Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
William Morrow & Co (1993), Edition: 1st, 878 pages
Description
Fiction. Historical Fiction. HTML: Rome, 83 BC: The Republic is disintegrating. Ravaged by disease, tormented by vice, Lucius Cornelius Sulla has returned from exile determined to rebuild it, even if it means taking battle to the very walls of Rome and purging the city with blood. There will be deaths without number or limit, but amid the chaos, three infinitely ambitious young Romans vie for greatness. The young wolves are Pompeius Magnus, Marcus Crassus and the man the world will one day know by just one name: Caesar. Together, they are Fortune's favourites �?? an endorsement that will prove as much a blessing as a curse. Please note: This ebook contains all the original maps and illustration.
User reviews
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
This is the third book in the Masters of Rome series--each book is a doorstopper, but each is also wonderful in immersing you in Ancient Rome, giving you a feel for the late Republic and the men that shaped those times. In the first two books that primarily consisted of following two
Sulla is one of the most fascinating figures in this series. McCullough manages to make a man that was arguably a sociopath sympathetic without minimizing his monstrous acts. I really felt in this book how dangerous and scary it was under his dictatorship, especially for aristocrats--reminiscent of the Terror of the French Revolution--and how that chaotic period fed into the death of the Republic.
I feel a bit mixed about McCullough's Caesar. He's definitely a fascinating and admirable character here. A bit too admirable. I got the feeling McCullough was more than a bit in love with her Caesar--just as I thought Mary Renault was a bit too in love with her Alexander the Great. The degree of a character's virtue seems to tie in with whether he was for, or against Caesar, and I feel that only gets worse with successive books. They're still I think though worth the read. Like the best of historical fiction I've read, it gives you a sense not just of the everyday life of a long past era, but the very different mindset. When a classicist friend of mine told me she only wanted to have dignitas in her field, I understood what she meant because of reading this series. It made me feel I understood Ancient Rome better because of reading these books, and made me want to read more about the period.
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brothers-in-law and uncles of Julius Caesar--Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla. In the last book we watched Marius decline and Sulla's rise. Now in this book we see Sulla at the peak of his power, and a new generation begin their rise to power--including the young Julius Caesar and Pompey. Sulla is one of the most fascinating figures in this series. McCullough manages to make a man that was arguably a sociopath sympathetic without minimizing his monstrous acts. I really felt in this book how dangerous and scary it was under his dictatorship, especially for aristocrats--reminiscent of the Terror of the French Revolution--and how that chaotic period fed into the death of the Republic.
I feel a bit mixed about McCullough's Caesar. He's definitely a fascinating and admirable character here. A bit too admirable. I got the feeling McCullough was more than a bit in love with her Caesar--just as I thought Mary Renault was a bit too in love with her Alexander the Great. The degree of a character's virtue seems to tie in with whether he was for, or against Caesar, and I feel that only gets worse with successive books. They're still I think though worth the read. Like the best of historical fiction I've read, it gives you a sense not just of the everyday life of a long past era, but the very different mindset. When a classicist friend of mine told me she only wanted to have dignitas in her field, I understood what she meant because of reading this series. It made me feel I understood Ancient Rome better because of reading these books, and made me want to read more about the period.
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LibraryThing member santhony
This is the third, and in many ways, the most engaging of MaCullough's Masters of Rome series. It touches upon the final years of the Roman Republic, the dictatorship and fall of Sulla, the rise of Pompey and the early years of Julius Caesar. McCullough challenges the reader through an accurate
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portrayal of the Roman culture, with its terminology and ceremonies. Show Less
LibraryThing member john257hopper
Probably my favourite historical fiction series. Really meaty and engrossing.
LibraryThing member surreality
Plot: The first half has Sulla as focus and is a more or less contained story. The second half frays into several plotlines, with none of them taking center stage. The overall coherence suffers from it, as does the pacing, but history makes it unavoidable.
Characters: Sulla is as well portrayed as
Style: This volume is weightier than the first two, mostly because there is not quite as grand a scheme anymore as before. It makes for a rather disjointed feeling, and some scenes and subplots have an air of must-include-because-this-happened rather than because it was an interesting story.
Plus: The first half, on Sulla. Some of the small plotlines in the second half.
Minus: The second half drags on. A few cuts here and there would have made it a more interesting read. A family tree would have been a lot more useful than the countless maps.
Summary: Still excellent, but not up on the level of the previous two.
Characters: Sulla is as well portrayed as
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before, and easily dominates the first half of the book even when he is in the background. The rest of the cast is still finding their feet and being sketched out, with Caesar beginning to look just a little too perfect. Style: This volume is weightier than the first two, mostly because there is not quite as grand a scheme anymore as before. It makes for a rather disjointed feeling, and some scenes and subplots have an air of must-include-because-this-happened rather than because it was an interesting story.
Plus: The first half, on Sulla. Some of the small plotlines in the second half.
Minus: The second half drags on. A few cuts here and there would have made it a more interesting read. A family tree would have been a lot more useful than the countless maps.
Summary: Still excellent, but not up on the level of the previous two.
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LibraryThing member nillacat
First class research, first class recreation of an alien culture. Sulla in his old age, a physical wreck, as malignant as ever and now with power to achieve his ends. He is ambitious for himself, and eager for revenge: but he also has a deep sense of Roman traditions and his cruel reign does as
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much to set Rome back on her constitutional feet as it does to satisfy his personal needs. It is hard to paint a sociopath with a sympathetic brush, but McCullough has done it. Show Less
LibraryThing member RamzArtso
I recommend this to everyone! If you haven't read this, you must do so right now! Masters of Rome, Harry Potter, Twilight and The Lord of the Rings are the best series I've ever read! You won't regret reading this. I'm in love with it.
