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Emperor: The Blood of Gods: A Novel of Rome Audiobook
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(4.00) - 3,772 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
One of history's most notorious assassinations sets the stage for a riveting tale of political intrigue, epic battle, and righteous retribution in a new novel of ancient Rome from #1 New York Times bestselling author Conn Iggulden.
Julius Caesar has been cut down. His blood stains the hands of a cabal of bold conspirators, led by famed general Marcus Brutus—whom Caesar once called a friend. Have these self-proclaimed liberators bravely slain a power-mad tyrant or brutally murdered the beloved Father of Rome? Hailed as heroes by a complicit Senate and granted amnesty, the killers eagerly turn toward plotting the empire's future under their control. But Caesar's death does not rest easily with all of Rome. For two men whose bonds of friendship, family, and fidelity to the emperor are unbreakable, the shocking assassination is nothing less than treason. And those responsible must pay with their lives.
Through countless battles and years of peace, Marc Antony has wielded a sword and raised a cup at Caesar's side. Now, in the wake of the cold-blooded coup, he is powerless against the political might of Brutus and his treacherous senators. Yet, with no weapons other than eloquence and outrage, Antony will turn the tide of public opinion and spark a rebellion that will set the streets of Rome ablaze. At the same time, Gaius Octavian, adopted son and chosen heir of Caesar, has gained wealth beyond imagining and influence throughout Roman dominions. But the soul-deep wound of his father's death will never be healed by gold or power. He will rest only with the blood of the killers on his blade.
Drawn together by their common cause, Antony and Octavian marshal their forces into an avenging army on a mission to reunite all that Caesar's fall has torn asunder. Even as his cohorts flee for their lives—or fall prey to vigilantes—a defiant Brutus vows never to relinquish what his ruthless ambition has won him. As opposing legions join in mortal combat, the destiny of Rome will turn on which of their commanders is the mightiest and most cunning.
Marking the author's triumphant return to the setting of his celebrated Emperor series, The Blood of Gods unfolds with unmatched power, electric with the high-adventure storytelling, captivating historical detail, and stirring battle scenes for which Conn Iggulden is renowned.
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"I enjoy historical fiction well-told. I really appreciate the author's effort to identify what he altered and what some of his sources were. The one criticism is that much of the story revolves around warfare. It's hard for me to understand the mechanics of an assualt or to envision those scenes."
— Cathy (4 out of 5 stars)
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“May well be the best book in the series.”
— Sunday Times (London) -
“The seasoned Iggulden adeptly brings all the intrigue and action of the era vividly to life, maintaining a historically authentic backdrop as he fictionalizes Octavian’s evolution from callow youth to Augustus, the bold and fearless architect of a new chapter in Roman history.”
— Booklist -
“Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look—and the rest of the players in Iggulden’s spirited novel of ancient Rome are pretty tough, too…Well-paced and well-written.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“Dramatic historical fiction to keep adults turning pages like enthralled kids…[Iggulden] is a grand storyteller…A spirited, entertaining read.”
— USA Today, praise for the series -
“Exhilarating…Words like ‘brilliant,’ ‘sumptuous,’ and ‘enchanting’ jostle to be used, but scarcely convey the way Iggulden brings the schoolbook tale to life, or the compelling depictions of battle, treachery, and everyday detail in a precarious world well lost but vividly re-created.”
— Los Angeles Times, praise for the series -
“[Iggulden’s] expert plotting, supple prose, and fast-paced action will keep readers riveted.”
