The First Man in Rome

By: Colleen McCullough

Narrated by: David Ogden Stiers

"The First Man in Rome was not the best man: he was the First among other men who were his equals...To be the First Man in Rome was something far better than kingship..."

In the first century B.C. at the height of the Roman Republic, two men set their sights on becoming the First Man - the Roman more respected than any other. Marius, a heroic man of strength and means, lacks the noble blood to contend for the First Man, but overcomes his common status when he marries into the patrician house of Caesar. Sulla, a pleasure-seeking aristocrat without money of his own, is transformed by his ambitions into a fierce and daring warrior. Together the two men will shape history as they are thrust into a raging storm - engaging in deadly political contests and waging far-off wars for a state battling to hold on to its enormous power.

Rich with unforgettable characters and unerring historical accuracy, The First Man in Rome is a vivid tale of power, treachery, and a great Republic hurtling towards civil war...

not enough

it read like a Wikipedia page being narrated with some day-time soap operas mixed in. too much summary, not enough of the tangible. I wanted more of everything. it's like she wanted to make Game of Thrones but they only gave her a 175 pages to work with, so we ended up with this.

interesting historical novel

If you are interested in Roman history this is a good book to read. The author tells a vivid story of two men who served in the Senate in ancient Rome. McCullough illustrates in all-encompassing and extensive detail, an image of life of the upper echelons of Roman society that is wholly believable. She not only describes how meaningful a sagum is to a Roman soldier, but also tells of domestic industriousness of Julia, matriarch of the Caesar’s household. A complete historical education of the time period is interwoven by way of anecdotes, digressions, and dialogue such that a fabulously rich and complex historical novel results. The author’s research for the historical novel is amazing; the book is more or less historically accurate.

The book revolves about its eponymous hero, Gaius Marius, Rome’s ablest general and a man destined to be a six times a Consul and his wife Julia, a beautiful aristocrat of the Juli Caesar family. (She is Julius Caesar’s aunt. Julius is a baby at the end of the book.) The other key person is the young Lucius Cornelius Sulla form the core of the story. The author masterfully illustrates through a story centered around the two men, the place of women in ancient Roman civilization, with the women of Julian family figure prominently as well. The author is terrific when writing about women. McCullough losses the story’s momentum when she is describing the politics of the time. The two men served together to win the war against Numidia (Africa) in 107 B.C.E. and held off the Cimbri and Teutonii Germanus tribes invasion between 103-102 B.C.E. Even though one man is a liberal and the other a conservative they are able to put aside their political difference to work together for the betterment of Rome. This is the first book of a series about Rome.

The book was narrated by David Ogden Stiers. This is my second book by McCullough the first one I read by her was “The Thorn Birds”.

The best historical fiction I have ever read.

Simply the greatest novel on Rome I have ever read. The Masters of Rome series is a masterpiece. Love the narration too.

Excellent Narration

I've read the book and the narration was spot on. Great performance! I'll order the rest of the series.

Best narrator I've ever heard

David Ogden Stiers is, by far, the best narrator I've heard in the many, many audiobooks I've listened to. He has the ability to create distinctive voices and holds to those distinctions consistently throughout the book. He also brings the characters alive with subtle quirks of expression and adds a great deal of texture and life to a book which is very well written, but abridged so heavily as to be in danger of sounding like a bullet point essay. I've listened to four books read in this series and none of the narrators have displayed this ability to this extent. I heartily recommend both the book (unabridged, for Colleen McCullough's clear, uncluttered but evocative prose and pacing), and David Ogden Stiers's excellent reading of this shorter version.