Not quite all emperors but a delightfully told pop-history book nonetheless. Felt overly simplistic in places but I think that's to be expected given the scope.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (thank you!) but loved it so much that I ended up buying it on Google Audio Books.

I am a huge history lover, especially ancient Roman history! When I first saw this book I knew I needed to read it and I am so happy I did! Phillip Barlag is a very fun writer...he is expressive and descriptive with each chapter and puts in a few funnies along the way. It felt like he was talking to me in person, explaining the emperors/Rome and not just me reading a book.

Barlag does an amazing job categorizing the emperors and who was terrible, and who was just plain evil. He does a wonderful job setting the stage for each emperor as well, which is refreshing because most other history books about emperors just assume you know about their contemporary issues and time period. I was enamored through and through while reading this and frankly I could not put it down!

If you love Roman History, history in general, or love hearing messed up Emperors, this is the book for you! Anyone who is a fan of Game of Thrones or any other fictional "war of kings" type stories THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU! The best part? These people actually LIVED !!! 10/10 must must MUST read!

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* good read, would like to both reread and read more on the subject!

It's a great historical book that gives details on what the notorious emperors done. I would like to the netgalley.com for letting me review the book

Provides a breezy history of the various crazy Roman emperors, and there were a lot of them. I was expecting more of a scholarly history. Instead, I would characterize this book as more of an entertaining history, Not a lot of detail and no references. It's good; not just what I expected.

Such an enjoyable read! Barlag shares the life stories of some of the most horrific rulers of Ancient Rome and then at the end gives his own ranking of the the top 10 worst rulers and encourages us to do the same and compare our rankings. I found Barlag's writing style so enjoyable despite the heavy topic. Some of the actions of these rulers are nearly unbelievable and because of the complicated and often similar names, this could have been a heavy and difficult read. However, Barlag made it easy to follow. At times, it felt more like watching a TV drama or soap opera than reading ancient history. Would love to see Barlag attack ancient rulers from other cultures in future books.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read Evil Roman Emperors for an honest review!

If you love Roman history this is the book for you! If you love reading about all the bad things people in the past have done then grab a copy of this book and get reading.

"The young, progressive, benevolent Gaius had slipped into unconsciousness. What awoke was not the same man."

Actual Rating = 3.5

Why is reading about terrible humans so much fun? I don't understand and, honestly, don't care to look too closely into what that might say about me. Regardless, I'm here for it.

Let me give a quick disclaimer that the ARC I received was an uncorrected proof and had a ton of formatting and grammar errors. I've worked hard not to let these issues impact my rating since anyone who purchases the book will probably not see this.

Pros:
I really enjoyed the writing style of this. It was fun and engaging in a way that history books often aren't, and I definitely learned a ton about the worst rulers the Roman empire had to offer. Of note - I knew just about the bare minimum on this topic going in, basically just what they taught us in high school. I was still able to follow along and understand what was happening, so that's a win on the author's part. My only complaint about the writing was that some of the transitions between paragraphs felt really awkward and I occasionally thought I must be missing text.

Cons:
I didn't like the way this book was structured. It's basically a chapter on each evil ruler, and then a top ten list at the end. I think it would've made more sense to structure the book as a top ten list so that you don't reach the conclusion and have to remember back to rulers you met nine chapters ago to understand the ranking system. This could just be a "me" thing though, so I'm super interested to see other people's feedback!

I enjoyed this good read on Roman leaders back in the early days who were particularly evil. The book covers the creation of Rome and the selected worst of the worst like Caligula and Nero and many others through their reigns. Some even changed their names to distance themselves from past bad deeds. I always wanted to know more about these people, and this was a good way to get some knowledge on them. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Phillip Barlag, and the publisher.

For fans of Roman history, this is a very fun and interesting book, telling the story of Rome’s history through the stories of its worst, most “evil” leaders. It goes a step deeper, recognizing that the stories preserved in the ancient sources can’t always be taken at face value, and can reveal a whole other story of how different constituencies viewed and critiqued those leaders

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Prometheus Books for an advanced copy of this new history title.

