I'm sorry, but I couldn't even finish this one. I would like to give Mr. Posteguillo the benefit of the doubt and blame it on poor translation, but somewhere along the line this became a terribly-written book. It's full of repetitions and redundancies, and some bizarre choices about names - for instance, Caesar's and his father's full names were both "Gaius Julius Caesar" (something of a family tradition, it seems). In the many flashbacks to Caesar's youth it chooses to refer to the father as "Gaius Julius Caesar Sr." (and occasionally likewise gives Caesar a "Jr."), which just hits very wrong to me. It's simultaneously too modern and too ... encyclopedic, perhaps? Very out of place. It also keeps insisting on inserting more of people's names into the narration than necessary; several times it says things like "Aurelia [Caesar's mother] held her son, Caesar, on her lap" or even "Aurelia ... began to rock Gaius Julius Caesar Jr." -- we know who her son is! He is the only baby in this scene! Why are you saying his full name again?! It's like the author is either grasping for a higher word count or has a witheringly low opinion of the reader's ability to remember details from one page ago.

Setting aside the prose, which I was willing to give a lot of leeway for it maybe being the translator, the story itself was becoming eye-rolling. Posteguillo seems to lack all subtlety in his characters, with Caesar (or to a lesser extent Marius, in some flashback scenes) being a shining cartoon hero, and his opponent Dolabella being a mustache-twirling cartoon villain. The final straw for me was one scene which cut back and forth between the muscular, virile Caesar having athletic sex with his wife (who outright says he is "the best" at sex) and Dolabella, disgustingly fat, whipping several slaves because it's the only way he can get an erection now. Absolutely ridiculous.

If the book were shorter, I would have stuck with it out of obligation to NetGalley and providing a comprehensive review, but at more than 600 pages I don't think I can handle that. Sorry guys.

Thank you to NetGalley, Santiago Posteguillo, and Random House for this gifted ARC.

I am a sucker for stories featuring a clear underdog. I can't help but root for the little guy to prove everyone wrong. But, when I think about Julius Ceasar, I don't think underdog; I think "one of the most powerful military leaders of Rome." I think, "a name known by almost everyone in the world."

Yet, no one really talks about his rise to fame. Did Ceasar start off as a big, powerful force to be reckoned with? Surprisingly, no. Santiago Posteguillo dives into who Ceasar was before he was CEASAR and creates a fascinating tale that describes life in Ancient Rome.

I should point out that my husband is a history nerd. He probably thinks about the Roman Empire more than once a day. I never understood it until now. The tale of how Ceasar was basically a nobody, a man who had to fight for his life on numerous occasions, was deliciously captivating. I get the hype around him now. He was honor personified and had to rise to the top by sheer wits and luck. "I Am Rome" is a tale of how Ceasar was, in fact, an underdog who beat the system and created a world of his own imagining.

This is the only reason I am not giving this book 5 stars. There is a lot of history packed into this book. The premise is a trial, but the trial only makes up about 25% of the book. The rest are flashbacks and intense character development scenes, which I know Posteguillo will use for the second book in this series. While these parts are interesting, they are much slower-paced. The action does not pick up until you are about 75% into the book. HOWEVER, my husband severely disagrees with me and says the entire thing is perfectly paced. 😶

If you want to know more about Ceasar and Rome, then I recommend picking up this book ASAP. It truly is a fascinating look at how volatile Ancient Rome was. If this is not your thing, definitely buy it for the Roman Empire person in your life; they will not be able to put it down.

I like good historical fiction novels. I like the way they can make people and times come alive, and even though I may be familiar with the person and era, I always find I learn something. "I Am Rome" is an example of an excellent historical fiction novel. Even though I am familiar with Julius Caesar and his later life, I didn't know who or what influenced him when he was younger. This book fills in the blanks.

A somewhat naive twenty-three-year-old Julius Caesar is selected to prosecute a corrupt politician, and even though he knows the tribunal has been bought, he still thinks he can get justice for some of the people the politician has wronged. In a period when individuals are routinely assassinated for their political beliefs or actions, Caesar is putting his life in jeopardy by taking this case and going against the ruling faction of the Roman Empire. The story then uses a series of flashbacks to various periods in Caesar's life to illustrate how he came to believe he could take on the corruption running rampant at the time.

