The Ides of March [Paperback]

Valerio Massimo Manfredi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2009

This is a gripping tale of ancient Rome from the bestselling author of the astoundingly successful "Alexander" trilogy. March, 44 BC. Rome, in all her glory, has expanded her territories beyond the wildest dreams of her citizens, led by Caius Julius Caesar - Pontifex Maximus, dictator perpetuo, invincible military leader and only fifty-six years old. He is a man in command of his destiny, who wields enormous power throughout the vast empire. However his god-given mission - to end the blood-splattered fratricidal wars, reconcile implacably hostile factions and preserve Roman civilization and world order - is teetering dangerously close to collapse...His power is draining away. None of his supporters can stop the inexorably evolving plot against him and prophecy will explode into truth on the Ides of March and the world will change forever. This is political thriller laced through with all the intrigue and action surrounding one of the most crucial turning points in the history of western civilization.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Authors such as Steven Saylor and John Maddox Roberts have successfully woven novels around the events preceding Julius Caesar's assassination in 44 B.C. by employing suspenseful, whodunit plot lines. By contrast, Manfredi (The Last Legion) simply retells a story familiar to anyone who's read Shakespeare's play. Given the universally known outcome, the insertion of a character, centurion Publius Sextius, who races to reach Rome in time to protect his friend, comes across as a misguided effort to create tension. The translation's anachronistic-sounding colloquial speech (What kills me is the waiting) will jar on some ears, while the focus on action rather than character will disappoint others. Those interested in a solid work of fiction that fleshes out the well-known characters would be better served by Thornton Wilder's far superior book with the same title. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Valerio Massimo Manfredi is professor of classical archaeology at Luigi Bocconi University in Milan. He has published nine works of fiction, including the 'Alexander' trilogy, which has been translated into 24 languages in 38 countries. He has written and hosted documentaries on the ancient world and has written screenplays for cinema and television.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Macmillan; Export ed edition (October 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0230737064
• ISBN-13: 978-0230737068
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A riveting novel of Roman politics and intrigue, highly recommended, October 7, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ides of March (Paperback)

The most powerful man in the world may be powerless to the fates. "The Ides of March" is a novel of famed ruler of the known world, Julius Caesar and the overwhelming challenges that lied before him. The corruption of the court wains his power, and it seems by the day, he grows weaker, unable to stop his ultimate fate as it was prophecy by a soothsayer. "The Ides of March" is a riveting novel of Roman politics and intrigue, highly recommended.

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Time and Ides wait for no man, May 10, 2010

By 

Leonard Fleisig "Len" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ides of March (Paperback)

Not even if that man is Julius Caesar.

It seems to me that there are two main hurdles a writer must overcome if one is going to write a piece of fiction on the assassination of Julius Caesar. First, he or she must create a plot that is sufficiently interesting that the reader will stay absorbed in the story even though they know the ending. Second, the characters, both real and fictional, must be drawn well and with historical accuracy.

Valerio Massimo Manfredi's "The Ides of March" succeeds as far as plotting concerns. The story focuses mainly on Caesar's attempts to confirm that there is, in fact, a plot to take his life and creates a parallel story line that tracks the actions of those loyal to Caesar and those of the conspirators. The plot works well and actually maintained my interest all the way through. It was a well-thought out plot and it develops nicely.

Where "The Ides of March" fails, and fails badly in my opinion is in it character development. Although the characters (both real and fictional) seem to be drawn with great accuracy in a historical sense they virtually all come across as wooden. It is no small feat to make Julius Caesar and the likes of Marcus Junius Brutus or Marcus Antonius seem stilted and one-dimensional but, perhaps because something is lost in the translation, they lack the sort of spark that would make you feel vested in the characters.

Recommendation: I'd say this book is worth taking a look at if you have a plane ride or need some light beach reading. The plot is interesting enough to keep you reading through to the end and Manfredi has clearly taken the time to create what appears to be an accurate picture of life in the time of the Caesar. It isn't great literature but you probably won't toss it away before you finish it. Basically, about 3 stars for the plot and 2 stars for the characters.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very readable sojourn into the weeks prior to the Ides of March, July 21, 2010

By 

Shane (Mukilteo, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ides of March (Paperback)

The Ides of March This book is much better than the two, 2 star reviews that were currently available at the time that I made this review. While the characters are not incredibly deep--as other reviewers have stated correctly--the story flows well, especially in the beginning. It does drag a bit in the middle, and I would offer a suggestion; read the book in a very short period of time. Why? Well, because due to the author's use of many fictional characters and very short mini-chapters in which he moves back and forth from Caesar to this character, then another, then another 2!, etc, it becomes very convoluted if you've put the book down for a few days and then jump back into it. I should have read it in only one day and not attempted to read it at night while I was also focused on reading Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy. At times I had to go to the back of the book and look up the characters, which the author has wisely identified with short synopsises on each. But overall, I enjoyed the book and find it a worthwhile read.