The story opens five years after the end of the last book (Caesar's women), in Britannia. Caesar has spent all these years on campaign. Throughout the book, the narrative switches between events back in Rome and Caesar on campaign. In previous books of this series, I have always found accounts of military campaigns to be less interesting than those of events back in Rome. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find accounts of Caesar's campaigns to be even more riveting than the usual Roman politicking. Through the course of the narrative, the boni's actions against Caesar, back in Rome, become more and more ridiculous and nearly unconstitutional, pushing him towards taking increasingly autocratic and desperate measures. Thereafter, their total lack of preparedness and just their monumental stupidity is simply deplorable. Besides Cato, Bibulus, Ahenobarbus, Pompey and Brutus from the boni camp, Labienus and Mark Antony play secondary roles. We are also introduced to Cleopatra. The pacing never flags even for a bit. This book is now my new favourite in this series as of now. Now on to The October Horse!

En el libro se llega a la historia de la guerra de las Galias y la Guerra Civil. Un manejo encomiable, se previene contra posibles críticas de basarse solamente en el documento histórico que como he indicado en otros videos, ya se gana solamente en poner en contexto muchos eventos y en amalgamar varios nombres importantes que de otra manera se podrían perder en una lectura de las obras sin guía. Leí la obra histórica primero y luego tuve que releerla para poder apreciar todos los nombres que allí aparecían, así como los mapas descriptivos que son de gran ayuda. Además de otros eventos y contextos de la política que Colleen sabe trabajar y relatar tan hábilmente, ya que su fuerte es la política y no tanto los enfrentamientos bélicos que no logra manejar tan diestramente como Posteguillo por ejemplo. Eso para quienes nos emocionamos con las batallas, pero en cambio contribuye enormemente con sus interpretaciones sobre temas tan importantes de por qué Cesar no conserva los mismos legados o militares que lo acompañan en la guerra de las Galias frente a la Guerra Civil, o por qué Labieno cambia de bando. Todo muy emocionante y lleno de erudición, así no sea tan cinematográfico como las batallas.

Soy un apasionado de Posteguillo, pero debe reconocerse y agradecerse el influjo de Colleen, puesto que agrega los elementos que combinan las culturas romana con otras como la egipcia y parta, destacando también los aspectos arquitectónicos, musicales y artísticos que acompañan el entramado político que ambienta todo el relato.
El rigor histórico es encomiable. Con la lectura te ahorras años de investigación y selección de fuentes, además que una obra histórica de la época solo toma un hecho particular, y con la novela lo enmarcas con sus antecedentes y consecuencias de manera estructurada en el relato. Al final uno podría creerse conocedor de la historia.

Pueden también ver los videos de youtube
https://youtu.be/OgzdH3n4WYY

On the pair with the other books in the series, greatly enriching and full of diverse well-developed characters.

"But you are a king, Caesar! It's there in the way you move, the way you look, the way you treat others. You are an Alexander the Great given accidentally given power by the electors. After you, it will fall to ashes."
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The fifth book in Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series, Caesar describes the lead up to and bulk of Julius Caesar's great civil war, which left him the first man in the Roman world. The tension is gripping as Caesar does his best to avoid all-out conflict, but soon finds that it is inevitable.
The novel is equal parts character study, political manoeuvring, and military action, beginning with Caesar's war in Gaul (present day France and Belgium) and ending with his victory over his great rival, Pompey.
Like the previous books in the series, Caesar is a masterclass in character development, as it sees the character of Caesar himself reach the apex of his journey to power. The antagonists of the novel, including Cato, Pompey, and other of Caesar's opponents are equally as compelling, allowing the reader to become invested in both sides of the novel's main conflict.
Although the novel is a work of historical fiction, it very accurately adheres to actual historical events, and is a great and entertaining way to learn about this crucial period in Western history.
The next and penultimate book in the series, called The October Horse, deals with the aftermath of Caesar's claim to absolute power and the consequences that it will have for him. I greatly look forward to this next entry to the series

Había escuchado que la saga de McCollough perdía en calidad después de los tres primeros, pero "César" es realmente impresionante. Después de seguirlo desde su nacimiento, vivir cómo se desarrolla política y personalmente, en este volumen llegas a meterte en la piel del personaje más extraordinario de la Historia de Roma durante las gestas que le concedieron la gloria y la inmortalidad.

