Son of Rome

Augustus #1

by Richard Foreman

Richard Foreman, the author of the bestselling Raffles: The Gentleman Thief books, blends the political intrigue of Robert Harris' series of Cicero novels with the action and adventure of Simon Scarrow in this sweeping historical epic.

Augustus: Son of Rome tells the story of the assassination of Julius Caesar and the rise of his heir, Gaius Octavius, as he journeys to Rome from Apollonia. We see a boy grow into a man as Octavius develops the moral courage, intelligence and ruthlessness that will finally see him become Augustus, Emperor of Rome.

The pen and sword will be employed to defeat his enemies and Octavius will earn the name of "Caesar".

Yet Rome will exact its price - and triumph will be accompanied by tragedy.

Julius Caesar, Cicero, Cleopatra, Mark Antony, Brutus and Marcus Agrippa all feature in this epic adventure, which will appeal to fans of Shakespeare, Plutarch and Conn Iggulden alike.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Roman, Historical

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 11, 2012

About the author

Richard Foreman is the author of numerous best-selling Kindle books, including Augustus: Son of Rome and the Sword of Rome series of novellas which follow Julius Caesar and his centurion Lucius Oppius during their campaigns in Britain, Gaul and the Civil War. The stories are a blend of action, intrigue and Ancient History.

He is also the author of Warsaw, a literary novel set during the end of the Second World War, and the historical novel A Hero of Our Time, as well as the Raffles series of historical crime novellas.

His latest novel, Band of Brothers: The Game's Afoot, is a story is action, intrigue and historical insight set in medieval times.

He has worked as a literary consultant and publicist to a number of bestselling authors, including Tom Holland, Conn Iggulden and Simon Scarrow. He is now a publishing director at Endeavour Press, the UK's leading independent publisher of digital books, with his business partner Matthew Lynn.

He lives in London.

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this book, but it was a huge disappointment. The author has no sense of punctuation or grammar. The lack of comma usage was so awful that I had to reread certain sentences and try to figure out what the author was trying to write. It was a very tedious read. The book is titled Augustus, but throughout the story, he hasn't taken the name Augustus. I am familiar with this time period in history, and there were things (names of people) that had me confused. I can't imagine someone enjoying this book who has no idea who these characters are supposed to be. This book reads like a first draft. It's as if it never went through any editing process at all. I would definitely skip this one. I do not recommend this book at all.

[Glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought it was a very good and very interesting book. I don't know how much is actual historical fact and how much is literary license but the Romans were very good record keepers. In brief, it is the story of Octavius, later Augustus Caesar, in the period of the death of his adopted father Julius Caesar. I recommend it.

[Zabrynn Lander · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible with a capital T. Boring. Overwritten. Misogynistic. Read this book if you want to know how not to write.

[Lucy Conlon · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a few entertaining action sequences in this book, but the novel is far more concerned with character and historical accuracy. It is a credit to Foreman that he does justice to so many towering figures from the era. Caesar and Cicero are especially well done (with the author brilliantly capturing the latter's sense of humour and political machinations).
Although this novel stands on its own, I hope that it will be the first in a series.
I have also read a couple of this author's Raffles books too (which are different to this, but equally entertaining). A real find.

[Kara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have preferred if the narrative had been more straight forward. Instead, we get a LOT of flashbacks – and even flashbacks within flashbacks at some points, which gives the plot a one step forward, two steps back, feel to it.

Also, the story jumps around between characters so much it’s difficult to start to connect with any one character before the story zooms off to follow someone else. And the amount of times characters quote other people leaves little actual original dialogue, further undermining any ability to connect with these characters.

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julius Caesar wasn't killed until half way through the book but there were pages about nephew Octavius' teenage years. Octavius is witty, articulate,
charming, well educated, but he's not a 'military' man. After Julius dies the book focuses on Octavius' trip to Rome and his enemies who plot to
deny his inheritance.

[Johanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this but couldn't, Augustus is a fascinating charater but this book wastes an opportunity. Poorly edited, spelling, naming and continuity issues. Superficially it appears historically accurate but in reading it just became more apparent that it wasn't. I gave up at 55% (kindle!) as the glacial pace plus errors all combined to make me think life is too short!