Author Santiago Posteguillo does an incredible job of depicting life in ancient Rome. This book has it all: villainous characters, epic battles, courtroom drama, and a gripping love story. All elements are woven together to reveal how Julius Caesar became, well, Julius Caesar. 5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is March 5, 2024.

This has everything you love in historical fiction. Vivid characters, strong plotting, great attention to historic detail integrated seamlessly into the story, and always a deep relevance to the present. This is the story Julius Caesar - in this volume it covers his early years up to the age of 23 when he takes on the arrogance, greed and cruelty of the current regime with a daring and dangerous lawsuit with himself as prosecutor. As the parts of the trial commence, the reader is given flashbacks to the relevant Roman events and personalities, as well as Caesar's home life. Even though you may know a great deal about Caesar, you will still find it riveting and fully absorbing, dashing through the long novel as if it was a short story. It's always fun to watch lasting history be made. Great stuff, and I highly, highly recommend it.

Absolutely loved I Am Rome! Well researched, interesting and super entertaining story of Julius Cesar from his youth to his adult life. Fraught with mind bogglingly perilous politics, a target by many of the most powerful Senators, Julius develops into the man history knows today. An unputdownable book, will keep you reading to the very end!

I enjoy ancient historical fiction, so I was interested in a book about Julius Caesar. I know little about him other than the fact that he famously said, "Et tu, Brute?" This novel actually chronicles his early life, including some backstory and ending at the very beginning of his fame. The book is well-written, but it is too long. I don't mind a lengthy novel, but 600+ pages wasn't necessary. There were too many tangents - a tighter editing job would improve the reader's experience. This is the first of a series, and while I'm sure the subsequent books will be good, I just don't have the interest to keep reading.

Corruption, greed and power. They will lead some to commit unthinkable acts.
When those people are at the top, there is nearly nothing that can stop them. Nearly.
In this story, the one person who fights against immeasurable odds is Julius Caesar.

If you know me, I don't read much historical fiction. On top of that, I was immediately intimidated when I opened my ARC and saw the page length (500+ pages). So, I'll be honest, early on, I thought this might be a DNF - not because it is poorly written, I just didn't think it would be for me.
Thankfully I hung in there and actually read this book pretty quickly.

There are essentially two parts of the book:
War - there are several battles as key figures that set the stage for the key part of the book. I'm not a huge fan of battles so some of this I could have done without, but I do understand why it was presented.
The trial - this is really the most interesting part of the story, as one young lawyer, Julius Caesar tries to take down Senator Dolabella. The odds are stacked against him, as it is clear the judges have already been bribed.

Since I'm not a history buff, I couldn't tell you what parts of this book were fact or fiction, but I loved how Caesar laid out his case. Does it all go to plan? Not quite. But I didn't hate how things ultimately played out for some.

If you love historical fiction, this is definitely worth checking out. If you are like me, you may also consider giving it a chance, it may surprise you.

I feel like this was a huge undertaking. And for a historical fiction that took liberties, with a legal thriller plot mixed in. I don't mind when liberties are taken in historical fiction. I really don't. I've loved magical elements put in. I've loved the dialogues and internal thoughts that we'd have no way of knowing about but the fact that they fit...perfection.
And that's something that didn't work for me in this book. There were liberties taken but I feel like you still need a huge grasp on Rome and Julius Caesar to do any sort of book to be successful. And this had quite a lot of just..not liberties but straight inaccuracies. For me, it pulled away from the story line and enjoyment of the book. I really wanted to like this more than I did. Will I still read the next? Well of course.

I Am Rome is an historical fiction telling of Julius Caesar’s life. The story based around a legal case he prosecuted against Gnaeus Dollabella, with flashbacks to specific times in Caesar’s life leading up to the court case. Some liberties are taken, particularly with Caesar’s wife Cornelia, to make the story flow better.
The story alternates between an historical retelling of some events – the siege of Mytilene for example – and the intrigue of an attempt to prosecute a citizen whose position has protected him from any accountability for his action or inaction. The latter portions being interesting social commentary on some current issues in the US today.
Recommended for those who like historical fiction with a pulpy twist..

Brilliantly written, the book of Julius Caesar starting at 99 B.C. was powerful, thought-provoking and captivating.

You’d think that much has changed during this time. Yet, it could easily be a story from the present time – sadly -- as not much has changed with divided political agendas. In Caesar’s time there was the wealthy conservatives known as the optimates and the populares in support of the working people.

