What do you think?
Rate this book
La caída de Roma
Una vivaz y espectacular recreación del declive del más poderoso imperio de todos los tiempos.
Ya en sus postrimerías, el Imperio romano está en manos de los bárbaros. El propio Atila, debilitado por las escisiones de sus aliados, muere, y el ambicioso Orestes saquea su tumba y acusa de la profanación a sus rivales políticos, los hermanos Omulf y Odoacer. A partir de ahí se sucederán las luchas entre clanes y líderes militares dentro de las propias legiones romanas, hasta culminar en la caída del principal símbolo del poder imperial: la ciudad de Roma.
Ya en sus postrimerías, el Imperio romano está en manos de los bárbaros. El propio Atila, debilitado por las escisiones de sus aliados, muere, y el ambicioso Orestes saquea su tumba y acusa de la profanación a sus rivales políticos, los hermanos Omulf y Odoacer. A partir de ahí se sucederán las luchas entre clanes y líderes militares dentro de las propias legiones romanas, hasta culminar en la caída del principal símbolo del poder imperial: la ciudad de Roma.
408 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2007
27 people are currently reading
416 people want to read
About the author
Michael Curtis Ford
10 books144 followersMichael Curtis Ford is an American historical novelist, writing novels about Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. He has worked variously as a laborer, a ski patrolman, a musician, a consultant, a banker, a Latin teacher, and a translator. He holds degrees in Economics and Linguistics and lives in Oregon, where he and his wife homeschool their three children. He has also written numerous articles on ancient military themes.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
October 17, 2016
-Una más.-
Género. Novela histórica.
Lo que nos cuenta. La muerte de Atila es un respiro para las fronteras del Imperio Romano de Occidente a mediados del siglo V, una sombra del que antaño fue. Entre los caudillos del ejército huno, de diferentes etnias y tribus, no todos tienen las mismas ideas de futuro e incluso uno de ellos, Orestes, saquea la tumba de Atila y usa las riquezas para comprar un puesto para él y sus familiares directos dentro de las fronteras de Roma. Odoacro, un huno, jura venganza.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Novela histórica.
Lo que nos cuenta. La muerte de Atila es un respiro para las fronteras del Imperio Romano de Occidente a mediados del siglo V, una sombra del que antaño fue. Entre los caudillos del ejército huno, de diferentes etnias y tribus, no todos tienen las mismas ideas de futuro e incluso uno de ellos, Orestes, saquea la tumba de Atila y usa las riquezas para comprar un puesto para él y sus familiares directos dentro de las fronteras de Roma. Odoacro, un huno, jura venganza.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
July 30, 2011
2 stars. I was not very impressed when there seems to be so much to work with at that time in history. Attila has just choked to death after a drunken fest and his subordinates and offspring are left to bury him while plotting to seize power. The book goes on to cover several decades as various characters move about the Roman empire or the periphery of that empire. The key figures are real but this book simply places them in a different location every few years for a brief episode. Nothing to fill in the years between and no sense of what they did to survive or succeed. I was so disappointed after seeing Ford compared to Steven Pressfield. Pressfield’s Gates of Fire brought the past to life, but this book is less satisfying than a bland history tome of the same period. I thought historical fiction would give wide latitude to fill in the blanks but Mr Ford did not oblige much.
July 1, 2020
Fantastic work. Reads a lot like a Colleen McCullough book
March 4, 2013
Very good battle descriptions: end of Western Roman Empire: Odoacer/Orestes/Romulus Augustulus.
September 7, 2017
I took two classes on Roman history in college, which I enjoyed but that's my only memory. Although I do have a pretty firm grasp on the whole Julius Caesar tragedy / Anthony & Cleopatra relationship (thanks to multiple Shakespeare classes & related movies). I had no previous knowledge of Michael Curtis Ford, but I recently started reading Bernard Cornwell's Last Kingdom series, so I thought I would give Ford a go too.
And he provides an interesting story. You primarily follow the adventures of the Hun Odoacer, as well as his brother Onulf, as they run from the wrath of Atilla's generals after that mighty leader dies. You also see their enemy Orestes (unfortunate so many key characters have a name starting with "o") rise to power in the Roman empire in spite of his Germanic roots. And you watch as the Roman empire becomes increasingly corrupt and weak - with a preordained fate.
What you don't see are any significant women. Ford lists a cast of characters in the front of the book, and I should have noticed the dearth of women in the list. There's the occasional slave girl, but you just don't get much relationship building there. In fact, there's minimal relationship building in the book - largely established familial relationships or your basic revenge - with the exception of Odoacer and the holy man, Severinus - which gives us the only real character building in the story. The majority of the 350 pages is taken up with campaigns and battles - probably an accurate summary of the life of the average man in this time period.