[Mercedes Rochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers events surrounding and just after the murder of Julius Caesar. Interestingly, many of the other characters get as much attention as Augustus, giving us a well-rounded view of interactions between them. The plotters are indecisive at times, awkward at critical moments; their motives are pretty muddy. Mark Antony is clearly a villain in this book. Cicero tries to straddle both sides. Octavius is not what I would call a hero; he is still young and not wholly formed, of course. His wisdom and precocity are evident, as well as his lack of courage in battle and military incompetence. Luckily for him, he is surrounded by protectors, especially his best friend Marcus Agrippa—as loyal as he is heroic. Even though Octavius is Julius Caesar’s heir, it seems that his rise to power is not guaranteed:

Oppius gazed at the steely-eyed youth. Thunder rumbled ahead.
“No more will I wear this funeral toga. This son should avenge his father, not mourn him,” Octavius expressed, as much to himself as the centurion.
“I will not lie to you Gaius, this could well be a suicide mission that we’re on,” Oppius issued whilst placing a hand on the youth’s shoulder.
Octavius appreciated the centurion’s candour and, with a wry smile lining his features, replied, “Julius would’ve liked those odds.”

And indeed, trouble is on the horizon. There still remains to be a showdown between Marc Antony and Caesar’s murderers. Octavian experiences his fair share of unscrupulous attacks. The triumvirate is still far in the future, so we have a long way to go before he even becomes princeps. There are not really any surprises in this book, but it reads very well and gives us a firm foundation for the series.

[Andrew Puckett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Augustus has always come across as a cold fish in other books or TV dramatisations I've read or seen. Here, he is presented as "reserved", and the novel delves into the reasons for his reservation. It starts a little slowly, but then builds to a fine climax by the end. Slow or not in the beginning, it's absorbing all the way through, and the depiction of Rome and the land and townships surrounding it are convincing, as are all the characters. Cicero is particularly well drawn. A good read.

[Nicholas Finch · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to finish this, because it started really slowly and was a bit of a slog, but I'm very happy that I stuck with it, because it gathered pace and crashed through to a galloping conclusion that has me eager for the next book in the story.

Richard Foreman paints an interesting look at the life of young Augustus and his friendship with Agrippa. I'm fascinated by it.

Don't give up on this book, it's well worth finishing.

[Michael Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable swords and sandals adventure, with vivid but succinct descriptions of 1st-century BC Rome and some of its most famous denizens. A good start to the series, setting up a good range of characters that you really get behind. Mostly well written littered with odd phrases and awkward sentences. The historical note at the end was highly dissatisfactory, glib, terse and crude.

[Sarah Tummey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been learning recently about what occurred between the Old and New Testaments, so this book grabbed my attention. I'm glad I bought it, as it brings Julius Caesar and his contemporaries to life. The author seemed to get the balance between description and dialog just right and I was never bored.

[J.D. Schechter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

The story is good. The writing is bloated, ponderous, pretentious and often reads like a bad translation from an obscure language

[Sean Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Foreman writes and reads very well.Enjoyable.

[Chris Page · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok so I'm not finished, I gave up, there are other books waiting to be read and 20 pages of waffle just, I can't be bothered.

[Dr.Hasan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think Octavian was well developed. He seemed bland.

[Brian Seare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story about the start of a youth who was to become probably one of the best of the Roman emperors.

[Megan Cutler · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author's work might have a wonderful flow if he had any concept of how to use a comma. Instead sentences run together in one giant, confusing blur. Commas appear only when the author hasn't been able to decide which word completes a sentence, so he has simply used both. Every word in the novel seems to have been put through a thesaurus grinder, resulting in such gems as a 'corrugated brow.' No one has faces, but rather aspects. And no one speaks but rather 'issues' or 'proclaims.'

I can't make any claims as to the historical accuracy of the novel (it's not my area of expertise) but Rome is a time period in which I'm very much interested. Yet I have never seen such a colourful time period portrayed in such drab shades of grey. Every character is introduced along with a detailed account of their life history to that point. Many of these characters serve little or no purpose in the plot at large. The first half of the book is dedicated to a series of introspective flashbacks, while the second half is littered with personal correspondence.

I've always felt the third person omniscient view point requires a certain finesse this novel definitely lacks. The author jumps from one head to another so quickly it's difficult to keep track of the narrator. Multiple characters even narrate the flashbacks of others. To top it all off, the novel's few female characters are nauseatingly one-dimensional.

I hate to write an entirely negative review, but my disappointment with this novel pursued me from cover to cover. After Caesar's death, at the mid point of the novel, the story seems to be building toward a three-way clash between Brutus, Antony, Octavius and their various supporters. However, the novel ends before the confrontation could take place. I thought, perhaps, the novel was the first in a series, but there seems to be no squeal, leaving no excuse for the letdown.

