RUBICON Paperback – 8 March 2005

What can you say about Tom Holland- extraordinaire and more you attempt to define his writing, more you are intrigued by his works - his flair for writing, his vivid imagination and beyond doubt his innate ability to weave tapestries and tons of it is peerlessly.He is one author who has through this book, which is a supposedly a historical narrative,has not only entered and dwelled superlatively the minds and machinations of several Roman protagonists of the ilk of Sula, Marius, Caesar, Pompei, Cato, Cicero,Crassus, Antony etc but his recanteur skills are so engrossing and enterprising that as a reader, you are utterly fascinated by the subjects, you can feel their pulse and you are no more partisan but like a chameleon keep on alternating, as the narrative gets grimmer, rosier, more melodramatic and like a delectable serving you don't want it to end.Your curiosity and certainly your fascination for ancient Romans and their flair for war, barbarity, politics, infighting, rhetoric has been unimplicably ignited and with the characteristic narrative flowing ebblessly along with the characters, you invariably tend to sketch the potraits of several events that have been magisterially described by the author, as if he is describing the contemporary events , stretching the scanty historical information to its limits.Highly recommended for all even if it is the start of your journey into the times of ancient Romans, let this be it and mind it, you will not regret having expended time reading it for there is no doubt once you have read few more tomes of that era , you would revert to an encore.

Tom Holland needs no introduction. One of the most versatile writers on antiquity out there. His grasp of historical events and their interpretation across the Eastern and Western halves of the Roman Empire are enjoyable to read and impressive in their coverage of the issues.

Very good book. Gave rare insights about Ancient Rome, so much so I am reading it again. Would love such books.

For someone with limited or no knowledge of Roman history; this book is an eye opener. Its written like a thriller and covers the fall of the Roman Republic. The book doesn't expect you to have any prior knowledge of the subject however a parallel wiki search now and then enhances the experience.

Astoundingly well written. Superb blow by blow telling of events that always seemed like a faint cry from far back in history, but thanks to Tom Holland, these towering historic figures come to life, and are figuratively in front of you.That is how good his portrayal of people from Scipio Africanus, to Marius and Sulla, and onwards on to Pompey, Crassus and Caesar. If there's one book you need about the Roman republic, it need be only this.

Not suitable for Noobs into Roman history, i lost interest by 147th page. His rest of the books are great, this was the only boring book of Holland i have read