When Tiro, the confidential secretary of a Roman senator, opens the door to a terrified stranger on a cold November morning, he sets in motion a chain of events which will eventually propel his master into one of the most famous courtroom dramas in history. The stranger is a Sicilian, a victim of the island's corrupt Roman governor, Verres. The senator is Cicero, a brilliant young lawyer and spellbinding orator, determined to attain imperium - supreme power in the state. This is the starting-point of Robert Harris' most ...
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When Tiro, the confidential secretary of a Roman senator, opens the door to a terrified stranger on a cold November morning, he sets in motion a chain of events which will eventually propel his master into one of the most famous courtroom dramas in history. The stranger is a Sicilian, a victim of the island's corrupt Roman governor, Verres. The senator is Cicero, a brilliant young lawyer and spellbinding orator, determined to attain imperium - supreme power in the state. This is the starting-point of Robert Harris' most accomplished novel to date. Compellingly written in Tiro's voice, it takes us inside the violent, treacherous world of Roman politics, to describe how one man - clever, compassionate, devious, vulnerable - fought to reach the top. 'Sometimes it is foolish to articulate an ambition too early - exposing it prematurely to the laughter and scepticism of the world can destroy it before it is even properly born. But sometimes the opposite occurs, and the very act of mentioning a thing makes it suddenly seem possible, even plausible. That was how it was that night. When Cicero pronounced the word "consul" he planted it in the ground like a standard for us all to admire. And for a moment we glimpsed the brilliant, starry future through his eyes, and saw that he was right: that if he took down Verres, he had a chance; that he might - just - with luck - go all the way to the summit...' Robert Harris states: 'This novel grows out of a thirty-five year obsession with politics, by which I mean politics as a contact sport. I can enjoy a good election anywhere and I think that what makes this book unusual is not that it draws the parallel (a cliche now) between the US and Rome, but that it goes back to the beginnings of everything which makes politics so fascinating - oratory, strategising, electioneering, manipulation of public opinion, the sheer addictive exhilaration of politics. I have always followed politics as others might follow football, and Cicero is fascinating to me because he's the ultimate professional in the ultimate sport. It's this universality which is important'.
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Add this copy of Imperium (Book One) to cart. $0.99, fair condition, Sold by ZBK Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Woodland Park, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Arrow.
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Fair. Used book-May contain writing notes highlighting bends or folds. Text is readable book is clean and pages and cover mostly intact. May show normal wear and tear. Item may be missing CD. May include library marks. Fast Shipping.
Add this copy of Imperium (Book One) (Cicero Trilogy) to cart. $2.23, good condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Arrow.
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Add this copy of Imperium to cart. $2.29, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Arrow.
Add this copy of Imperium to cart. $2.29, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Arrow.
Add this copy of Imperium to cart. $2.29, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Arrow.
Add this copy of Imperium to cart. $2.29, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Arrow.
Add this copy of Imperium to cart. $2.29, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Arrow.
Add this copy of Imperium to cart. $3.44, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Hutchinson.
Add this copy of Imperium to cart. $3.44, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Hutchinson.
Add this copy of Imperium to cart. $3.44, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Hutchinson.
I became interested in Robert Harris' work after hearing him speak in a radio interview. He sounded very well informed and had a interesting perspective on current affairs. Having an interest in Roman history and being a great fan of "I, Claudius", and having taken Latin in high school, I decided to try the first book of the trilogy based on the career of Cicero. At first I found Harris' writing style a bit one dimensional, almost like a textbook, imagery and characterization simplistic. Somehow the style never transported me to the time frame fully in my imagination. The narrator of the story, Tiro, Cicero's secretary, description of events lacks some intangible quality of emotional connection. Things are written about but you never fully feel the atmosphere of the situations. Nevertheless I did enjoy the book simply because the story is quite compelling. The parallels to the political machinations of contemporary events are remarkable. I would be inclined to read the rest of the series. Recommended with reservations about the writing style(or lack thereof).
