Empire

Product Description

In the international bestseller Roma" Steven Saylor told the story of the first thousand years of Rome by following the descendants of a single bloodline. Now in " Empire" Saylor charts the destinies of five more generations of the Pinarius family from the reign of the first emperor Augustus to the glorious height of Romes empire under Hadrian. Through the eyes of the Pinarii we witness the machinations of Tiberius the madness of Caligula the cruel escapades of Nero & the chaos of the Year of Four Emperors in 69 A.D. The deadly paranoia of Domitian is followed by the Golden Age of Trajan & Hadrianobut even the most enlightened emperors wield the power to inflict death & destruction on a whim. " Empire" is strewn with spectacular scenes including the Great Fire of 64 A.D. that ravaged the city Neros terrifying persecution of the Christians & the mind-blowing opening games of the Colosseum. But at the novels heart are the wrenching choices & seductive temptations faced by each new generation of the Pinarii. One unwittingly becomes the sexual plaything of the notorious Messalina. One enters into a clandestine affair with a Vestal virgin. One falls under the charismatic spell of Nero while another is drawn into the strange new cult of those who deny the gods & call themselves Christians. However diverse their destinies & desires all the Pinarii are united by one thing: the mysterious golden talisman called the fascinum handed down from a time before Rome existed. As it passes from generation to generation the fascinum seems to exercise a power not only over those who wear it but over the very fate of the empire. Praise for Steven Saylor: " Saylor expertly weaves the true history of Rome with the lives & loves of its fictional citizens". (" Daily Express"). " Saylors scholarship is breathtaking & his writing enthrals". (Ruth Rendell). " With the scalpel-like deftness of a Hollywood director Saylor puts his finger on the very essence of Roman history". (" Times Literary Supplement"). " Readers will find his work wonderfully (and gracefully) researched...this is entertainment of the first order". (" Washington Post")."