So if you enjoy descriptions of battles involving swords and sandals, this is your book. It's well written, imaginative, and has a good narrative. After reading this, I think I was hoping for something a little more on the "I Claudius" line, with more dialogue, more relationships and a little less battle.
And he provides an interesting story. You primarily follow the adventures of the Hun Odoacer, as well as his brother Onulf, as they run from the wrath of Atilla's generals after that mighty leader dies. You also see their enemy Orestes (unfortunate so many key characters have a name starting with "o") rise to power in the Roman empire in spite of his Germanic roots. And you watch as the Roman empire becomes increasingly corrupt and weak - with a preordained fate.
What you don't see are any significant women. Ford lists a cast of characters in the front of the book, and I should have noticed the dearth of women in the list. There's the occasional slave girl, but you just don't get much relationship building there. In fact, there's minimal relationship building in the book - largely established familial relationships or your basic revenge - with the exception of Odoacer and the holy man, Severinus - which gives us the only real character building in the story. The majority of the 350 pages is taken up with campaigns and battles - probably an accurate summary of the life of the average man in this time period.
So if you enjoy descriptions of battles involving swords and sandals, this is your book. It's well written, imaginative, and has a good narrative. After reading this, I think I was hoping for something a little more on the "I Claudius" line, with more dialogue, more relationships and a little less battle.
September 30, 2023
After finishing the first trilogy of Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall, I wanted to go back and read this book that I first (and last) read in 2007, fresh off finishing Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series. When I read it that first time I had no idea what was going on and thought that Odoacer was a character the author made up to take is through major events so I was extremely surprised to see him end up as .
This time through I'm much more familiar with the end of the Western Empire and this is a totally serviceable historical fiction book (though I'm not sure there's a single living named female character in the book).
This time through I'm much more familiar with the end of the Western Empire and this is a totally serviceable historical fiction book (though I'm not sure there's a single living named female character in the book).
July 8, 2023
Michael Curtis Ford's creation can be defined from my point of view as a fun history book.
It is a firm belief of mine that I learnt many informations about that period and the events presented and I am grateful that it was historically accurate and enjoyable. Although, I must admit that sometimes I felt the timeskips annoying (even though it's understandable considering the time period covered in the book). I felt that this was the reason why we couldn't learn much about the character's inner world and relationships except Odoacer's thirst for revenge.
All in all, it was a fun read and I recommend it for everyone who likes history (for the other folks it would be boring af)
P.S. I'm still wondering about what happened to Ricimer's wife :(
It is a firm belief of mine that I learnt many informations about that period and the events presented and I am grateful that it was historically accurate and enjoyable. Although, I must admit that sometimes I felt the timeskips annoying (even though it's understandable considering the time period covered in the book). I felt that this was the reason why we couldn't learn much about the character's inner world and relationships except Odoacer's thirst for revenge.
All in all, it was a fun read and I recommend it for everyone who likes history (for the other folks it would be boring af)
P.S. I'm still wondering about what happened to Ricimer's wife :(
July 7, 2019
A good, exciting read about the invasions of Rome in the 5th century, following the death of Attila, when the Vandals occupied the Mediterranean, and Anthemius was the western Roman emperor.
January 18, 2021
Good top down novel
A good novel looking at top down history of the fall of Rome. It was very interesting how the characters came together.
A good novel looking at top down history of the fall of Rome. It was very interesting how the characters came together.
June 6, 2023
Good writing, bad story structure.
October 17, 2025
Entretenido aunque, acostumbrada a la pluma del maestro Posteguillo, no ha cumplido mis expectativas.
August 31, 2019
2.5
Cómo me costó terminar este libro. Aunque la sinopsis lo diga, a mí no me pareció ni tan espectacular ni tan vivaz. Me siento hasta un poco estafada. He leído muchos libros con contexto histórico y muchos donde hay batallas, y a éste no lo sentí bien logrado. No logré mantenerme interesada, a pesar de que el argumento y el título prometían mucho.
Empieza interesante con la muerte de Atila, pero luego va perdiendo fuerza y dinamismo y sólo se recupera un poco sobre el final, cuando ya es tarde.
El libro está dividido en tres partes y la primera se lee muy rápidamente y es atrapante. Las otras dos partes no. Si bien sobre el final de la tercera mejora un poco, no es suficiente para repuntar el aburrimiento que me generó en el medio durante páginas y páginas.
