Does what it says on the cover - a BRIEF history of the Roman Empire (excluding the Byzantium Empire). Somewhat slow. The book has nice maps and genealogical tables, which were useful. ( )

I thought this was a great book, well detailed and put together. Personally it isn't one that I would read again which is why I only gave it 4 stars but I would certainly recommend it to anyone interested in Roman history. I did enjoy the irony of the Roman Empire ending with Romulus Augustulus, a name synonymous with the Genesis as well as the Alpha and Omega of Rome. ( )

This history of the Roman Empire isn't as brief as the title suggests. It in fact covers a lot of ground but doesn't dwell on any one thing for too long. I read this as my knowledge of Roman history is patchy.

It's quite shocking how siblings would kill each other to gain power. In some cases - such as Caligula - the reverse to hatred happened: he married one of his sisters. I guess he was influenced by the Ancient Egyptians - or just plain mad as he's believed to be.

Worse than that was Nero's mother wanting to heal a rift between them by offering herself sexually to him. Glad he didn't go for this, but sad that he had her killed.

The author writes in an upbeat tone and informal style that appeals to me. I liked the book in parts rather than on the whole. At times there were so many different names referred to at once - many emperors have an average of five names - that it confused me as to who was whom.

Anyone with a passion for Roman history should like this tome. It's also worth reading if, like me, you have a mild interest in this period. ( )