In Rome, 77 B.C. Senator Dolabella is about to go on trial for his crimes. Twenty-three year old Julius Caesar is about to take on a case that threatens to end his career and his life. Why? Caesar is chosen over Cicero to prosecute the corrupt former Macedonian governor Gnaeus Cornelius Dolabella, and it’s an impossible situation. Though clearly guilty of plunder and rape, Dolabella is a favorite of Roman dictator Sulla and a member of the optimates. The optimates are an exclusive group in the Roman Senate unwilling to concede power to anyone. Julius Caesar is a young upstart from a lower-level patrician family, therefore Dolabella is sure he has already won the case. The novel traces the history leading up to Dolabella’s trial in 77 B.C.E. and depicts the hidden grudges behind the efforts to ensure Caesar’s defeat.

I found this novel to be difficult to read due to the long conversation. The author shows shows us the hypocrisy of a society that embraced high ideals but accepted violence as part of the political process. The author writes cliffhangers in the book yet somehow it reminded me of a soap opera. The story is a reminder that, though more than 2,000 years separate us from ancient Rome, some conflicts haven’t changed. With that thought it makes me sad that it still continues on in present day. Was Caesar Rome?

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for this advanced copy!
If there is anything I've figured out since people started say "my roman empire is ..." is that my roman empire is NOT the actual roman empire. And that's not this book's fault. This book has so many characters and it jumps around a lot, sometimes in the same chapter, sometimes on the same page, and my brain started to shut down from it all. The parts where I could concentrate were great and I loved some of the dialogue and descriptions, but this book felt like a chore at times. Maybe if the roman empire was my cup of tea, I would have loved this more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early advanced copy of the book. I am not so convinced that this was a book in a genre that I generally read.

This is a good historical read. There were times I was a little confused only because of the languages ,of writing at times it read like a history lesson which I found at the end I did learn alot more more Caesar. The author did a great job in his research thank you netgalley

There is a wealth of information in “I Am Rome”, which is interesting Yet, I felt it was definitely out of my league The fact that it read like a text book was a "turn off" while I endeavored to keep going. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I did not know the history dramatized in the book 'I Am Rome'. This was thoroughly researched, expertly written, and a story worthy of the acclaimed protagonist. The book left me wanting to learn more about one of the most famous leaders in history, born into one of the most corrupt and cruel civilizations that ever existed. There are so many parallels to the current political climate. It feels like this one is written as a warning to our current leaders, as well as a call to the brave future leaders we will need to quell the inevitable future we are so enthusiastically charging towards.

I didn't want to put this one down. I missed hours of productive work as I continued to turn pages towards the climactic finale. Well done Santiago Posteguillo.

Now this is a story that pulled me in from the beginning and I really enjoyed it. Going up against such a force and doing what needed to be done was amazing and made this book a good read.

I found myself really enjoying this book and wanting to read more about this trial. I’ve been interested in Roman history, off and on, which brought me to this book. But I don’t always enjoy historical fiction. Some authors can pull it off. Most have trouble. Santiago Posteguillo did a wonderful job with the historical characters and events, really giving them life and creating tension, and I hope the sequel to this book will be translated soon.

My degrees are in history and I’ve also studied French and English translation. I had a number of issues with historical inaccuracies and mistranslations in this book. I could not finish and am reviewing privately as public reviews would be one stars across the board. I will not be continuing with future installments.

I wanted to like this book, but I struggled with way it was written. When I finally looked it up and realized this is an English translation of a book originally written in Spanish, then it began to make sense why it was rubbing the wrong way. Sadly this one made my DNF stack.

It was somewhat interesting to learn more about the (presumably well-researched) history of Rome and Julius Caesar. However, I found it to be pretty dull reading. Since I read an English translation, I don't know if this is due to the original or to the translation. I typically enjoy historical fiction because the author can include more of the human relationships than a straight history but even that aspect didn't add enough to keep me interested.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

Very interesting history told as a novel about Julius Caesar, his family, and a lot of what is going on in Rome! It is easier to read than a history book, but the very detail that makes it a novel also makes it something you have to really be interested in to read it.

