Customer Reviews

The Field of Swords (Emperor, Book 3)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Knowing full well that Igguldens' retelling of Gaius Julius Caesar's life owes very little to actual historical fact and much to pure fantasy I set about this third installment curious to know precisely what period had gone through the mangle this time and what the result would be. Apart from the wincing at the total exclusion of Marcus Tullius Cicero's finest hour in 63BC in stopping the Catiline Conspiracy (Julius gets the credit here and it's brought forward 4 years as well - never mind), the blatant chronological reversal of Clodius' death in 52 and the invasion of Britain in 55/54, and the casual use of Cabera to act as the soothsayer for the infamous Ides of March quote nearly a decade ahead of reality... I was cautiously optimistic by page 200 or so.
The third in Iggulden's Emperor series opens with our young praetor with his Tenth legion in Spain with Brutus and his extraordinarii cavalry. Dark, moody and brooding the mix is swiftly stirred as Brutus' courtesan mother, Servilia, turns up with three girls to make a handsome profit and catch Julius' eye. From there he swiftly returns to the political mire of Rome, coming up against both Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Marcus Licinius Crassus as he seeks to establish himself in Rome and take his first consulship. Much of this is given over in two very lengthy episodes - the first his quelling of the Crassus backed Catiline conspiracy, the second over a gladiator contest for Marcus Brutus to be First Sword in Rome. Once this has been achieved Caesar hotfoots it to Gaul with his comrades in tow wearing silver armour to start conquering the land. Battles against the Averni, a quick trip to Britain and back and the infamous siege of Alesia are all dealt with in a thrilling loose style with an interim trip back to Rome by Brutus to get involved with Caesar's daughter, Julia, and quell the infamous street gangs of Milo and Clodius whilst Julius' relationship with Servilia is explored.
I confess I find my reaction to Iggulden is to sigh deeply. The historical purist in me reads on in horrified fascination as to what's going to happen next in this historical alternative history, but it is somewhat compelling. I know many reviewers will say that historical accuracy is not what Iggulden's about but it's taken too far. You can get away with the odd explained change for dramatic purposes but it's so wrong it really does detract from what could be so good.
History aside I find this the weakest of the three as it is somewhat directionless and the chacterisation fill between major episodes is creating more of a sense of gallivanting adventurers rather than mature personages. Plot and characterisation is all too wooden and I find myself disliking Julius more and more. If it wasn't for the exceptionally brief reference to Caesar's lamentation that he is older than Alexander was when he conquered the world right at the start (and you knew little of Caesar's history) you'd have to ask what his motive for any of his actions was in this novel.
What saves the entire series is that Iggulden CAN tell a story.
So utterly compelling, but, unfortunately, for all the wrong reasons. Another one is due and I have to complete the series but I know the same complaints will probably be there after the next one.

Conn Iggulden's "The Field of Swords" continues his "Emperor" series, to borrow a phrase, it's like the first two books, only more so.

From his first book in the series, Iggulden has demonstrated a willingness to depart from the historical record. When it comes to Julius Caesar, that's playing with fire, if for no other reason than that Caesar's life is astounding enough on its own that it leaves little room for editorializing. However, we must respect Iggulden is writing fiction, not another biography of the historical giant (and to Iggulden's credit, he repeatedly recommends Christian Meier's masterful biography, Caesar, for folks who want the straight story).

By making some rather harsh choices (for example, Cicero merits barely a mention in Iggulden's novels), Iggulden has offended many readers, to be sure. For readers familiar with the historical period, it is harder to suspend our disbelief when reading about certain events when we know that they just did not transpire in the manner described. I imagine that the less familiar one is with the subject, the more entertaining the series is.

Fortunately for all concerned, even Roman history buffs, Iggulden is a fine writer and creates many memorable scenes in "Field of Swords." Several battle scenes quicken the pulse, but Iggulden also writes excellent scenes around more domestic fare, such as a bunch of humbled Roman blacksmiths learning the intricate art of Spanish swordmaking.

And the broad strokes are all here to create a fine theater for our favorite characters. Caesar rides from Spain to Gaul to Britain and eventually comes to a crisis point at the Rubicon. Crassus builds his astounding fortune but chafes under his less-than-stellar military reputation. Pompey rules Rome with an iron fist and yet fears this upstart running rampant on the frontier. Servilia's love for Caesar burns white-hot. Brutus continues his quest to be the perfect sword, yet cracks form in his friendship with Caesar. (And there are many other storylines of note.) Not all the characters make it through to the end, and we generally are sad to see them go - a testament to Iggulden's ability to spin an entertaining tale.

Again, for readers looking for a highly factual fictionalized account of Julius Caesar, look to Colleen McCullouch's titanic "Masters of Rome" series. (Her research is impeccable, and she includes a glossry and highly detailed maps -- for some bizarre reason, Iggulden's novels do not include a single map, which is a bizarre omission.) But for fans of a leaner, lighter, more action-packed treatment, Iggulden's series will do just fine, thank you very much.

Although this book and the others in the series are supposedly historical novels, an author cannot play fast and loose with history. The author makes Caesar's mother mentally unstable as well as epileptic. He makes Brutus an orphan on the estate--except for the mother who abandoned him because she's a prostitute. Caesar gets to kill Mithradites--although Pompey really did. He has Marius killed by Pompey in a barricaded Rome! How could you believe any insight that Iggulden has into Caesar's character when he recreates historical fact?