Caesar (Masters of Rome, #5) is just as good as the other four books in this series.


Colleen invites us to unravel its intricacies layer by layer. It challenges us to confront the history within the story, suggesting that those who venture into this world may emerge with a changed perspective.

Another great book in the Masters of Rome series.

Big and impressive as they are, I am really enjoying these books. Maybe there is still a bit too much detail in there for my taste (but judged by the afterword, it's written for quite a broad audience, including scholars), but in general it's just so interesting and captivating at the same time that I read them faster than I think when I pick them up. This book was one of the first where I knew a bit what was going to happen because of history classes and general history interest, but it was so well written that I still couldn't wait to see what was going to happen. I want the next one! (after a short recovery period for me ;) ).

I love history and historical novels and after a little trouble getting over some awkward writing in the first couple of chapters, I was absorbed in this book. In the first 30 pages or so, many of the sentences used complex constructions that left it unclear which character was doing or thinking what. But once the Gauls launched their resistance, the story took over. And either my reading tolerance or McCullough's writing improved.

McCullough's Caesar is charismatic, complex, creative and unconventional, beset on all sides, from warring Gauls on the frontier to scheming Senators at home. Although this Caesar has gifts and abilities far above all contemporaries, he never comes off as superhuman. McCullough makes me wish I could have been in this Caesar's circle. The surprise and interest comes from how Caesar uses his brain and ability to inspire to achieve the extraordinary again and again. Caesar's engaging and sympathetic hero, provides the essential center strand to this very long narrative.

Substantial sections leave Caesar behind while we follow his antagonists. Of these, Pompey, the putative First Man of Rome, whom Caesar must inevitably depose, is the most sympathetic and important. Pompey's conventional competence is gradually revealed as weakness in the light of Caesar's brilliance.

Cicero, Cato, Brutus become substantial characters, with well-developed personalities and motivations driving them to stand in Caesar's path. I stopped keeping track of dozens of other characters named, described and followed on all sides of the conflicts. Although difficult to keep track of individuals, McCullough creates sharp and lively vignettes of Roman life, correspondence, domestic arrangements, friendships and rivalries adding up to a panoramic view of the society. (Patrician and wealthy society, that is - the 99 percent barely appear.) McCollough manages to translate the facts of political history - the Fall of the Roman Republic - into a story that makes sense.

I didn't realize that I was reading Book 5 of a series until I was well into Caesar. I'll head back to the beginning to see if the whole series is this good.

Let the dice fly!

I read this book when I was working as a Web Producer at KUOW radio in Seattle back in 2006-2007. Long book with lots of chapters but it was one of the very best ever reads of Roman history. I learned more about Caesar then I ever knew. Most of the facts are never told in any history class. You wouldn't believe the things those Romans did for fun. It would be considered x rated by today's standards. I learned about foods they ate, who was who and how they got there and so much more. Great read!

Servilia death watch: disappointing (DIE BITCH!)

Could just have easily be called Pompey. The parts with Caesar were the most interesting of course* but the rest of it moved along pretty quickly too. Usually with these books there are about five or six story lines that are marginally connected going on at once but here there's only Caesar, the Gauls (which is over fast enough), Pompey, and a little Cleopatra thrown in around the edges. I have no idea how to pronounce a lot of the Gallic names but after reading all the untranslated Spanish by McCarthy and untranslated everything by Eco, I've developed a pretty good skill for Letting It Go.

*By this point Caesar > Sulla. But still... Alexander > Caesar. It's in the name people. (Doesn't count for Pompey, he gave himself the Magnus and he's a dumbass.)