Como curiosidad, los párrafos son muy largos. Hay una cantidad enorme de comas, lo que produce frases de cerca de diez renglones de largo que parece que nunca van a terminar.
Mi primer problema fue identificar los nombres. Odoacro, Onulf y Orestes se me mezclaron continuamente y me costó muchas páginas finalmente identificar a cada uno y a qué bando pertenecían. Sé que fueron personas reales y ésta es una ficción basada en una investigación hecha por el autor, pero aún así creo que no manejó la aparición de los personajes todo lo bien que hubiera hecho falta para guiar a quienes no conocemos más que lo básico de la historia del imperio romano.
Mi segundo problema fue imaginar a los personajes. Pocas veces hay descripciones, y para colmo los protagonistas son el resultado de la mezcla de varias razas -cosa que nos enteramos bastante avanzado el libro- así que las características físicas que uno puede pensar que tenían, de repente son completamente diferentes.
Además, cosa extraña, los protagonistas no se sienten realmente como protagonistas. Se los ve bastante poco y uno no llega a sentir algo por ellos más que indiferencia. Es como ver un juego de estrategia desde afuera.
En vez de profundizar en hechos importantes se extiende durante páginas y páginas con algunas batallas esporádicas que narra con lujo de detalles. Los diálogos son breves, escasos y muchas veces con poca importancia. Son lo mejor del libro por lejos, éstas partes se leen muy rápido, el resto no.
Cada vez que se pone interesante nos avisa que pasaron unos cinco años. Saltea lustros como si fueran horas y luego los resume de forma rápida, bastante aburrida y por momentos hasta confusa. Por ésto muchas veces nos encontramos cambios que se mencionan al pasar como si ya los hubiéramos visto ocurrir, pero no.
Varias veces me sentí tentada de saltear algunas partes (lo que para mi roza el pecado) ya que por momentos parece un ensayo muy poco dinámico o un libro de historia camuflado como novela.
Ni siquiera hay un mínimo de misterio porque ya sabemos que Roma va a caer, y el proceso de ver como ocurre debería ser mucho más interesante y ameno de lo que es. Pensé que iba a ver la caída del imperio en una narración llega de intriga, estrategia y traición, pero se vio como un conjunto de batallas demasiado detalladas y alguna que otra traición, principalmente desde fuera del imperio.
Reseña de Libros junto al mar
Cómo me costó terminar este libro. Aunque la sinopsis lo diga, a mí no me pareció ni tan espectacular ni tan vivaz. Me siento hasta un poco estafada. He leído muchos libros con contexto histórico y muchos donde hay batallas, y a éste no lo sentí bien logrado. No logré mantenerme interesada, a pesar de que el argumento y el título prometían mucho.
Empieza interesante con la muerte de Atila, pero luego va perdiendo fuerza y dinamismo y sólo se recupera un poco sobre el final, cuando ya es tarde.
El libro está dividido en tres partes y la primera se lee muy rápidamente y es atrapante. Las otras dos partes no. Si bien sobre el final de la tercera mejora un poco, no es suficiente para repuntar el aburrimiento que me generó en el medio durante páginas y páginas.
Como curiosidad, los párrafos son muy largos. Hay una cantidad enorme de comas, lo que produce frases de cerca de diez renglones de largo que parece que nunca van a terminar.
Mi primer problema fue identificar los nombres. Odoacro, Onulf y Orestes se me mezclaron continuamente y me costó muchas páginas finalmente identificar a cada uno y a qué bando pertenecían. Sé que fueron personas reales y ésta es una ficción basada en una investigación hecha por el autor, pero aún así creo que no manejó la aparición de los personajes todo lo bien que hubiera hecho falta para guiar a quienes no conocemos más que lo básico de la historia del imperio romano.
Mi segundo problema fue imaginar a los personajes. Pocas veces hay descripciones, y para colmo los protagonistas son el resultado de la mezcla de varias razas -cosa que nos enteramos bastante avanzado el libro- así que las características físicas que uno puede pensar que tenían, de repente son completamente diferentes.
Además, cosa extraña, los protagonistas no se sienten realmente como protagonistas. Se los ve bastante poco y uno no llega a sentir algo por ellos más que indiferencia. Es como ver un juego de estrategia desde afuera.
En vez de profundizar en hechos importantes se extiende durante páginas y páginas con algunas batallas esporádicas que narra con lujo de detalles. Los diálogos son breves, escasos y muchas veces con poca importancia. Son lo mejor del libro por lejos, éstas partes se leen muy rápido, el resto no.
