CONN IGGULDEN’S “Emperor: The Gods of War” is a fictionalized account of the last parts of Julius Caesar’s conquests in Greece and Egypt. It is an epic, using fiction to tell a real story in a larger-than-life way. It may be slow, but it is not overly dramatized. Iggulden’s rendering of Caesar’s end is careful and thorough, with enough interest to make the reader an intelligent observer to Caesar’s glories and eventual demise.
“Gods of War” feels very similar to fellow epic “Gladiator,” mainly because it uses the same historical backdrop. Epics, whether based on fact, fiction or a blend of the two, captivate just about everyone. Legends are always romantic, and when an author puts an imaginative twist on a familiar name, that person comes to life more vividly than in just a history book’s summary. So it is with Caesar, a man who conquered lands, controlled millions, and eventually fell victim to his own hubris. Stories don’t get much bigger than this.
British author Iggulden’s Caesar-based “Emperor” series has received much acclaim and popularity. This final book describes Caesar after he returns from the wars in Gaul and establishes his own, albeit illegitimate, regime in Rome. The Roman dictator, Pompey, flees the city, and Caesar must go to war again in Greece in order to decide the rightful ruler. The story is told in three parts – the first is Caesar’s pursuit of Pompey, the second is his activities in Egypt with the infamous queen Cleopatra, and the last and final section is his return to Rome.
For those that read Shakespeare’s play, the story will have some familiarity. Characters like Marcus Brutus, Octavian and Mark Antony all play pivotal roles in Caesar’s campaigns, as history mentions. However, reading the book feels like watching a movie, and that’s a good thing. Perhaps we have watched enough of the History Channel or period films to imagine the sights and sounds of ancient Rome. This book is just easy to visualize as Caesar’s adventures unfold.
In particular, every detail about life as a Roman legionnaire is told plainly, almost militarily. That’s the overall feel of the book. Nothing is embellished – the language is simple and direct. It is a book about a military leader, so it makes sense that a poet’s interpretation wouldn’t do the main character justice.
Iggulden purposefully takes readers inside each character’s head. But even so, it’s very difficult to know any of the players intimately. There is no loyalty to anyone, which is surprising, because one expects to feel strongly for these famous characters. In particular, Caesar is not sympathetic or passionately portrayed one way or the other. Caesar is not a character because he was a real person, but in the book, he is also strangely inhuman. It’s almost as if he has no personality at all – he is just a military machine.
The story moves slowly, with little momentum to sustain a reader. It is not a page-turner, but what it lacks in nail-biting anticipation, it makes up for in satisfaction at the end. Historical fiction is a hard genre in which to build suspense, mainly because the end is already known.
Despite that, “Emperor” accomplishes its mission of weaving a tale of politics, conquest and humanity. It builds on the themes found in all the great stories, making “Gods of War” a faithful retelling of another famous epic.