Conn Iggulden gives us the first book in a new trilogy and what a great series it promises to be - full of Roman intrigue and infighting starting with the dying Tiberius, progressing through the terror of Caligula to the gentle empire of Claudius, it traces the fall and rise of the fortunes of Julia Agripinna. I can't wait for the next instalment! 5*

Conn Iggulden gives us the first book in a new trilogy and what a great series it promises to be.
Full of Roman intrigue and infighting starting with the dying Tiberius, progressing through the terror of Caligula to the gentle empire of Claudius, it traces the fall and rise of the fortunes of Julia Agripinna.

I can't wait for the next instalment!


I would like to thank Penguin Michael Joseph Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Life was cheap in Roman times! The violence and brutality meted out mindlessly is horrific. Nevertheless, I was so excited to find that Conn Iggulden is writing another trilogy, this time on the life of Nero, as his books bring history to life more vividly for me than most.

This first book only takes us up to Nero’s (named Lucius) 10th year. He was born just a few months after the death of Tiberius, who was followed as princeps by Nero’s uncle, Caligula, and then by his great-uncle, Claudius. His mother, Agrippina, was ambitious for herself and her son and woe betide anyone who got in her way, whether they realised they were or not. This is a real page turner and if you don’t know your Roman history in detail, there are plenty of shocks and surprises along the way. Claudius’ invasion of Britain, told from both sides, is very well done.

4.5 not 5 stars for very minor reasons, including the too abrupt ending. I turned the page expecting more but I’ll just have to have patience and wait for Part 2!

Couldn’t put this book down and finished it in a few days. Agrippa was a fascinating character. Even the minor characters had personality. Very much looking forward to the next in the series.

Ancient Rome is a dangerous place to be! From the first to the final sentence, Conn Iggulden weaves the story of a number of important players together. This first book is really the story of Agrippina (but I imagine that as an title would not have mass market appeal) and the plotting, scheming and planning that she is involved in, sometimes as a pawn rather than master player. The result is an excellent book that nicely sets the scene for a series. I knew nothing of Nero, Claudius, Tiberius or Agrippina before reading this, but I’m intrigued and fully intend to educate myself going forward. With thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

From the first to the last page Conn Iggulden has me hooked as he always does! His writing has me lost in Ancient Rome from the word go and his attention to detail, his characterisation his research is second to none! Absolutely loved it and cannot wait for the sequel! I love that not only am I having the joy of reading his words but I am also being educated! And what a world it was then! Cruel, tyrannical and short lived! Tiberius has Returned from Capri to discover that Sejanus, the man he left in charge, has all but taken on the mantle of Emperor, even to having statues made in his own likeness! Sejanus is soon taught a lesson but then Tiberius himself is done away with and his son Caligula becomes Emperor. His sister Agrippina is married to a man she despises, a violent, savage man Gnaeus Ahenobarbus and together they have a son Lucius! Caligula loses his wife and son in childbirth and becomes even more deranged and sees his sister and his niece as a threat! Mother and son are sent into exile but not together! Life was certainly not easy in those days and Agrippina and her son are never quite the same! After the death of Caligula Claudius becomes Emperor and takes a shine to his niece and invites her to travel across the seas to invade Britannica! Lucius is with them and his fate as Nero awaits! I am already extremely impatient to read what happens next! Fabulous!

Nero
Having read Robert Graves I Claudius and Claudius the God years ago and watching I Claudius on TV in the 1970’s these characters were well known to me, even so this was an absolutely riveting book that re opened the history of Ancient Rome. Starting with the depraved Tiberius we follow the path that leads to the beginnings of Nero’s story.
Each character is well described and the added depth lends much to this story, the life of citizens of Rome from the poor to the rich and powerful has never in my opinion been told so well.
An immensely enjoyable book that was a page turning joy to read, the ability of this author to bring to life the cruelty and debauchery and hardships endured, and the scheming and evilness in some characters is jaw dropping. A brilliant and throughly enjoyable read.
My thanks to net galley and publisher for the opportunity to review this book honestly

Conn does it again, writes a damned good book i hasten to add, I have been a fan for years but would caveat that with I haven’t enjoyed all his books, it’s great to see him on good form with this book

What an absolute joy this book was to read. I am interested in Roman history, and was a big fan of I Claudius when young, so it was fabulous to read a novel featuring many of the Claudian family. So well written, I literally couldn't stop reading it. Fantastic characterisation, I wish I could read it for the first time again.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

I've read Conn Iguldden's books in the past and have always enjoyed ŕading them as he makes history come alive. I thoroughly enjoyed this one about Ancient Rome which is excellently written.

