Agrippa - by Robert Harris (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From the #1 internationally bestselling author of Conclave and Dictator, a gripping tale of ancient Rome's descent into dictatorship

"Thrilling. . . . Agrippa is a swift-paced romp. . . . Politics may be 'a filthy business, ' as Agrippa observes, but in the hands of Mr. Harris, it is a drama of endless interest." --The Wall Street Journal

He was born feet first, a dangerous way to enter the world. His mother did not survive, and the nickname, Agrippa--mother killer--stuck. But the schoolyard taunting only served to harden his resolve and hone his predilection for aggression. In time, the name lost its sting and became instead a mark of his invincibility. It came to shape his destiny.

Agrippa was a mere commoner, a plebeian, his father a humble Stoic, but he earned the respect and fear of his peers. He defended a bullied young boy, Octavius, who turned out to be the nephew of Caesar himself, a chance encounter that would change the trajectory of his life. He eventually joined the ranks of the legionnaires and marched against their enemies. His prowess on the battlefield spoke for itself, and Caesar relied on him to protect his favored nephew. When Caesar was murdered in the Senate, Octavius inherited the empire in name only. To assume the mantle he would have to fight for it, and Agrippa, forever by his side, would be his closest advisor and the merciless agent of his military will.

As gripping and full of intrigue as his bestselling novel Conclave, Agrippa is Robert Harris's monumental return to the world of ancient Rome on the precipice of dictatorship, a novel for our times.

Review Quotes

NAMED A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK BY THE NEW YORK TIMES

"In his new novel, Harris employs that same propulsive prose and whip-smart dialogue to imagine what Agrippa's lost memoir might have revealed about his career as Rome's great survivor. . . . Agrippa offers a forensically accurate account of Roman politics in the Late Republic spliced with an imaginative portrait of one of the period's great, if flawed, heroes. The result is more than just a thrilling read; it is also a call to moral arms. Agrippa has multiple chances to resist Rome's slide toward political absolutism yet, for the sake of convenience, fails to act. Harris, who started his career as a political journalist, clearly wants us to consider whether, in our own dark times, we might be in danger of doing the same."
--The New York Times Book Review

"A persuasive portrait of a Rome exhausted by civil strife, and of the serpentine manoeuvrings of its rulers. Everyone is betraying everyone else, raising armies, marrying each other's children, forming and breaking alliances."
--The Guardian

"Although Agrippa was responsible for all kinds of slaughter and skulduggery, I found myself rooting for him. That is due in no small part to a delicious fictional twist Harris introduces at the centre of Agrippa's life. . . . The novel comes alive. You're transported into the period, the room and the intrigue. I gobbled up its nearly 400 pages in no time."
--Irish Independent

"A compelling mix of history and imagination. . . . Harris weaves a strong story that honors history and imagines vivid details. There are great naval battles, disastrous storms at sea, and the threat posed by Antony and Cleopatra. . . . And through it all, Rome descends into dictatorship."
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"This crisply written novel has manifest appeal for fans of Roman history, military history, political intrigue, and biographical fiction."
--Booklist

"Intimate, tense and rich with historical detail, Agrippa is perhaps the ultimate story of the power behind the throne, mapping Rome's dictatorial turn under Caesar Augustus in a clear-eyed and nuanced narrative. . . . Compelling. . . . The prose is rich and driving, the characters layered and memorable even outside of their historical context, and the lessons of Agrippa's story both apparent and thoroughly entertaining. This is vintage Harris, great for longtime fans and new readers alike."
--BookPage

About the Author

ROBERT HARRIS is the author of sixteen bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy--Imperium, Conspirata, and Dictator--Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Conclave, Munich, The Second Sleep, V2, Act of Oblivion, and Precipice. Several of his books have been adapted into films, including The Ghost and the Academy Award-winning Conclave. His work has been translated into forty languages and he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He lives in West Berkshire with his wife, Gill Hornby.