Caesar came from a strong ancient lineage where his father and brother-in-law were involved with the top ranks of the military. After they died, Caesar’s life was challenged by the dictator Sulla, a greedy, social-climbing senator who broke promises for his personal gains. He would execute anyone that would oppose him. It was easy to visualize this person with such ruthless political dominance. Yet, there was one person that he was worried about: Caesar.

After Sulla passed, his closest trusted follower, Senator Dolabella, was accused of stealing money from their compatriots. Dolabella like Sulla was noted to be cruel and crooked with unthinkable wealth and power. He would hire assassins to murder witnesses. Caesar, a lawyer, at 23 years old was appointed in 77 B.C. as his prosecutor.

The author’s knowledge of this era is incredible – a time when Rome was undergoing wars in Africa, Asia and surrounding areas with thousands of men in combat. He jumps around to give readers the background of the characters which leads to the trial. There was one part where women slaves were abused which was harsh but realistically portrayed.

This book is highly recommended especially for those who devour good historical accounts. It’s one of those stories you can’t stop talking about. It’s packed with wisdom and intelligent ways that made Caesar a historical figure -- remembered for over 2,000 years.

My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this advanced book with an expected release date of March 5, 2024.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a time period I wanted to read more about but the writing style wasn't for me. Lots of good historical information in here!

I received this book through NetGalley, and while I did not request this book myself as it is not typically the type of book I look for, I do appreciate receiving it to review. Taking that into account, I did find myself not 100% invested in this story as it wasn't the type of content I personally enjoy reading. That being said, the writing was good, and I can see why others really enjoy this story.

Introducing a character from history from before he was famous, like hearing about General Patton when he was still a lieutenant. Interesting and fun.

If men always think about the Roman Empire, then they would enjoy this. There are battles, corruption, love, and political intrigue. This book is about Julius Caesar and centers around his first major political trial in Rome. The story goes back and forth through time to show you how people and events helped him became the man we remember. How he became Rome.

Roman history is bloody and brutal and it is portrayed clearly in this book but not excessively. It is used to show the world that Caesar lived in and how he had to navigate in it without making it gruesome to read.

There are lots of Latin and Greek phrases in the book but there are footnotes with the translation if it isn’t expressly explained in the story.

The author truly did their research! You can tell by all the little details from how the Roman soldiers were dressed, their weapons, and even their battle techniques. There is also the religions of the Romans and Greeks and the traditions of each that is woven in with detail. The references to many different myths, legends, and literature that the Caesar would have been familiar with are also mentioned and quoted at times. Details matter and these details helped me feel like I was reading a first hand account of the different events in the book.

* Special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have always been interested in Julius Caesar, so I was eager to read this novel, especially since its author is such an acclaimed one. However, I was somewhat disappointed. The novel tells the story of a young Caesar and focuses on his dealings as a lawyer, especially of his prosecution of Dolabella, who was the Roman governor of Macedonia, but who is accused of embezzlement and rape. Although I found this to be overall an interesting read, I was not as engaged as much as I though I would be and found that portions of the novel seemed way too long and drawn out (and the novel is a long one to begin with!), so much so that I felt as though I was slogging through it. Additionally, even though I learned more about Caesar and this period of Roman history than I knew before, I did find some historical inaccuracies to be pretty offputting. All in all, I thought this was a good read (albeit a really long one), but not a great one. Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

"Discover the runaway #1 international bestseller that has captured readers the world over - and reminds us all why we remember the name Julius Caesar.

Every legend has a beginning...

Rome, 77 B.C. The corrupt Senator Dolabella is about to go on trial for his crimes.

But Dolabella owns the jury. He's hired the best lawyers in the city. And he's very willing to use violence against those who oppose him.

In all of Rome, no man dares accept the role of prosecutor - until, against all odds, an unknown twenty-three-year-old steps out to lead the case, defend the people of the city, and defy the power of the ruling elite. That lawyer's name is Gaius Julius Caesar.

So begins Santiago Posteguillo's acclaimed masterpiece of historical fiction - a tale as epic as Caesar's life itself. An irresistible page-turning novel of politics and betrayal, grand battles and impossible odds, shocking villainy and even greater acts of courage, I Am Rome brilliantly animates the moments that shaped this extraordinary young man's fate - and in so doing, changed the course of history itself."

After watching all of I, Claudius, I'm now obsessed with all things Roman.

