Synopses & Reviews
With her renowned storytelling gifts in full force, Colleen McCullough delivers a breathtaking novel that proves once again that she is the top historical novelist of our time.
Grand in scope and vivid in detail, McCullough's gripping narrative thrusts readers headlong into the complex and fascinating world of Rome in the tumultuous last days of the Republic. At the height of his power, Gaius Julius Caesar becomes embroiled in a civil war in Egypt, where he finds himself enraptured by Cleopatra, the nation's golden-eyed queen. To do his duty as a Roman, however, he must forsake his love and return to the capital to rule.
Though Caesar's grip on power seems unshakable, the political landscape is treacherous -- the returning hero has no obvious successor, and his legacy seems to be the prize for any man with the courage and cunning to fell Rome's laurelled leader. Caesar's jealous enemies masquerade as friends and scheme to oust the autocrat from power and restore true republican government to Rome. But as the plot races to its dramatic conclusion, it becomes clear that with the stakes this high, no alliance is sacred and no motives are pure.
Synopsis
Let international bestselling author Colleen McCullough transport you back in time to Rome to 48 BC: scene of one of the greatest political battles and one of the most passionate love affairs of all time. This is an evocative and enthralling historical novel that will have you gripped. Fans of Conn Iggulden, Madeleine Miller and Simon Scarrow will not be disappointed.
'An enormous rich mountain of a book, which will appeal to people who like their history in great succulent dollops' -- Sunday Times
'Incomparable... Engrossing... Breathtakingly detailed... McCullough has triumphed again' -- Chicago Tribune
'Intrigue, political manoeuvring, grandstanding, gossip, sex, both affectionate and calculated, and wholesale slaughter... McCullough works to charge history with the current of personality.' -- Booklist
'A really engrossing read' -- ***** Reader review
'A masterpiece' -- ***** Reader review
'In a peerless class of its own' -- ***** Reader review
'Entertaining and engrossing' -- ***** Reader review
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Rome, 48 BC: Julius Caesar is in the prime of his life and at the height of his powers.
But behind the myth lies a man beset with contradictions - happily married, he is also the lover of the enigmatic Egyptian queen, Cleopatra; a great general, he wishes to bring to an end Rome's endless wars; conscious of his own power and contemptuous of lesser men, he is determined not to be worshipped as a living god or crowned emperor.
But Caesar is a man whose very greatness attracts envy and jealousy to a dangerous degree, and as the political intrigues which surround him reach their climax, his destruction becomes inevitable...
The October Horse is the sixth book in the Masters of Rome series.