The year is 53 B.C. Fresh from victory in Gaul, Julius Caesar leads battle-hardened legions across the Rubicon river–threatening Rome herself. Even the master strategist Pompey is caught unprepared by the strike, and forced to abandon his city. The armies of Rome will face each other at last in civil war, led by the two greatest generals ever to walk the seven hills. Thus begins Conn Iggulden’s towering saga of Julius Caesar as he approaches his final destiny—..
Toward the end of the last century Cicero's work came under attack from several angles. His political stance was sharply criticized for inconsistency by Theodor Mommsen and others, his philosophical works for lack of originality. Since then scholars have come to a better understanding of the political conditions that informed the views of Mommsen and his contemporaries about Caesar and Cicero, and as a result Cicero's writings have been restored to a more appropriate position in the literature and history of the Roman Republic.
Caesar is a large white dog with a great many black spots. Or is he a large black dog with even more white spots? That’s the trouble: he doesn’t know which, and though nobody in the family seems to care, he won’t rest until he uncovers the truth. So off he traipses, beseeching one animal after another to find out what color he is, basically. From celebrated poet Maxine Kumin comes a doggedly quizzical hero, brought comically to life by Alison Friend’s expressive watercolors -- a lovable picture-book character who ultimately learns that it’s not what’s on the outside that counts.
A fortune teller warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March (the 15th of March)- that Caesar will die on this day. Follow the conspirators Cassius and Brutus as they plan Caesar's assassination. Caesar¡¯s allies Mark Anthony and Octavius flee when Caesar is killed. Using the immortal words "Friends, Romans, countryman, lend me your ears¡" Mark Anthony turns the citizens of Rome against the assassins Brutus and Cassius. The tale ends with Mark Anthony and Octavius meting out retribution against Brutus and Cassius.