LibraryThing member AliceAnna
As in the other books, the histories and descriptions of the various campaigns were not my favorite parts. The political intrigues, scheming, manipulation, etc. were quite fun. I enjoyed seeing Sulla finally get his man (though his deterioration was sad even for a merciless killer) and seeing
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Piglet turn into somewhat of a hero. Her take on Spartacus was interesting too. Caesar's development from a child to a powerful man and his relationship with Aurelia and Julia was well fleshed out by McCullough. The best of the series thus far. Show Less
LibraryThing member Ailinel
Fortune's Favorites, according to McCullough, is the final volume of Masters of Rome where source data is scarce enough that the novel is able to cover almost every significant event around the Mediterranean. The story shows the beginning of Julius Caesar's military career (under Lucullus gathering
The amount of historical data included in this book is remarkable, ranging from ships of the time to court processes to military tactics to gladiators, superstitions, and even grain sales in the Roman Republic.
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ships and winning the Civic Crown in battle) and his relationship with the King and Queen of Bithynia. It covers Sulla's consulship and eventual death, the military and political climb of Gaius Pompous, the efforts of Crassus against Spartacus and his army, and the legal exploits of Hortensius, Cicero, and Caesar. Caesar's perspective is a keen and penetrating one as he grows into an extraordinarily intelligent, well-rounded, patient, and dangerous man (as Phillipus told Magnus, Lucullus fears Caesar and the only person Lucullus ever feared was Sulla). Yet Caesar continues to hold the same beliefs in Rome that Marcus Aemilius Scaurus and Gaius Marius held during the time they were political allies. He cannot stand Roman governors abusing the provinces any more than he can tolerate inept military leaders. He travels quickly, thinks logically, and shows the best of Aurelia and Marius in his actions and thoughts.The amount of historical data included in this book is remarkable, ranging from ships of the time to court processes to military tactics to gladiators, superstitions, and even grain sales in the Roman Republic.
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LibraryThing member jerry-book
The First Man In Rome centers on Gaius Marius. This book tracks the decline of Marius due to age and strokes. It also follows the rise of Sulla. He seeks to eclipse Marius and manages to do so. Despite his peculiar personal habits he manages to surmount everything and become Dictaor of Rome. Once
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there he introduces a new persecution to Rome called proscription. It is a police state move to rid the state of all Marian sympathizes, He then tries to return Rome to ancient times when everything was controlled by the Senate or the aristocracy. Due to the demands of Empire it is impossible for Rome to return to an earlier simpler time. Sulla tries to insure there will not be another "Sulla" or "Marius" in Rome. Instead, almost immediately we have Pompey, Crassus, and Caesar. Show Less
LibraryThing member nx74defiant
I really enjoyed it. It was hard to follow sometimes. Roman politics were very complex.
LibraryThing member robeik
In this volume the author weaves a wonderful story around the demise of Sulla and rise of Julius Caesar. Mot interesting to me was how she handled how Caesar managed to escape the proscriptions and the threat that Sulla felt Caesar was going to be to him. Enjoyable, too, was reading Caesar's
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interactions with Nicomedes, his queen and Sulla the dog. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cecrow
This historical fiction novel concludes the Marius and Sulla story arc that began in the first volume. Of course history is never so tidy as fiction, and McCullough insists on abiding by it, but she's able to muster a sense of closure. With Sulla's passing the spotlight smoothly shifts to Caesar
The dialogue in this series remains as artificial and unlikely as ever, but maybe that's a sacrifice to maintain the narrative pace. Occasional oversights (Caesar forgetting to say farewell to his wife among the laundry list of others whom he takes leave of, etc.) pop up now and then. Possibly a sign that by the third book the author's confidence was growing and her care lessening? I was chastened at the end, reading the glossary, to be reminded how many smaller details McCullough did keep track of and incorporate to a painstaking degree. She was only occasionally overbearing when wielding her research, as when Sulla is describing his new laws in needless detail. For the most part it's all very well integrated and just enough is provided to move the plot forward.
What she's done in invoking Rome is a marvel. In fantasy we call this world-building, and that word is nearly applicable here for all that it normally applies to entirely fictional creations. This is an instance of world-REbuilding. This third book is my stopping point (and its ending allows for that very nicely, better than the second one would have), but I can understand why others carry on. After three enormous books, McCullough still delivers and the Republic's story is not yet at its close.
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and his destined rival, Pompey. This is also the volume that features the adventures of Sparticus, and McCullough does him justice.The dialogue in this series remains as artificial and unlikely as ever, but maybe that's a sacrifice to maintain the narrative pace. Occasional oversights (Caesar forgetting to say farewell to his wife among the laundry list of others whom he takes leave of, etc.) pop up now and then. Possibly a sign that by the third book the author's confidence was growing and her care lessening? I was chastened at the end, reading the glossary, to be reminded how many smaller details McCullough did keep track of and incorporate to a painstaking degree. She was only occasionally overbearing when wielding her research, as when Sulla is describing his new laws in needless detail. For the most part it's all very well integrated and just enough is provided to move the plot forward.
What she's done in invoking Rome is a marvel. In fantasy we call this world-building, and that word is nearly applicable here for all that it normally applies to entirely fictional creations. This is an instance of world-REbuilding. This third book is my stopping point (and its ending allows for that very nicely, better than the second one would have), but I can understand why others carry on. After three enormous books, McCullough still delivers and the Republic's story is not yet at its close.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1993
Physical description
878 p.; 6.25 inches
ISBN
9780688093709
Local notes
Fortune's Favorites is a sequel to The First Man in Rome and The Grass Crown. Spanning the years 83–69 BC.