Cada vez que se pone interesante nos avisa que pasaron unos cinco años. Saltea lustros como si fueran horas y luego los resume de forma rápida, bastante aburrida y por momentos hasta confusa. Por ésto muchas veces nos encontramos cambios que se mencionan al pasar como si ya los hubiéramos visto ocurrir, pero no.
Varias veces me sentí tentada de saltear algunas partes (lo que para mi roza el pecado) ya que por momentos parece un ensayo muy poco dinámico o un libro de historia camuflado como novela.
Ni siquiera hay un mínimo de misterio porque ya sabemos que Roma va a caer, y el proceso de ver como ocurre debería ser mucho más interesante y ameno de lo que es. Pensé que iba a ver la caída del imperio en una narración llega de intriga, estrategia y traición, pero se vio como un conjunto de batallas demasiado detalladas y alguna que otra traición, principalmente desde fuera del imperio.
Reseña de Libros junto al mar
June 22, 2012
Solid and entertaining with good battle sequences
Published by Thomas Dunne books in 2007
While not as strong as Stephen Pressfield in Gates of Fire , Michael Curtis Ford makes a strong contribution to the burgeoning collection of historical fiction books set in ancient times.
In this case, we follow Odoacer (433-493 A.D.), a real-life German/Hun who variously fights against and fights for the Roman Empire in its last days. The fight sequences are strong and with the exception of a couple of slow spots early on, this book hums right along. If readers are unaware of Odoacer's true place in history they may want to delay researching him until they have finished the book in order to avoid spoilers.
Part of Ford's style is to narrate without necessarily telling you the year or how much time has passed. From time to time he gives dates but oftentimes you have to guess how many weeks/months/years have passed. This is annoying at best and sometimes confusing for several pages.
This book is not an overall sweeping epic that covers all aspects of the fall of Rome...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/...
Published by Thomas Dunne books in 2007
While not as strong as Stephen Pressfield in Gates of Fire , Michael Curtis Ford makes a strong contribution to the burgeoning collection of historical fiction books set in ancient times.
In this case, we follow Odoacer (433-493 A.D.), a real-life German/Hun who variously fights against and fights for the Roman Empire in its last days. The fight sequences are strong and with the exception of a couple of slow spots early on, this book hums right along. If readers are unaware of Odoacer's true place in history they may want to delay researching him until they have finished the book in order to avoid spoilers.
Part of Ford's style is to narrate without necessarily telling you the year or how much time has passed. From time to time he gives dates but oftentimes you have to guess how many weeks/months/years have passed. This is annoying at best and sometimes confusing for several pages.
This book is not an overall sweeping epic that covers all aspects of the fall of Rome...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2012/...
March 21, 2012
Michael Curtis Ford did a great job on this book and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is into reading about the Roman Empire.
What I really liked about this book is that it was written from the perspective of the "barbarian" who caused the demise of the Empire. Perhaps because I never paid any attention in class I always envisioned the barbarians as a nearly sub-human race barely clad in animal skins who overthrew the noble Romans. It is well known that the Empire was rotten to the core and that this corruption was a leading factor in its fall, but the myth of the barbarian hordes was in reality the Roman Legions (made up mostly non-Romans, hence the barbarian label) posted to the border regions who rose up in defiance of the corruption. Their goals were not chaotic in nature but to restore some of the ideals that the Empire had been founded on; that the Dark Ages ensued as a result was not due to the fall of the Empire but the fight for power nearly a peaceful generation later.
The beautiful thing about historical fiction is that not only does it entertain, but teaches (or corrects misconceptions) the reader in the process and MCF does it extremely well.
What I really liked about this book is that it was written from the perspective of the "barbarian" who caused the demise of the Empire. Perhaps because I never paid any attention in class I always envisioned the barbarians as a nearly sub-human race barely clad in animal skins who overthrew the noble Romans. It is well known that the Empire was rotten to the core and that this corruption was a leading factor in its fall, but the myth of the barbarian hordes was in reality the Roman Legions (made up mostly non-Romans, hence the barbarian label) posted to the border regions who rose up in defiance of the corruption. Their goals were not chaotic in nature but to restore some of the ideals that the Empire had been founded on; that the Dark Ages ensued as a result was not due to the fall of the Empire but the fight for power nearly a peaceful generation later.
The beautiful thing about historical fiction is that not only does it entertain, but teaches (or corrects misconceptions) the reader in the process and MCF does it extremely well.
