The Gates of Rome - Conn Iggulden

Young Gaius Caesar and his best friend Marcus cause absolute mayhem around his father's estate. For years now they have gotten into all sorts of trouble but now their minds must be focused and it is time for them to be trained in the way of Roman warriors. While the Roman Empire continues to grow the two boys are trained by an ex Gladiator until Gaius's father is killed during a slave revolt. Gaius is left as the man of the house and heads to Rome to learn politics from his uncle Marius, one of the greatest politicians and Generals in Rome. While the city edges towards Civil War, Gaius learns ... more

This book is about the youth of Gaius Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus. They grow up together, sharing a deep friendship, and getting into trouble as a pair. As they grow older, Gaius' father hires a famous ex-gladiator to train them, which he does with plenty of abuse. When the ex-gladiator wounds Gaius, it is Marcus who takes revenge. Gaius' father is killed in a slave revolt, and Gaius assumes his adult name of Julius. He goes to his uncle for help, and the two boys become more involved in Roman politics. Julius lives a life of luxury, while Marcus leaves Rome to join a legion. It ends after ... more

"The Gates of Rome" is the first book in the "Emperor" series. The series concentrates on one man. His name is Gaius Julius Caesar, the first Roman Emperor. Gaius is young at the beginning and his best and only friend is Marcus, whose parents had died and so Julius Caesar took him in. The book goes through their education and the army training and then their experiences of Rome. Gaius and Marcus worked very hard in their lessons and Gaius, in his history, proved himself to be a great general by spotting traps before they did in real life. Their army training began a year later. They were ... more

I absolutely adore these books, each one has been such a great read that I struggled to do my work, just like the others this is a phenomenal piece of modern literature that focuses on the life of Julius Caesar. Conn Iggulden has truly pulled out all the stops in this exquisite and delightful book, with everything so vividly described and detailed that it almost sucks one into the scene. If only I was able to write half as magnificently as Mr. Iggulden then I would consider myself a very lucky chap. I could read these books until I die and what would be even better is to transfer them onto ... more