When people speak of the "Good old days", after reading Phillip Barlag's Evil Roman Emperors: The Shocking History of Ancient Rome's Most Wicked Rulers from Caligula to Nero and More you'll know they can't be speaking of ancient Rome. Or that they should read more.

Mr. Barlag has written a well researched, very interesting book, in a style that is both easy to read and follow, not textbook heavy, nor gossipy, about the worst rulers of Rome and its poor subjects. A few of these are well known, but with expanded information, and a clearing up of certain myths and lies that surround their name like Nero or Caligula. Others are less known, or should be forgotten by history, even if their acts and deeds make it very hard to. A true cast of deplorables.

The subject matter might get a little harsh, and dark, very dark, but the narrative never grows repetitive or dull, no matter how many family murders or raising of taxes stories appear. A perfect gift for someone just learning about history, or likes books on trivia. Or possibly for one entering politics as a guide to what is acceptable and what is not in proper governance.

For fans of Roman history, this is a very fun and interesting book, telling the story of Rome’s history through the stories of its worst, most “evil” leaders. But more than just recounting the catalogue of horribles, it goes a step deeper, recognizing that the stories preserved in the ancient sources can’t always be taken at face value, and can reveal a whole other story of how different constituencies viewed and critiqued those leaders. All in all a fun book to read or enjoy as an audiobook.

I don’t read a ton of nonfiction because a lot of the time they tend to get textbook-y, but this author does a great job of keeping things light & flowing! Made this one all the more enjoyable. And I learned new things, can’t beat that.

Thanks NetGalley & the publisher for a copy of this in exchange for my honest review!

A fascinating read demystifying the Roman emperors and debunking common myths. One of those rare books that not only tells you something you don’t know but also makes you think differently after reading. It was very hard to put the book down, I only wanted to keep reading it.


I read this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a bunch of fun to read. I blazed through the various stories and even gasped a few times. I do have to say, I don’t think die hard Rome historians will find this book as funny as I did, and I definitely believe that the author is passionate about his subject, because he made his opinions on certain emperors VERY obvious. All of that considered, this is a book I recommend as an introduction into terrible emperors of Rome and as a jumping off point for your own research.

Roman history, deviant or otherwise, is a subject of endless fascination. What’s never been done before is to look at the worst of the worst at the same time, comparing them side by side, and ranking them against one another. Until now. This is a very interesting book. After 4 years of high school Latin classes, I have always been fascinated by Roman History... It's quite a shock to read about all these horrible rulers and their atrocities in one book. And you wonder why the Roman Empire even lasted that long.... There are a lot of very famous people in there but also a few lesser known rulers.... Highly recommended!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC.

For me, a quickie read. Interesting subject well-written. The text kept me interested and entertained.

I received Evil Roman Emperors as part of a NetGalley giveaway. (Note: I also received the audiobook version. This review is copied and pasted from my review there.)

The names of a few Roman emperors are probably at least passingly familiar to most: Augustus, Nero, Caligula, Marcus Aurelius. But just who was the worst, in the long, dark, violent history that began with Romulus and ended with Romulus Augustus? Despite the title, the options are not solely limited to emperor, but includes figures from Rome's days as a monarchy and republic. After reviewing 10 candidates, the final chapter concludes with a countdown to, in Barlag's opinion, the worst.

This is a fairly light and accessible angle on Roman history; you don't need to know a lot going in, and the narrative moves along at a nice pace. On the flip side, this probably isn't for Roman history lovers, since it is more of an entry-level treatment, But for novices, it's a great look at just how nutty the empire was (particularly its latter centuries) and a nice gateway to deeper reads on the subject.

My favorite documentaries to watch are about Acient Rome so when I saw this ARC, of course I had to request it. This was so well written and pretty funny at points, and it made it so much fun to listen to. Despite knowing a lot about the Emperors talked about in this book, I still learned a lot about these horrible men. I'm definitely pre-ordering a hardcopy of this book to have on my shelf!