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.'Sometimes it is foolish to articulate an ambition too early - exposing it prematurely to the laughter and scepticism of the world can destroy it before it is even properly born. But sometimes the opposite occurs,and the very act of mentioning a thing makes it suddenly seem possible,even plausible. That was how it was that night. When Cicero pronounced the word "consul" he planted it in the ground like a standard for us all to admire. And for a moment we glimpsed the brilliant,starry future through his eyes,and saw that he was right: that if he took down Verres,he had a chance; that he might - just - with luck - go all the way to the summit...'
Publisher: CornerstoneISBN: 9781784756147Number of pages: 512Weight: 352 gDimensions: 198 x 129 x 32 mm
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Praise for Pompeii:"Blazingly exciting... Harris,as Vesuvius explodes,gives full vent to his genius for thrilling narrative... suffocating suspense and searing action."-Sunday Times"As explosive as Etna,as addictive as a thriller,as satisfying as great history."-Daily Telegraph
Robert Harris
A heavyweight of historical fiction with a knack for creating page-turning political thrillers with literary credence,Robert Harris is best known for the'what if'masterpiece Fatherland and his Cicero series as well as the controversial Blairite-era roman à clef,The Ghost.
Visit the Robert Harris author page
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