And, of course, Asterix & Obelix!If you're starting reading fictional Roman stuff, you always, always, have to start with Rosemary Sutcliffe's The Eagle of the Ninth... It's just the way it is I'm afraid
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Spoilers What Book Are You Reading?
- Thread starter Huntn
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
As the guy that recommended it to you without having read it, let me know if it's any good.
I shall do so, with pleasure.
The library system has also let me know that Ron Chernow's biography of Grant (General/President) is also on its way, for the system described it as currently "in transit".
However, whether it shall arrive before Christmas or not is still moot.
I just placed The Dead Are Rising: The Life of Malcolm X by Les Payne and Tamara Payne on hold at the library.
Right now I'm reading Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
Right now I'm reading Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov
Margaret MacMillan - The War That Ended Peace - How Europe Abandoned Peace For The First World War.
Starting the Wolf Hall Trilogy by Hilary Mantel. I enjoyed the PBS series, so hoping the books hold more detail and great writing, although I was a bit dismayed with the style in the first chapter.
Just finished The Kingdom by Joe Nesbø, it had a lot of twists and turns all the way to the end.
The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic (2017) by Mike Duncan.
Mr Duncan is not a professional historian, but a reader wouldn’t know it just by reading this book. As the owner of a popular podcast on Roman history, Duncan is able to make the fall of the Roman Republic interesting and alive. Although intended for a larger audience, the characters and the events described are quite complex, therefore it’s difficult to keep track of everything that is described, and it’s even more difficult to keep track of all the personalities. The book covers roughly the period from the first Punic war to the end of the Republic with Sulla (and Gaius Julius Caesar). Highly recommended.
Mr Duncan is not a professional historian, but a reader wouldn’t know it just by reading this book. As the owner of a popular podcast on Roman history, Duncan is able to make the fall of the Roman Republic interesting and alive. Although intended for a larger audience, the characters and the events described are quite complex, therefore it’s difficult to keep track of everything that is described, and it’s even more difficult to keep track of all the personalities. The book covers roughly the period from the first Punic war to the end of the Republic with Sulla (and Gaius Julius Caesar). Highly recommended.
The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic (2017) by Mike Duncan.
Mr Duncan is not a professional historian, but a reader wouldn’t know it just by reading this book. As the owner of a popular podcast on Roman history, Duncan is able to make the fall of the Roman Republic interesting and alive. Although intended for a larger audience, the characters and the events described are quite complex, therefore it’s difficult to keep track of everything that is described, and it’s even more difficult to keep track of all the personalities. The book covers roughly the period from the first Punic war to the end of the Republic with Sulla (and Gaius Julius Caesar). Highly recommended.
Sounds fascinating, and exactly the sort of book that I love to read.
How does it compare with Tom Holland's exceptionally good "Rubicon" and Mary Beard's excellent "SPQR - A History of Ancient Rome" which cover much of the same material, era and personalities?
Speaking of antiquity, my parents got me this for Christmas:
Promises to be a riveting read 😁I took three years of Classical Greek and one semester of New Testament Greek in college but it couldn't hurt to review. I'm more proficient in Latin than in Greek anyway.
Promises to be a riveting read 😁I took three years of Classical Greek and one semester of New Testament Greek in college but it couldn't hurt to review. I'm more proficient in Latin than in Greek anyway.
Last edited:
I think you would enjoy it. I think it complements very well Beard’s book as their approach is different. Beard’s covers several different themes and is less concerned about the chronological order. Duncan is more focused on the people and his work is almost entirely chronological. Both of them provide quite a vivid description of the Old Republic (granted that Beard’s book also covers some of the Empire), and both of them show how brutal Roman politics was. Honestly, I had no idea how brutal they were and for how long. I knew Rome was brutal, but I don’t think I ever connected the dots this well. All in all, the more I read about it the more I find it fascinating and interesting. I think you should read Duncan’s book.
As for Rubicon, it’s on the list of books I will read. I think the next book on Roman History will be either about Julius Caesar or the Punic Wars.
Last edited:
Thank you.
Thta looks fascinating.
I shall try to place a 'hold' on it, whenever libraries return to the land of the living.
The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic (2017) by Mike Duncan.
Mr Duncan is not a professional historian, but a reader wouldn’t know it just by reading this book. As the owner of a popular podcast on Roman history, Duncan is able to make the fall of the Roman Republic interesting and alive. Although intended for a larger audience, the characters and the events described are quite complex, therefore it’s difficult to keep track of everything that is described, and it’s even more difficult to keep track of all the personalities. The book covers roughly the period from the first Punic war to the end of the Republic with Sulla (and Gaius Julius Caesar). Highly recommended.
That looks really interesting, I’m going to download a sample to my Kindle.
Wow only $3.99 on iBooks?! Yoink. Thanks for posting!The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic (2017) by Mike Duncan.
Mr Duncan is not a professional historian, but a reader wouldn’t know it just by reading this book. As the owner of a popular podcast on Roman history, Duncan is able to make the fall of the Roman Republic interesting and alive. Although intended for a larger audience, the characters and the events described are quite complex, therefore it’s difficult to keep track of everything that is described, and it’s even more difficult to keep track of all the personalities. The book covers roughly the period from the first Punic war to the end of the Republic with Sulla (and Gaius Julius Caesar). Highly recommended.
I've checked in my local library; with the most recent restrictions (Covid related), as everything - more or less - is shut for a further while - I don't think that I can even place a "hold" on the book.
Rest assured, I shall keep an eagle eye out for when I can take suitable action such as placing a hold, when conditions permit me to do so.
You should check Duncan’s free podcast. It’s quite informative and fun!
Just finished 2 books this week:
- The Hollow ones (Del Toro & Hogan)
- El laberinto de los espíritus (Ruiz Zafón)