Really, this is not my usual fare but as a lover of I Claudius I was interested in another re-telling of the story.

Conn Iggulden has an incredible ability to drive a novel along! I was reading a couple of other novels and thought I'd just read a chapter to get a sense of the book. Twenty hours on and I've got to the end of an epic, largely based on fact story.

The excesses of some of the Roman Emperors are difficult to comprehend. Well that is until you remember the excesses that were taking place under Uday, Saddam Hussein and ISIS.

So there are three great things happening in this novel from a readers perspective

1. The cracking story telling of a relatively well known story given a freshness by concentrating on Agrippina the Younger,

2. A real sense of what it might have been to be alive then. Conn Iggulden is too clever a writer to err into the pornography of explicitly written violence, writing just enough to give you a sense of how terrifying it all was and how violent the Roman Empire was.

3. An interesting riff on nature versus nature. Are monsters born or are they created. I think I'll have a better take on that after the next two books have been published.

I am really looking forward to the next two novels if they are anything like as good as this one.!

I've enjoyed Conn Iggulden's novels in the past, particularly the Wars of the Roses and Conqueror/Genghis Khan series. They combined strong character and action with a sense of the period and the wider political context. Nero, though, just feels like soap opera and could have been set anywhere. Perhaps it's a comment on Britain's political discourse which focuses endlessly on who's up and who's down rather than the issues, but if so the critique didn't come across. Agrippina's reflections on the competing demands of husband and brother felt repetitive. DNF at 25%

Nero is the new series by master storyteller Conn Iggulden. In this, the first instalment of the trilogy he is setting the scene focusing on Nero’s birth and childhood. I strongly suspect he is working from the premise that ‘tyrants aren't born. they're raised’. This brilliant piece of fiction with its extensive research of those times attempts to reveal this truth. Does it? Well I leave the reader to decide.

He begins his tale at AD 37. Tiberius, Rome’s Emperor holds the reins but rules from a distance, preferring to live on the island of Capreae. He has appointed a Roman prefect to rule in his place and report to him. Roman justice is brutal especially so in these capricious times. Despite Rome displaying her might in the then known world, its citizens lived in fear. The slightest threat to the Emperor or the Empire meant ruin for the suspect. Even if they were innocent, mercurial Tiberius could order their death and often it included their entire family. At the very least they would be left destitute and powerless. Rome had always had spies everywhere yet by Tiberius’s time this had become oppressive. No one was free of the Emperors gaze. This is the picture that Iggulden paints as he opens his narrative.

Despite Agrippina being granddaughter of Emperor Augustus, her imperial blood does not protect her in these treacherous times. Quite the opposite. Relatives of the Emperor are in greater danger than ordinary folk. The power, intrigue, and danger is ever present and she knows well that she too must play the game to survive. Into this treacherous world is born her son whose life hangs on a thread, a flame that can be snuffed out at any moment through political machinations. This is their story.

I loved how Iggulden drew me into the plot. His descriptions of ancient Rome were thorough yet not excessive. He paints a vivid picture of ancient Rome and I could see myself there. Equally he subtly weaves into the tale Agrippina’s anxiety for both herself and her son’s safety. Could the treacherous times they live in affect their characters? This is one of the many topics Iggulden poignantly explores. The danger, the treachery, the intrigue was real and ever present. I was thrust back into the gory and uncompassionate world of ancient Rome. Not surprisingly the pages kept turning. Moreover, he set the narrative at the right pace to achieve this. I could not help realising that very little had escaped the master storytellers eye. This is one wordsmith who definitely knows his craft. I was disappointed to reach the end and wanted more. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

The Historical Note at the end of the novel gave me an insight into the characters and the fictional aspects of the novel. Guess that’s why it’s fiction and not history. I must add though that Iggulden has barely digressed from historical facts and barring a few tropes that make the tale easier to narrate he has stuck to history. Great read and glad to have discovered it. I don’t think my review can do sufficient justice to this brilliantly written book.

I don't normally read stories about Ancient Rome, but this one sounded good. I was not disappointed as it was more than good, it was exceptional. Well drawn characters, especially Agrippina. Hand you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the novel.