Emperor: The Gates of Rome (Emperor #1) [J0293]

2003 HCDJ in nice clean condition. On the lush Italian peninsula, a new empire is taking shape. At its heart is the city of Rome, a place of glory and decadence, beauty and bloodshed. Against this vivid backdrop, two boys are growing to manhood, dreaming of battles, fame, and glory in service of the mightiest empire the world has ever known. One is the son of a senator, a boy of privilege and ambition to whom much has been given and from whom much is expected. The other is a bastard child, a boy of strength and cunning, whose love for his adoptive family-and his adoptive brother-will be the most powerful force in his life. As young Gaius and Marcus are trained in the art of combat-under the tutelage of one of Rome's most fearsome gladiators-Rome itself is being rocked by the art of treachery and ambition, caught in a tug-of-war as two rival generals, Marius and Sulla, push the empire toward civil war. For Marcus, a bloody campaign in Greece will become a young soldier's proving ground. For Gaius, the equally deadly infighting of the Roman Senate will be the battlefield where he hones his courage and skill. And for both, the love of an extraordinary slave girl will be an honor each will covet but only one will win. The two friends are forced to walk different paths, and by the time they meet again everything will have changed. Both will have known love, loss, and violence. And the land where they were once innocent will be thrust into the grip of bitter conflict-a conflict that will set Roman against Roman...and put their friendship to the ultimate test.

From recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Entertaining book. I somewhat doubt its historical accuracy but that is the nature of historical fiction especially from this time period were there are so few sources."; "This book was a great easy ride through ancient rome whilst excited that it was loosely based on true accounts."; "It had excellent pacing, dancing between plot lines effortlessly and skipping through time when it worked for the story, never getting bogged down, always pushing the story forward in a satisfying way. The characters and plot were quite interesting and you get the added benefit of traveling back in time and learning many interesting things about life in ancient Rome. Overall I really liked this book."