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The First Man in Rome Colleen McCullough 9780380710812 Books

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The First Man in Rome Colleen McCullough 9780380710812 Books

Historical fiction can be divided into two types: panoramic works that cover a broad swath of time, like the novels of James Michener and Ernest Rutherfurd; and works that treat a brief time period in great detail, like the novels of Hilary Mantel or Robert Harris. Colleen McCullough’s “First Man in Rome,” the action of which comprises the period from 110 BCE to 100 BCE, is of the latter type.

The initial book in Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series, “The First Man in Rome” tells the story of Marius and Sulla in the first years of their magistracies. The actions in this first book take place two generations before Julius Caesar, and we meet Julius Caesar’s grandfather and father (Julius Caesar himself is born is 100 BCE, the final year covered in this first book). Impressively, there is more to the book than just the story. McCullough calls herself a “one-woman band” because she has not only written the text, but has also created remarkable illustrations and maps found throughout the book. The 750-page story is also followed by an extensive and informative glossary (not to mention a pronunciation guide).

To appreciate McCullough’s assiduously researched novel, it is advantageous to possess some knowledge of Roman history (like knowing about cursus honorum, lustrum, patricians and plebeians, nomen and cognomen, Lares, Penates, the Gracchi brothers, Marcus Livius Drusus and Cato, for example). I found it helpful to look up unfamiliar concepts to gain a better appreciation of the narrative. There are many characters in the book, sometimes similarly named, and to keep them all straight, it is beneficial to know a bit about the historical relevance of the main characters.

McCullough’s novel is not only a thrilling narrative, but it brings to life in rich detail the characters and political intrigues at the heart of the Late Republic. You can learn more about – and gain a deeper appreciation of – the Late Republic from this novel than you can from a standard Western Civilization textbook or from non-fiction books covering the period such as Tom Holland’s “Rubicon.” I can’t wait to read the second book in the series!


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The First Man in Rome Colleen McCullough 9780380710812 Books Reviews

Simply an incredible read. If you are interested in the politics of the early Roman Republic, Ms. McCullough delivers an informative history lesson in the form of compelling fiction that will not disappoint. I picked up this book because I am fascinated on anything that deals with the history of early Rome during and after the Age of Antiquity. Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series came highly recommended by a friend of mine. I was absolutely blown away by the knowledge that she presents in these books and the way that she puts you in that time and place. A great account of the political battles within Rome's Senate that leaves you hanging on the edge of your seat to read the next installment. Don't pass these books up if you are a lover of historical fiction or Rome.
This book is a classic for a reason. She injects fun and pleasure and humor into learning true facts about the elaborate (and otherwise boring) political and military and religious systems of Rome at this time. Deep and complex and historically accurate characters, clear presentation of the political of the day, fun and interesting but also informative presentation of information about the military and warfare of the time, reasonably faithful representation of history, the aspects of the story that she fabricated are fascinating and also plausible given the culture of the time. Most of all her writing style is engaging and full of cutting wit.

The work is not without it's flaws, but everyone I know who's read it had a hard time putting it down. At the end of this book I was satisfied that I had a great time reading it and I knew much more about this period than I did at the beginning, and what else can you ask for from a historical novel?
This book is filled with intrigue and interwoven character narratives, comparable to I, Claudius From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius Born 10 B.C. Murdered and Deified A.D. 54 (Vintage International). It is fairly light reading in spite of the length and dull moments are few and far between. Much of the time period is covered in Rubicon, which might be an interesting companion to this book and the series in general. It has been a while since I've read an actual history of the period and so I cannot comment on the degree of historical accuracy, but much of the detail is well researched.

Some of the characters and plot lines are more interesting than others but it is quite consistent throughout. Sulla's narrative has been the most interesting and well developed, whereas some of the more idealized characters such as Julia feel as though they are held at arms' length. Much of the letter writing is used to give context and describe events more quickly but may have been the weakest in terms of humanizing the characters. The book is sprinkled with side narratives which are often the most exciting points of the story. Some of the characters that only appear for a short time are surprisingly well developed. The tone of the book does not attempt to tell you who to root for. There are not many obvious villains and many of the small tragedies throughout are more profound because the narration style does not attempt to put a gloss on anything.

I already ordered The Grass Crown (book 2) before finishing this one.
Historical fiction can be divided into two types panoramic works that cover a broad swath of time, like the novels of James Michener and Ernest Rutherfurd; and works that treat a brief time period in great detail, like the novels of Hilary Mantel or Robert Harris. Colleen McCullough’s “First Man in Rome,” the action of which comprises the period from 110 BCE to 100 BCE, is of the latter type.

The initial book in Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series, “The First Man in Rome” tells the story of Marius and Sulla in the first years of their magistracies. The actions in this first book take place two generations before Julius Caesar, and we meet Julius Caesar’s grandfather and father (Julius Caesar himself is born is 100 BCE, the final year covered in this first book). Impressively, there is more to the book than just the story. McCullough calls herself a “one-woman band” because she has not only written the text, but has also created remarkable illustrations and maps found throughout the book. The 750-page story is also followed by an extensive and informative glossary (not to mention a pronunciation guide).

To appreciate McCullough’s assiduously researched novel, it is advantageous to possess some knowledge of Roman history (like knowing about cursus honorum, lustrum, patricians and plebeians, nomen and cognomen, Lares, Penates, the Gracchi brothers, Marcus Livius Drusus and Cato, for example). I found it helpful to look up unfamiliar concepts to gain a better appreciation of the narrative. There are many characters in the book, sometimes similarly named, and to keep them all straight, it is beneficial to know a bit about the historical relevance of the main characters.

McCullough’s novel is not only a thrilling narrative, but it brings to life in rich detail the characters and political intrigues at the heart of the Late Republic. You can learn more about – and gain a deeper appreciation of – the Late Republic from this novel than you can from a standard Western Civilization textbook or from non-fiction books covering the period such as Tom Holland’s “Rubicon.” I can’t wait to read the second book in the series!