There are two civil wars that have deeply influenced human history - The Mahabharata War and the Roman Civil War (49 - 31 BC ) and perhaps i have not read more books on any subject other than Mahabharat and Rome. The 'Julius Caesar' play by William Shakespeare was my first exposure to the history and characters of ancient Rome and from this play there has been no turning back. 'Dictator' is last book on this subject and it is the concluding part of the Cicero Trilogy written by Robert Harris. When i first read 'Julius Caesar' i became vaguely sympathetic towards Caesar while Cassius remained a man 'with lean and hungry face' and Brutus an innocent man caught in the
murky politics of Rome. Mark Antony and Octavian are truly the heroes of the play. Then i read 'Ancient Rome' and i started admiring the cause of Republicans and assassins - Marcus Brutus, Cassius and senators like Cato and Cicero. 'Rubicon' is a serious work on Roman Civil war. This book has truly made me a hard core Republican and an eternal fan of Marcus Cato and Marcus Brutus.
'Dictator' is based on the last phase of the life of illustrious Roman senator and great Orator Marcus Cicero; based on the writings of his one time slave 'Tiro' who survived the war. It was Cicero who tried to save the remnants of Republic from the tyranny of Mark Antony and over ambitious Octavian Caesar. He tried to save the Republic by exploiting subtle art of 'Balance of Power' but was outsmarted by Octavian and eventually murdered by the bounty hunters of the triumvirate - Lepidus, Mark Antony and Octavian.
Its a serious work of semi-fiction and it unravels in great details the reasons of the break out of the civil war between Julius Caesar and the Roman Republic led by Gaius Pompey, Marcus Cato and others. After the defeat of Pompey in the battle of Pharsalus (48 BC), Marcus Cato continued fighting for the Republic and only after his suicide after losing the last battle for the Republic in Tunisia in 46 BC, Julius Caesar became the defacto ruler of Rome. Cicero gave the ultimate tribute to Cato by writing his eulogy in glowing terms against the furious opposition of Julius Caesar.
In the end the Roman Republic got destroyed by the killings of the senators and sympathizers of the Republic by the bounty hunters of Lepidus, Octavian and Mark Antony and Rome became an Empire under an Emperor.
'Brief is the life given to us by nature; but the memory of a life nobly sacrificed is everlasting' -- Marcus Cicero (106 - 43 BC).
Highly recommended (8/10)
'Dictator' is based on the last phase of the life of illustrious Roman senator and great Orator Marcus Cicero; based on the writings of his one time slave 'Tiro' who survived the war. It was Cicero who tried to save the remnants of Republic from the tyranny of Mark Antony and over ambitious Octavian Caesar. He tried to save the Republic by exploiting subtle art of 'Balance of Power' but was outsmarted by Octavian and eventually murdered by the bounty hunters of the triumvirate - Lepidus, Mark Antony and Octavian.
Its a serious work of semi-fiction and it unravels in great details the reasons of the break out of the civil war between Julius Caesar and the Roman Republic led by Gaius Pompey, Marcus Cato and others. After the defeat of Pompey in the battle of Pharsalus (48 BC), Marcus Cato continued fighting for the Republic and only after his suicide after losing the last battle for the Republic in Tunisia in 46 BC, Julius Caesar became the defacto ruler of Rome. Cicero gave the ultimate tribute to Cato by writing his eulogy in glowing terms against the furious opposition of Julius Caesar.
In the end the Roman Republic got destroyed by the killings of the senators and sympathizers of the Republic by the bounty hunters of Lepidus, Octavian and Mark Antony and Rome became an Empire under an Emperor.
'Brief is the life given to us by nature; but the memory of a life nobly sacrificed is everlasting' -- Marcus Cicero (106 - 43 BC).
Highly recommended (8/10)
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