Review: Imperium by Robert Harris

Title: Imperium
Author: Robert Harris
Series: Cicero #1
Publication: July 5th 2007 by Arrow
Genre: Historical Fiction
Purchase it on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google | Kobo
Rating: 5/5★

When 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.

To describe Imperium by Robert Harris in a single word I'd be using the word 'phenomenal' because this novel just blew me away. I think it's amazing that I found this book at a secondhand store for just 70 cents and that I just ended up loving it so much. I even consider it my second favorite book of the year (at least so far because you never know when a new favorite suddenly shows up). 

I just really enjoyed reading about Cicero, his rise as a politician and the people around him. I was kinda surprised by how much I liked it because I don't usually enjoy reading books that involve politics as much as Imperium did whether it's modern or ancient politics but I really couldn't get enough of reading this one. Cicero was such an intriguing person and this book really got me in a mood to read more about him and his life. So I'm hoping to find some nonfictions about Cicero at some point. Some of his quotes are favorites of mine.

The book is told in the point of view of Tiro who is a slave of Cicero and also his secretary. It was super fascinating to see the world of ancient Rome and Cicero through the eyes of Tiro. I really liked him! 

Also, I really enjoyed Robert Harris' writing. This book read so freaking easily. One day I even read close to 150 pages in one day because how much I enjoyed the writing style. I'm interested to see if his other books are as easily to read and I definitely plan on buying more titles by the author. For sure!

So I didn't know that Imperium is the first book in the Cicero trilogy. I'm not sure how I missed that but finding out made me so damn excited. I hope to get my hands on the two other books as soon as I can because I definitely want to read them. I'm really happy it's a trilogy. A part of me wishes I hadn't finished reading this book already because I just know whichever book I will read next will most likely not compare. Ah bookworm problems! But seriously this was a top book and couldn't have been more happy with it. 

About the author:
Robert Harris is the author of twelve bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy - Imperium, Lustrum and Dictator - Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Conclave and most recently, Munich. Several of his books have been filmed, including The Ghost, which was directed by Roman Polanski. His work has been translated into forty languages and he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He lives in West Berkshire with his wife, Gill Hornby.
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