December 15, 2008
This was pretty decent historical fiction, covering the years from the death of Attilla the Hun to the fall of the last emperor of the old Roman Empire and rise of the first "King of Italia." Probably the most noteworthy thing were the several battles, each one being unique and the author doing a pretty good job of building the tension to the resolution. Overall was worth reading, if only because this is a period of time I know next to nothing about. It was very interesting to realize that by this time, the Roman Empire wasn't really Roman any more. The empire was of course officially Christian by this point, overshadowed by the more powerful Eastern empire. It was essentially controlled by Germanic and eastern peoples, first conquered by Rome and then assimilated, marginalizing the role of true Italians in the empire and leaving the emperor a puppet of the Pope, of the easterners, of the barbarians, or some combination of the three.
December 14, 2016
Boring. Lots of great historical detail but no character development at all. No relationships, no intrigue, just battle after battle. Abandoned it.
May 26, 2012
A story about treason, betrayal and vengeance.
It is divided in three sections.
I think the first part is very interesting and I felt drawn by it immediately.
The second part goes by slowly and there is so many descriptions of the battles (for my taste), at one point I dropped it and thought I'd never be able to finish it. Boring.
Lucky for me I decided to continue, because the third part was utterly dynamic and had a great end. (perhaps predictable but great anyway)
If I could, I would give it 3.75 stars but I guess that's a little difficult so 4 it is.
It is divided in three sections.
I think the first part is very interesting and I felt drawn by it immediately.
The second part goes by slowly and there is so many descriptions of the battles (for my taste), at one point I dropped it and thought I'd never be able to finish it. Boring.
Lucky for me I decided to continue, because the third part was utterly dynamic and had a great end. (perhaps predictable but great anyway)
If I could, I would give it 3.75 stars but I guess that's a little difficult so 4 it is.
March 24, 2015
This story of the last 25 or so years of the western roman empire and the battles fought, is historical fiction. I liked the book; was interested in the subject. I especially liked the last few chapters; could not put down. I was a little antsy in the beginning few chapters to get to end. Reading about remote battles not seemingly related to the fall of Rome near the beginning seemed off subject till it later all came together. Thought maybe the author could have started the story near the end, then digressed back like his Sword of Attila book.
February 7, 2009
When I look at the title of the book & continue to remind myself, that this book was about the fall of Rome... well, then, I can kinda cut the book some slack.
It just wasn't the book for me. I wanted more character development & a more continuous story line. (It would continue for a short while, then there would be a gap of 3-4 years, before the characters would show up somewhere else in their lives.)
It just wasn't the book for me. I wanted more character development & a more continuous story line. (It would continue for a short while, then there would be a gap of 3-4 years, before the characters would show up somewhere else in their lives.)
December 16, 2008
I discovered that Rome, towards the end, was a melting pot. The barbarians that overthrew the regime were all part of the Roman world, albeit malcontents. It is said that history repeats itself. Is this the future for the current world empire? It was pretty cool to learn more about Attila the Hun - speaking of which I better add that book to my list of to-reads.
December 31, 2008
Nice to get some historical fiction that captures an era of Roman history isn't the fall of the Republic. It is based on sound historical fact and gives you a good view of the state of the very late Empire and some of the causes that lead to its ultimate fall.
March 6, 2011
I enjoyed this walk back into the invasions of Rome. The characters and story made it come alive. The feelings between the Romans and invaders were well written. Looking for another of his books to read next.
July 3, 2014
An interesting take on the end of the Eastern Roman Empire. I feel that the author could have expanded some of the stories a bit more. The book is short for such a weighty subject. But an enjoyable read nonetheless.
April 4, 2008
Nice little introduction to an era I didn't know much about. Well, if you can consider a fictional book an intro to history anyway. One of Ford's better works.
June 6, 2009
Starting out a little rough - the pace is slow with a complicated set of relationships between the forces of germania, the huns, etc. Didn't get any better. Put it down after 100 or so pages
May 14, 2009
Not the greatest historical fiction I've read, certainly not on the level of Pressfield or "The Killer Angels". Was an ok page turner for the bus, but not the level of detail I like.
October 6, 2009
Great read, kept me interested from start to finish
January 28, 2010
Not deep, but a terrific introduction to late Roman Empire. It's got adventure, drama, and a strong sense of 'place'
April 4, 2010
It was slow at the beginning. I found a few historical and statistical errors. It got better at the end.
May 31, 2010
historical fiction that both drew me in and helped me understand a bit about the era... I'll definitely be looking for other of his books :)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews