This is not a book that most are going to randomly pick up being the ninth and final part of a series covering the life of Vespasian, if you are reading this then you have likely already been through the first 8 in the series. Saying that, i only came to the series in book 8 after being introduced to it through this site, I thoroughly enjoyed book 8 though and it did make me want to read the rest to find out in more detail lots of little bits which are fleetingly mentioned, i will now likely do this in the weird order of having read the end first then going back to the beginning, more as a prequel series of 7 books for me now.
This one was a lot more political than book 8, dealing with the eventual rise to power of Vespasian to the lofty title of Emperor of Rome, but doing it in the right way so that he had a chance to hold on to it, unlike the previous few who had tried to snatch the power after the unlikely suicide of the nutcase Nero. The book begins with what was Vespasian's final battle that he took part in himself rather than ordered from afar, he scales the walls with his men - leading from the front. This aids in his rise to power, the men will gladly follow him into battle, and thus support him all the more when the chance arises for a new emperor to be raised. In fact as it turns out Vespasian shrewdly uses this to get his armies to proclaim him emperor so he can magnanimously accept the offer as his duty rather than look like he is grabbing the power and thus creating resentment among the population.
There's a bit of a side journey into the desert to seek the wisdom of an oracle which i found a little boring, then the lengthy journey to Rome as newly minted emperor and how he deals with the senate and those who have managed to connive their way into positions of power in the years while the previous 2 or 3 short lived emperors made a mess of things. He cunningly plays some of the off each other, while working out the best way to handle others.
The book ends with a definitive if graphic ending for such a powerful man, brought low in the end to remind you he was still a mortal man. So while i have only read 2 of the 9, i am definitely checking out the earlier stories, and eagerly await the author's next venture advertised at the very end - the power struggle in the aftermath of the death of Alexander the Great.
This one was a lot more political than book 8, dealing with the eventual rise to power of Vespasian to the lofty title of Emperor of Rome, but doing it in the right way so that he had a chance to hold on to it, unlike the previous few who had tried to snatch the power after the unlikely suicide of the nutcase Nero. The book begins with what was Vespasian's final battle that he took part in himself rather than ordered from afar, he scales the walls with his men - leading from the front. This aids in his rise to power, the men will gladly follow him into battle, and thus support him all the more when the chance arises for a new emperor to be raised. In fact as it turns out Vespasian shrewdly uses this to get his armies to proclaim him emperor so he can magnanimously accept the offer as his duty rather than look like he is grabbing the power and thus creating resentment among the population.
There's a bit of a side journey into the desert to seek the wisdom of an oracle which i found a little boring, then the lengthy journey to Rome as newly minted emperor and how he deals with the senate and those who have managed to connive their way into positions of power in the years while the previous 2 or 3 short lived emperors made a mess of things. He cunningly plays some of the off each other, while working out the best way to handle others.
The book ends with a definitive if graphic ending for such a powerful man, brought low in the end to remind you he was still a mortal man. So while i have only read 2 of the 9, i am definitely checking out the earlier stories, and eagerly await the author's next venture advertised at the very end - the power struggle in the aftermath of the death of Alexander the Great.