The First Man in Rome

Just like the Falco mysteries showed me that you could have fun with your historical detectives, this book showed me that there’s more drama in Ancient Roman history than in any daytime soap opera, and this novelisation of Marius and Sulla packs a lot more of an emotional punch than any textbook ever could. 

I don’t know enough about Marius and Sulla to say how much poetic license the author took, but this really does read as a seamless and in-depth exploration of the bloody power struggles between two very different but equally ambitious men in the time of the… show more.

I am fascinated by the city of Rome, its history, republic, empire, and fall. I have been an amateur archaeologist, an assistant to the curator of the Metropolitan Museum, and a lecturer in the city of Rome.

This book, author, and series is the best recreation of classical times, historical figures, and visualization of history I’ve ever read. The detail is authentic and scholarly, and even obscure ancillary characters come to life.

Highly influential in historical fiction, McCullough transcends the fictional category in resurrecting characters long dead and places now in ruins. Although separated by two thousand years, those who… show more.

Telling the story of Gaius Marius, whose remarkable career began the line of warlords who dominated the last century of the Republic, this novel is historical fiction of the highest order and is the opening book in McCullough’s Masters of Rome series which runs down to the years following Caesar’s murder. It is a big novel (as are the later books in the series) and McCullough is perhaps a little too sympathetic to ambitious military leaders like Marius and Caesar rather than to more introspective thinkers like Cicero. But her research is thorough, her writing is compelling, and she brings… show more.

Growing up, my hobby was reading historical novels. A great writer can transport the reader into different cultures, the past as well as the future. McCullough spent 13 years researching the background. Beginning with The First Man in Rome, she surveyed the history of the late Republic (from Sulla, Caesar, and Pompey) to the reign of Augustus (seven novels). Throughout, her descriptions of both private and political life highlight the integration of “religion and society.” Eliminating the dry, jargon-loaded scholarly debates of Classicists, her novels bring the ancient world to life. I learned more about ancient Roman religion from… show more.

Despite being one of the most famous novels set in ancient Rome, it stands up to its reputation. The depth of research and care Colleen expresses for the time period and her characters are unmatched. I must admit that I haven’t read the other books in the series, although I’m certain they’re just as impressive. I had to stop after reading The First Man in Rome because it was so good and so realistic, I was afraid I might take some fabrications as truth and implement them in my own books!

Though not strictly a historical mystery, The First Man in Rome, the first of the Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCullough, still belongs on this list.  

Most people have heard of Julius Caesar, but what of those that came before him, shaping Rome by conquest, politics, marriage contracts, and other more nefarious means? Meet the ambitious Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla. 

Rich in details and history, McCullough shapes a fascinating story incorporating the elements of Roman society, their gods, and the problems of the fast-growing empire. 

The vast majority of media about Rome concerns either Augustus or Julius Caesar. The few exceptions generally stay in the Julio-Claudian line. That’s about 70 years in what was arguably a 1600 year span. McCullough wisely sets this seminal work before the Empire, about 100 BCE. She is writing fiction but the verisimilitude she wields makes it feel like real history. The rivalry between Marius and Sulla drives the story recklessly forward. Given that Julius Caesar’s grandfather and father are in this book, you could consider this a Rogue One to HBO’s Rome.