[Lawrence Forns · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at the formative years of Octavius, adopted nephew of Julius Caesar, Augustus: Son of Rome was a wonderful read. The story gives the reader a different perspective and perhaps a deeper understanding of where and how the upbringing and events surrounding his childhood worked together to form the man who became Augustus Caesar.
There was much in this that I loved, including the obviously pains-taking research which has gone into showing the reader the Roman Empire in this time period and the rich characterization by the author. Having studied some in the period, I was pleased and taken with the incorporation of the Empire as almost a background character within the novel.
I am unsure how much of the main storyline is completely from the author and how much was actually documented historical structure, but was happy to take this journey with Mr. Foreman.
If I had to come up with some piece of constructive criticism, it would be that at times the story itself suffers due to issues with grammar and editing. I became lost in the verbage a few times along the way and had to stop, go back, and reread in order to grasp understanding of where the story wanted to take me.

** I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads **

[Bert Ricci · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good and The history was good, the poetic license was waved too freely at times. Some pieces were obvious homages, such as a reference to "Gordianus the Finder". Some things reminded me to check if the part was real history or just the earlier fiction work I recognized it from. There were a number of weak factors but the treatment of Julius Caesar and Octavius is basically what the source histories give us. It was nice seeing the young Octavius being treated fairly. Caesar was shown as Caesarians might have seen him, and as a human being. I truly enjoyed them being treated as people and not archetypes for some present day politico spiel. The book could have been better polished, but it was a 95% good read. The sex parts, I kept trying to figure out what the author's reason was for putting them in, sometimes I figured it out.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't the edition that lots of people complained about due to run-on sentences; only a few homonym errors (wretched/retched, principle/principal), and punctuation differences that I ascribe to being British rather than American. Biggest issue was the Roman names, so we can't be sure which Marcus is meant sometimes. Having a cast of characters with full names at the beginning of the book would have been very helpful. Other people's complaints about flashbacks, Shakespeare quotes, and lengthy letters that you have to skip to the end to see who's writing, are quite valid in my opinion. Without having seen the movie Cleopatra recently, sitting through the entire series "I, Claudius", and playing the table game "Republic of Rome" in the past, I would have had an even tougher time with keeping up with the setting due to a lack of embedded definitions for things like a triclinium.

[Lyndsay Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's about halfway through this book that you realise that you are reading something very special, in the way the author succeeds in his brief of to educate and entertain.
There are fight sequences but I was far more gripped by the conflict between and within characters. Aside from perhaps Marcus Aggripa, no one is wholly perfect in this novel. Foreman portrays the flaws in people and politics extremely well. There are lots of great quotable lines of dialogue and one can't help but be carried along by the author's wit and enthusiasm.
There is a love scene and odd bit of violence, but otherwise book is suitable introduction for teenagers to Roman history and literature.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short novel of Octavius before he came to power after Julius Caesar's murder. Interesting in that I have not read a book sympathetic to Octavius. In past novels I've read, Octavius, called "Octavian" was the "villian" -- enemy of Marc Antony and Cleopatra. Unfortunately, this book fails to convince me of Octavius's qualifications to become a Roman leader and doesn't describe events past the point where Octavius first enters Rome to claim his inheritance.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I was only able to read 30% of the book. I skipped a few pages early on and had to do it again. This was entirely too racy for me. I know how things work and I don't need or want the detail that this book gave. I don't read porn!

I was enjoying the story, too bad I can't finish it. Another note, I was able to make good use of my Kindle dictionary.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Augustus: Son of Rome is the first Sword and Sandals novel I've read (although I did enjoy Asterix comics in my younger days). It wasn't perfect - names switching too often nearly put me off - but the strong storytelling had me wanting to read more. I was glad I persevered, as it turned out to be an enthralling tale of Caesar's heir and his journey to Rome.

[Ronna Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and informative

The story of Augustus in his youth is an entertaining read. The friendship between Augustus and Agrippa is told in an effort to be the central theme. The author is informative about the time and events.

[David Gott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only fair, not anything great

[Vernon Keszler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical novel. Covers the murder of Julius Caesar (Ides of March) and the beginning of the transfer of power to his nephew Augustus.

[rzells · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring.

[Kim]

Hated this. The history was wrong, and too many quotes from Shakespeare. I was really disappointed.