, because like most people here, I'm picky when it comes to accuracy. Mr Iggulden seemed like a good enough writer, it was just his approach to content that bothered me.

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I can see both sides to the argument but on the positive side I personally quite enjoyed the Emperor series because from the start I took it for what it was - a book of fiction and not a study on the life of Caesar. Being the dedicated romanophile that I am :D I already knew all about Caesar's life having read the many scholarly books dedicated to him and his achievements. I didn't read the 'Emperor' series to learn anything new about Caesar I read them to get lost in a Roman world of fast paced, exhilarating action and drama that was loosely based on one of my hero's. If you can bring yourself to see past the exaggerations and the slight twisting of the truth then it's a great read, if you can't then leave it alone.

 

On the negative side I can see that it is giving a false impression and basically lying to people who are new comers to the Roman world, people could come away from these books thinking that's how it really happened when we know that it's clearly not. But reading these books could also inspire them to delve a little bit further into Roman history and find out for themselves just how exciting and fast paced the real thing was too.

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