5 stars for the concept and information
4 stars for readability for most readers

It felt a lot like a play at times, as well - like you were watching what was going on.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. #sponsored

A historical novel promoted as a courtroom drama and a political thriller only half lives up to it's claim. The courtroom drama featuring a young Julius Caesar is fascinating and moves at a fairly brisk pace, however the majority of the novel reads like a history book, complete with end of chapter footnotes. I enjoyed the courtroom drama /political thriller elements but the constant digression into earlier timelines and Roman history greatly bogged down the overall novel. Recommended for history buffs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy

I found this novel well written and interesting. Definitely an untold perspective on Julius Caesar. Fascinating historical details and the corruption that was rampant through Rome's political systems definitely speaks volumes in a modern era with the corruption involved in the American political system. The timeliness of this novel can't be overstated.

I ended up DNFing this one. From reading the synopsis it sounded very interesting, but the writing was just too dry and dense. It was written very well, but I knew from the first few chapters that it wasn’t going to be the type of book I would enjoy.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book. This book was AMAZING. I truly felt like I was in Ancient Rome behind the scenes of power. Posteguillo does an amazing job of background research. This is the first book that made me want to learn Latin so I could sort out what all the names mean. The level of intrigue is completely plausible and the story makes you wish you were there. Read this book. This may be a bit too intense for a book club, I think some might not enjoy it. Put it on your TBR pile and thank me later

I greatly overestimated my interest in the Roman empire and Julius Caesar. It was a detailed and well written accounting of his life but unfortunately it was so incredibly long. I had a difficult time getting into it.

Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"I Am Rome" by Santiago Posteguillo is an exciting journey back to ancient Rome, where we follow a young Gaius Julius Caesar as he faces his first big legal case. The book dives deep into the political drama and power struggles of the Roman Republic, giving us a peek into Caesar's early life and challenges.

The story kicks off with Caesar deciding to prosecute a powerful senator named Gnaeus Cornelius Dolabella for being corrupt. We get to see Caesar dealing with all sorts of issues, from family conflicts to tricky political situations.

Posteguillo does a great job mixing real history with some made-up storytelling to bring ancient Rome to life, but some readers might feel the pacing is slow, especially during the trial preparations, but then at other times he jumps around. The prose did the same, sometimes feeling too modern. And the text is heavy, very heavy. Sometimes it reads more like a history book than a novel with footnotes and extensive Latin references. There is nothing about this book written for readers who are not deeply into this era of history. And while the characters are interesting too, they could have been developed a bit more in a relatable way emotionally.

Overall, "I Am Rome" is a fun read for history buffs and fans of ancient Rome. It might not be perfect, and I wonder if some of the dialogue and Latin details got lost in translation from the original language. Still, it's worth checking out for its immersive dive into Roman politics and culture.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me to read this ARC for an honest review.

If you are looking for an entertaining tome of fiction about the formative years of Julius Caesar, this is the book for you. There's a lot of story here, covering his youth through his early days as an upstart lawyer. The book is framed around the trial of Dolabella, a corrupt senator with no scruples and bearing considerable animosity towards young Caesar. We go back and forth in time, always coming back to the trial.

There's a lot of background reminiscing with Caesar's uncle (and mentor) Gaius Marius, himself a military hero and leader. There's Caesar meeting his wife Cornelia for the first time and their story. There are battle stories, there are stories his mother Aurelia has told him since birth. We find out why Dolabella has nothing but contempt for Caesar (it goes way back). There's a lot packed into these 600+ pages. What's not here, however, is the rest of the story. I kept waiting for Cleopatra to show up! My bad.

The ARC did not contain an author's note, acknowledgements, historical note, or bibliography, all which would have enhanced both my enjoyment and understanding of this novel, and how it fits into Posteguillo's series arc. I Am Rome is the first of a series.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC.