description: ‘Harris’s novels about the Roman statesman Cicero are perfect audiobook material.’ 50 best audiobooks, Daily MailWhen Tiro, the confidential secretary of a Roman senator, opens the door to a terrified stranger on a cold November morning, he sets in motion a chain of events which will eventually propel his master into one of the most famous courtroom dramas in history. The stranger is a Sicilian, a victim of the island's corrupt Roman governor, Verres. The senator is Cicero, a brilliant young lawyer and spellbinding orator, determined to attain imperium - supreme power in the state. This is the starting-point of Robert Harris's most accomplished novel to date. Compellingly written in Tiro's voice, it takes us inside the violent, treacherous world of Roman politics, to describe how one man - clever, compassionate, devious, vulnerable - fought to reach the top. Sometimes it is foolish to articulate an ambition too early - exposing it prematurely to the laughter and scepticism of the world can destroy it before it is even properly born. But sometimes the opposite occurs, and the very act of mentioning a thing makes it suddenly seem possible, even plausible. That was how it was that night. When Cicero pronounced the word "consul" he planted it in the ground like a standard for us all to admire. And for a moment we glimpsed the brilliant, starry future through his eyes, and saw that he was right: that if he took down Verres, he had a chance; that he might - just - with luck - go all the way to the summit...'
language: English
title: Imperium:
titlecomplete: Imperium: (Cicero Trilogy 1)
characters: Gaius Verres, Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius, Lucius Manlius Torquatus (praetor 49 BC), Marcus Caelius Rufus, Terentia, Marcus Tullius Cicero, Cato the Younger, Publius Clodius Pulcher, Quintus Hortensius Hortalus, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, Marcus Antonius, Marcus Terentius Varro, Lucius Lucullus, Marcus Lollius Palicanus, Marcus Licinius Crassus, Quintus Tullius Cicero, Manius Acilius Glabrio, Tullia, Servilia (mother of Brutus), Titus Pomponius Atticus, Metellus Scipio Nasica, Servius Sulpicius Rufus, Gaius Calpurnius Piso Frugi, Lucius Afranius, Marcus Fonteius, Marcus Tullius Tiro, Lucius Sergius Catilina, Julius Caesar (Roman emperor), Quintus Lutatius Catulus Capitolinus, Publius Nigidius Figulus, Aulus Gabinius
genres: Fiction, Historical, Italy, Politics, Thriller, Roman, Ancient History, Novels, Historical Fiction, Audiobook
ratings_count: 33459
places: Rome, Italy
series: Cicero
publisher: Audiobooks