I Am Rome ( This review is based on an ARC sent to me by Netgalley)
A Novel of Julius Caesar
By Santiago Posteguillo
This is relatable masterpiece of historical fiction―a tale as epic as Caesar’s life itself.
“ The Julii Caesares traced their lineage back to the goddess Venus, but the family was not snobbish or conservative-minded. It was also not rich or influential or even distinguished.”
In 84 BCE Caesar committed himself publicly to the radical side by marrying Cornelia, a daughter of Lucius Cornelius Cinna the author also describes the great love story of Julius Caesar and his wife, Cornelia.
The story is told from the perspective of many characters: Caesar, his mother, his enemies, his friends.
The main story starts out in Rome, 77 B.C. The corrupt Senator Dolabella is about to go on trial for his crimes.
The prosecutor was Gaius Julius Caesar and the corruption of the jury and the Senators is evident. Through this trial, Posteguillo shows us the animosity that existed between Julius Caesar and two of his first great adversaries: Sulla and Dolabela.
The tale is epic of politics and betrayal, battles and acts of courage and Caesar changes the course of history.
Posteguillo gives the reader a comprehensive view of Roman history.

It is perfectly clear that this lengthy novel is a labor of love for this author and I respect that. Ancient Rome and Caesar are well represented by what seems like many hours of painstaking research. If you were not already well-informed of the decadence or harsh realities that existed in this era, you might be a little surprised or even disgusted at times. It was interesting to explore an earlier period of Caesar’s life, as he was growing into an influential political player within the Roman Empire, an esteemed role that he held for a few prosperous years. This story highlights the dangerous times he lived in and how truly precarious any role of leadership could be in such an age of brutality. Despite my absolute love of historical fiction, I cannot, in all honesty, say that I was overjoyed by this particular read. If you enjoy novels that contain cruel, unlikeable characters and sadistic acts of violence this is for you.  

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of I Am Rome for my unbiased evaluation.  2.5 stars

This isn't a book I would normally read, I'll start off by saying. While I grew up with a history buff brother - and one who loved Julius Caesar especially, I've never had more than a passing interest.

I was invited by the publisher through NetGalley to read this book, and when I saw the title and what it was about, I gave it a try. Part of me felt I owed it to my brother to finally find out who one of his favorite historical figures really was. And oh my gosh, what a great decision! I would have missed out on so much!

Centering around the trial against the corrupt senator Dollabella, whom no one would have though anyone was brave enough - or foolish enough - to try accusing. But Caesar does, asked to represent a group of Macedonians who have been grievously wronged. Our story also goes back to Caesar's birth and his childhood, pivotal moments throughout his youth and early days leading up to the trial, as well as before his birth, following his uncle Marius and setting the tone of what the Rome looked like that Caesar grew up in.

I've always thought of ancient Rome as bloodthirsty and corrupt. I'm sure there were some great achievements from that ancient civilization, but they've always been lost on me. Spoiler alert - Rome of Caesar's day was bloodthirsty and corrupt, and the common people were oppressed and ruled by fear. I didn't realize how much there was a spark, a hope for change. It came many times, represented and movements led by several men. But you can see how hot that fire burns, and those hopes come to rest on the shoulders of a young man by the name of Julius Caesar.

I am so thankful I got the chance to read this ARC, and also got to learn something so new! For lifelong history fans, or ones just starting to step out of their comfort zone, this was the perfect book for me. Denser than what I usually read, I did take a slower approach to reading, breaking it up into a few chapters at a time, to better absorb everything and really get a deeper understanding.

Also - for those of you like me who finish this and think - but what about the rest of his life? Did Caesar accomplish what he set out to? Did he exact change? There's a second book on it's way - published in Europe first, so it'll take a bit with translation. But watch out, I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on the publishing news for the next one!

As someone who doesn't really have a very good working understanding of the Roman Empire, this was a great book that introduced me to the idea of Julius Caesar and his history without being too overwhelming. The story jumps between the "modern day" for Caesar - when he is prosecuting Dolabella, and his past via meeting his wife, and fighting in various places. The story was clearly well researched and very thoughtfully written. The characters were realistic - not dry like history - especially this period - can be. There were clearly spots in which there was seriously upsetting points for some [trigger warning I will say for sexual violence] however, it was handled I though very well. I would recommend this book if you are like me and want to learn more about Caesar and Rome without picking up a dry non-fiction book.

This ebook was provided in exchange for an honest review.