Masters of Rome

Author of the beloved classic The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough creates sweeping sagas that are unparalleled in their drama and emotional grandeur. Now she carries listeners into the pageantry and passion, politics and intrigue of ancient Rome. Cunning and ambition were prized in this vast and powerful empire, but what would it take to win its highest honor - to be First Man in Rome?

"The First Man in Rome was not the best man: he was the First among other men who were his equals...To be the First Man in Rome was something far better than kingship..." In the first century B.C. at the height of the Roman Republic, two men set their sights on becoming the First Man - the Roman more respected than any other. Marius, a heroic man of strength and means, lacks the noble blood to contend for the First Man, but overcomes his common status when he marries into the patrician house of Caesar. Sulla, a pleasure-seeking aristocrat without money of his own, is transformed by his ambitions into a fierce and daring warrior. Together the two men will shape history as they are thrust into a raging storm - engaging in deadly political contests and waging far-off wars for a state battling to hold on to its enormous power. Rich with unforgettable characters and unerring historical accuracy, The First Man in Rome is a vivid tale of power, treachery, and a great Republic hurtling towards civil war...

From the author of the captivating bestseller The First Man in Rome…the timeless saga of power, passion, and conflict of Ancient Rome continues…The magnificent glory of Republican Rome is threatened when a struggle for power erupts among the men who shaped its hard-won peace. At its center are two extraordinary leaders: Gaius Marius, the general who saved Rome from Barbarian invasions, desperately trying to extend his reign for a prophesied and unprecedented seventh term as Consul; and Lucius Cornelius Sulla, once Marius' most trusted right-hand man, now a dangerous rival hungry for his own taste of political success. As the two men battle for position, they are surrounded by a new generation of statesman, soldiers, and lovers, from Senate intriguers and their ambitious wives to the child of destiny, Gaius Julius Caesar. An absorbing tale of a Republic fighting for its survival in a world of treachery, barbarism and never-ending war, The Grass Crown is a remarkable entry in Colleen McCullough's brilliant and unprecedented series on the rise and fall of the world's greatest civilization.

Return to Ancient Rome - where politics, ambition, and greed collide in the fortunes of two fiercely powerful men: Lucius Cornelius Sulla, the great general who returns from exile to be installed as dictator, and then stuns Rome with his startling self-imposed retirement; and Pompey, the young scion of an enormously powerful rural family, who determines to leapfrog over the traditional milestones to Roman political pre-eminence by any means necessary. Passionate, ambitious, and larger than life, these men play out their fortunes against rebellious elements in Spain, dangerous rumblings in the East and the doomed slave revolt of the tragic figure Spartacus. But a greater threat to their place in history awaits - the fiery young warrior Julius Caesar, exploding now into manhood, his priest's robe shed in a most surprising manner. A newcomer to military glory and the Senate, he earns a formidable reputation as diplomat, lawyer, and politician. In fascinating and unrivaled grandeur, Fortune's Favorites sows the seeds of Caesar's terrible rivalry with Pompey, and sets into motion the events, which will finally enable him to tower over history for all time.

In the blockbuster tradition of The First Man in Rome -- Colleen Mccullough's monumental Masters of Rome series continues. The man behind the legend...the women behind the man. Villain or hero? Debated for centuries, the volcanic soul of Julius Caesar comes dramatically to life in the new masterpiece of historical fiction from the #1 bestselling author of The Thorn Birds. In this sweeping saga, McCullough traces Caesar's rise to prominence in his world, beginning with his triumphant entry into a new battlefield -- the Roman Forum, where wars are waged with words and schemes, and where today's ally may be tomorrow's foe. Caesar's victories are not limited to the political arena, however; he also conquers Rome's noblewomen, including the powerful and vindictive Servilia, mother of a youth called Brutus. Yet the one thing he never gives to any of the women who love him or want him is himself -- to Caesar, love is just another weapon in his political arsenal. Epic in scope, razor-sharp in detail, Caesar's Women paints an indelible portrait of a man willing to seize any means of moving toward his ultimate goal -- to be the greatest of all Rome's First Men, the leader of a world that echoes our own too closely for comfort.

It is 54 B.C. Gaius Julius Caesar is sweeping through Gaul. While his victories in the name of Rome are epic, the conservative leaders of the Republic are not pleased -- they are terrified. Where will the boundless ambition of Rome's most brilliant soldier stop? He must be destroyed before he can overthrow the government and install himself as Dictator. When Cato and the Senate betray him, Caesar resolves to turn his genius against his ungrateful country. Backed by a loyal and skilled army, he marches on Rome. But before reaching his goal, he must contend with Pompey the Great, a formidable adversary who underestimates the renegade Caesar. These are tumultuous times -- for Caesar, who endures personal tragedies even as he wages war; for Pompey, who must wrestle with his fear that his greatness is at an end; for Cicero, whose luminous rhetoric is shattered by threat of violence; and for the citizens of Rome, whose destiny lies in Caesar's hands. The fifth novel in Colleen McCullough's unforgettable Masters of Rome series, Caesar brings to life the passion and genius of an incomparable man.

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.