Conn Iggulden is the author who exposed me to the amazing life of Caesar. His first book The Gates of Rome was an amazing work of historical fiction. When I read The Death of Kings I could not figure out which of the two books I liked more. When I read The Field of Swords I was a little less impressed. It seemed to me that character development was sacrificed so that more of the book could focus on some things that really didn't matter. Even some of the events in Caesar's life were played down when in truth they were some of the most interesting and exciting. I think Iggulden felt a little rushed on this book. It was still very entertaining but he has done better. If I could tell Iggulden anything it would be to take his time on the last one. Some of the most amazing things in Caesar's life happened during and after the civil war. I know he will end the series with a bang and am looking forward to the last book.

Some reviewers are critical of other reviews of both this series and this author in general that take issue with the poor historical qualities of these books, and are quick to point out that these are "historical fiction". Actually they really aren't. There is so little historical value delivered by The Conn in both his Emperor series or his Genghis series. This book continues the story of Caesar, but the author simply took a character and selectively chose other figures that suited his story line while leaving out other crucial figures who played major roles. For example, in this book I was stunned to follow a Gaulic campaign where the general Titus Labienus, who also played a pivotal role in the upcoming Civil War, was absent, as were every noteworthy centurion of the 10th.

This is really just a fiction novel that took a major figure in history and thrusts him into an almost complete fantasy. For readers who know this history, it really is frustrating to find so many glaring errors every other page. One example is his repeated reference to "corn", a New World crop that was completely unknown to the Roman world. Wheat would have been correct. I use this example to illustrate Conn's lack of understand of his subject matter. This is now the 3rd book and I am still reading about corn; didn't anyone advise him from a historical point of view? Wheat was a crucial component of Roman life, and you would think someone qualified to write for a mass audience would first know his subject. Considering this is supposed to be "historical fiction", you would think this would be important.

Then there are lines like Pompey on pg128 "politics was a practical business", taken straight from the mouth of "Gracchus" in the film "Spartacus". Is this supposed to be like, an homage?

In his historical notes section on pg 593 he writes, "I have made 1 or 2 claims in the book that may annoy historians". This is a complete understatement. The entire series, and his other as well is a complete abomination to anyone who studies these subjects. Most notably, his portrayal of the main character "Caesar" is so off the mark I don't even know where to begin. The only real interesting characters are the ones he completely makes up, though he did a decent job on Servilia if you can get past the fact that Brutus in the book is his best friend and not his illegitimate son, or when he impersonates Caesar and wins victory at Alesia. Right.

If you appreciate reading books that mislead you and deny any valuable information, then we can probably agree that as a useless novel this book reads well and keeps the pages turning. Personally, I respect historical fiction that makes a quality effort to transport you into the world of the past, and leaves you with at least some decent impression of that world that is not glaringly false or misleading. Unfortunately I bought the whole series and must suffer another 500pgs with the last book to gain closure.

As the Emperor series starts winding down to its inevitable conclusion, this book makes for gripping reading. Although Julius Caesar spends an extraordinary amount of the book apart from the action in Rome, the book is rarely boring. Characters familiar from the first two books get fond farewells, and Caesar's destiny is hinted at for the first time. Even if the book, like the first two, isn't the most historically accurate account, I believe one can still enjoy the reading without focusing on what was changed.

This was an excellent read and continued in the great tradition of the series.I think it is really helpful to start with the first one to get a better feel for the relationship between Caesar and Marco. But after that, they really pull you in and I can't put them down!! Not "heavy" historical fiction but well written and a real easy read. Author seems to have done his research on Roman battle tactics and weapons.

Both the first and second installments of this series were exciting reads and I waited with much anticipation as to this third installment. Although I was not dissapointed, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Field of Swords, I did feel that the first two books were slightly better thus deserving of my 5 star rating previously. That said, I found it difficult to put down and frequently found myself re-reading sections just to enjoy the visualations painted by the author. Disregard all gobleygook from the history purists as there grumblings should be of no concern to the reader who wants to simiply enjoy the immersion into the lives of the ancient Romans. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE THERE. I hope the book is made into a Hollywood blockbuster but until then, I'm just going to wait for the final book four to come out. Bye the way, as a lark, I suggested to my 75 year old mother to read the books (knowing full well she hates history) and now she is hooked too! These are fun books to read whether you love history or not.

Overall when i was reading Field of Swords i was sucked deep into the life of Julius Caesar and the Tenth Legion. i haven't had the chance to read the first two books in the series since i just bought this in an airport with nothing better to do. that did not pose a problem however, as ample introductions and references were made so that any lack of knowledge was made up for very well and kept the story moving anyways.
The fighting scenes and blatant reference to love scenes make this book a little too graphic for those under 13, but even so the book is an incrredible and kept me entertained the whole way through. Even though some complain of historical accuracies, i personally find them to be irrelevant to such a well-written book and any discreptancies are explained thoroughly at the end, as well as some more accurate sources for the real history buffs. but any changes to the factual story are simply to carry on the story so as to not put to sleep those of us who aren't able to read through 600 pages of historical details.
the reason i did not give Field of Swords the full 5 stars is simply due to the fact that some of the parts seemed over-extended, and, while interesting nonetheless, tended to try my patience to get to the main story again

To really understand this book you must start from the beginning of the series, otherwise you can't get the effect of the brilliant story telling capabilities of Conn. In this book the Julius Ceasar is at his peak of military knowledge and it shows how the loyalty of his soldiers makes him great. Yet the seeds of his destruction are starting to be strewn as he starts overlooking those who have given everything for him since childhood even as they give more and more to him.