— Publishers Weekly, praise for the series
Emperor: The Blood of Gods Listener Reviews
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" My, but this series was a letdown. While there are many fictional works that tend to bend history to their own dramatic purposes (in this genre, HBO's Rome series comes to mind), they still manage to hew close enough to the facts to make a decent mix of history and imagination. Iggulden has decided to take the ignoble path of tossing history right out the window. So many of the basic facts of this well-known story are so distorted and/or ignored that it really detracts from the enjoyment one might get from it. What is more distressing is that some readers not familiar with the story of Julius Caesar might actually make the mistake of thinking that they may be learning something by reading this woe-begotten series. This series has Caesar and Brutus growing up together, whereas historically, Caesar is believed to have been Brutus' father. Once this most basic of facts is twisted... well, it's all downhill from there. This series is the equivalent of a book covering The Revolutionary War, in which Thomas Jefferson and his brother Abraham Lincoln team up to assassinate John Adams. Yes, it's that ridiculous. I probably would have given this series two stars as some sort of crazy, alternate-universe fable on the life of Caesar, but the last two audiobooks are an abomination. The reader huffs and puffs in a performance worthy of a second-rate dinner theater, and his constant mispronunciations of the names of some of history's most well-known figures (seriously, Cicero pronounced as "Kickero"?) made me imagine that I was listening to a Monty Python skit. "
— Bill, 2/19/2014 -
" Great series. I've just re read before the new instalment comes out in summer. I love these books but I do think the ending and the lead up to Julius's death seems a little rushed. "
— Sarah, 1/30/2014 -
" An enjoyable conclusion to the series. "
— Hollis, 1/23/2014 -
" Best of the series, easily. "
— Padre, 1/23/2014 -
" Very interesting. going to try his Ghengis Khan series soon. I give it about a pg rating. "
— Laura, 1/22/2014 -
" Please see my review for the first book of the series: "The Gates of Rome" by the author. "
— Forrest, 1/19/2014 -
" The conclusion of the series is as interesting and engaging as the three preceding installments. As always, I appreciated the fact that Iggulden explained the reasoning behind his inaccuracies and offered suggestions for further, historically accurate reading. "
— Maggie, 1/12/2014 -
" Have to say not as good as the previous three but good none the less. "
— Katie, 1/11/2014 -
" Excellent. The author Conn Iggulden is a wonderful writer who brings life to those times. "
— Leticia, 12/18/2013 -
" I hope he comes back to this series. One of the best of read from that time period. "
— Becca, 11/19/2013 -
" This author is just plain good. "
— Linda, 10/31/2013 -
" Pretty good, although I couldn't help but feel like the author suddenly ran out of pages towards the end. "
— Sanna, 9/16/2013 -
" This was the best in this series. Igulden is a terrific storyteller and Julius Ceasar is a fascinating character. If one enjoys historical novels, I think it likely he would enjoy this one. "
— Lyle, 9/8/2013 -
" Whoa Nellie.. does it get much better than this? "
— Jane, 6/22/2013 -
" A good book but the least enjoyable of the series. Mostly due to the circumstances that needed to transpire to end the book. An enjoyable series I would recommend to others. "
— Mark, 6/2/2013 -
" A great ending to the series. LOVE IT. "
— Mel, 12/21/2012 -
" I really liked the whole series. "
— Steve, 10/30/2012 -
" I'm a romanophile anything about Julius Caesar is high up on my list. "
— Todd, 10/16/2012 -
" Easy way to read what appears to be a somewhat accurate "general" history of Caesar. The fictional aspect of this book is quite good... "
— Pete, 7/28/2012 -
" And the series is over. Great read, but I liked the Genghis Khan series more "
— ashish, 7/8/2012 -
" Brutal, painful and very good. As always it's sad to be done with such a good series. "
— Oda, 4/1/2012 -
" IT IS GOOD!!! Very good! "
— Pzzarius, 3/30/2012 -
" I thought the writing is good but the storyline skips so much history in this series. Why? Did he not want to write more in the series. For people who really like Roman history I would suggest the Collen McCullogh novels instead. "
— Paul, 12/24/2011 -
" A well written novel narrating the story of Gaius Julius' early years. Iggulden effectively blurred the lines of fiction with the very sketchy history of Gaius. "
— Trish, 6/25/2011 -
" Sidvändare. Historiskt känns det hyfsat verklighetstroget. Fick mig att vilja veta mer om Rom och Caesar. "
— Per, 6/20/2011 -
" I enjoyed this book, looking forward to continuing in the series. "
— Margaret, 5/23/2011 -
" I really give this a 3.5. I thought it started slow but was captivated by the end. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. The book ended with an inticong cliff hanger. "
— Deb, 5/12/2011 -
" This series really piqued my interest in Roman military and political history. Fantastic character driven story and a raw and powerful description of life in Roman times. "
— John, 5/12/2011 -
" So darn awesome. A great introduction into the Emperor series. "
— Brian, 4/19/2011 -
" Having read Conn Iggulden's Genghis series, this first book of the Emperor series doesn't start of with enough of a bang but ends up pretty well, setting one up with anticipation for the next one! "
— ashish, 4/18/2011 -
" A fine series and hard to put down, if you can stand the gore-quotient. "
— Richard, 4/13/2011 -
" Good story/ Standard writing<br/><br/>Fiction, Julius Caesar- Good enough to read, like a standard John Grisham with a cooler story. "
— Michael, 2/2/2011
About Conn Iggulden
Conn Iggulden is the acclaimed author of the Emperor novels, which chronicle the life of Julius Caesar, and the Conqueror series, which is based on the lives of Mongol warlords Genghis, Ogedai, and Kublai Khan. He is also the coauthor of the bestselling nonfiction work The Dangerous Book for Boys. He lives with his wife and two children in Hertfordshire, England.
About Michael Healy
Michael Healy has appeared off Broadway and on national television, most notably on Saturday Night Live for three years, as well as in several national commercials. He continues to hone his craft in Rhode Island, where he has won awards for acting. His audiobook recordings include Mr. Midshipman Easy by Frederick Marryat, The Collector of Lost Things by Jeremy Page, and The Valley of Fear by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.