
The First Man in Rome
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Narrated by:
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David Ogden Stiers
About this listen
"The First Man in Rome was not the best man: he was the First among other men who were his equals.... To be the First Man in Rome was something far better than kingship...."
In the first century B.C. at the height of the Roman Republic, two men set their sights on becoming the First Man - the Roman more respected than any other. Marius, a heroic man of strength and means, lacks the noble blood to contend for the First Man, but overcomes his common status when he marries into the patrician house of Caesar. Sulla, a pleasure-seeking aristocrat without money of his own, is transformed by his ambitions into a fierce and daring warrior. Together the two men will shape history as they are thrust into a raging storm - engaging in deadly political contests and waging far-off wars for a state battling to hold on to its enormous power.
Rich with unforgettable characters and unerring historical accuracy, The First Man in Rome is a vivid tale of power, treachery, and a great Republic hurtling toward civil war....
©1990 Colleen McCullough (P)2003 Recorded Books, LLCListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
Here is one of the best historical novels ever written. Lame, stammering Claudius, once a major embarrassment to the imperial family and now emperor of Rome, writes an eyewitness account of the reign of the first four Caesars: the noble Augustus and his cunning wife, Livia; the reptilian Tiberius; the monstrous Caligula; and finally old Claudius himself. Filled with poisonings, betrayal, and shocking excesses, I Claudius is history that rivals the most exciting contemporary fiction.
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Unsurpassed, addictive brilliance
- By Chris on 06-09-09
By: Robert Graves
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Bittersweet
- By: Colleen McCullough
- Narrated by: Cat Gould
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
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Together they decide to enroll in a training program for nurses - a new option for women of their time who have previously been largely limited to the role of wives, and preferably mothers. As the Latimer sisters become immersed in hospital life and the demands of their training, they meet people and encounter challenges that spark new maturity and independence.
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1920s Australia
- By Jean on 09-04-14
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On, Off
- By: Colleen McCullough
- Narrated by: Lewis Grenville
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1965, the dogged Lieutenant Carmine Delmonico is assigned to solve what appears to be a single murder. Part of a young woman's body has turned up at one of the world's leading neurological research centers, but it's not long before Delmonico realizes he's hunting a serial killer. All the center's members are hiding secrets Delmonico must unearth: What does Professor Robert Smith do in his basement? Why doesn't Dr. Walter Polonski's wife know about his cabin in the woods?
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On, Off
- By M. Dybedal-Bristow on 02-19-09
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The King’s Gambit
- By: John Maddox Roberts
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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In this Edgar Award-nominated mystery, John Maddox Roberts takes listeners back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike. So the garroting of a lowly ex-slave and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy.
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Great start to a series
- By P. Johnson on 09-21-17
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The Spartacus War
- By: Barry Strauss
- Narrated by: Ray Grover
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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The Spartacus War is the extraordinary story of the most famous slave rebellion in the ancient world, the fascinating true story behind a legend that has been the inspiration for novelists, filmmakers, and revolutionaries for 2,000 years. Starting with only 74 men, a gladiator named Spartacus incited a rebellion that threatened Rome itself.
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Interesting
- By Jean on 08-02-15
By: Barry Strauss
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The Forgotten Legion
- Forgotten Legion Chronicles 1
- By: Ben Kane
- Narrated by: Michael Praed
- Length: 17 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Romulus and Fabiola are twins, born into slavery after their mother is raped by a drunken nobleman on his way home from a good night out. At 13 years old, they and their mother are sold: Romulus to gladiator school, Fabiola into prostitution, where she will catch the eye of one of the most powerful men in Rome, and their mother into obscurity and death in the salt mines. Tarquinius is an Etruscan, a warrior and soothsayer, born enemy of Rome, but doomed to fight for the Republic in the Forgotten Legion.
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can't stop listening
- By mark malcolm on 07-22-24
By: Ben Kane
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Pompeii
- A Novel
- By: Robert Harris
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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All along the Mediterranean coast, the Roman empire’s richest citizens are relaxing in their luxurious villas, enjoying the last days of summer. The world’s largest navy lies peacefully at anchor in Misenum. The tourists are spending their money in the seaside resorts of Baiae, Herculaneum, and Pompeii. But the carefree lifestyle and gorgeous weather belie an impending cataclysm, and only one man is worried.
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We know the ending
- By Charles on 12-02-03
By: Robert Harris
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Genghis
- Birth of an Empire
- By: Conn Iggulden
- Narrated by: Richard Ferrone
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Genghis Khan was born Temujin, the son of a khan, raised in a clan of hunters migrating across the rugged steppe. Shaped by abandonment and betrayal, Temujin endured, driven by a singular fury: to survive in the face of death, to kill before being killed, and to conquer enemies who could come without warning from beyond the horizon. Through a series of courageous raids, Temujin's legend grew until he was chasing a vision: to unite many tribes into one, to make the earth tremble under the hoofbeats of 1,000 warhorses, to subject all nations and empires to his will.
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Simply Extraordinary
- By TR Jensen on 05-17-22
By: Conn Iggulden
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I Am Rome
- A Novel of Julius Caesar
- By: Santiago Posteguillo
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
- Length: 17 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Rome, 77 B.B. 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.
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The Masters of Rome Series has spoiled me
- By TCH on 05-01-24
What listeners say about The First Man in Rome
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- steve
- 04-29-19
not enough
it read like a Wikipedia page being narrated with some day-time soap operas mixed in. too much summary, not enough of the tangible. I wanted more of everything. it's like she wanted to make Game of Thrones but they only gave her a 175 pages to work with, so we ended up with this.
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- Jean
- 09-01-14
interesting historical novel
If you are interested in Roman history this is a good book to read. The author tells a vivid story of two men who served in the Senate in ancient Rome. McCullough illustrates in all-encompassing and extensive detail, an image of life of the upper echelons of Roman society that is wholly believable. She not only describes how meaningful a sagum is to a Roman soldier, but also tells of domestic industriousness of Julia, matriarch of the Caesar’s household. A complete historical education of the time period is interwoven by way of anecdotes, digressions, and dialogue such that a fabulously rich and complex historical novel results. The author’s research for the historical novel is amazing; the book is more or less historically accurate.
The book revolves about its eponymous hero, Gaius Marius, Rome’s ablest general and a man destined to be a six times a Consul and his wife Julia, a beautiful aristocrat of the Juli Caesar family. (She is Julius Caesar’s aunt. Julius is a baby at the end of the book.) The other key person is the young Lucius Cornelius Sulla form the core of the story. The author masterfully illustrates through a story centered around the two men, the place of women in ancient Roman civilization, with the women of Julian family figure prominently as well. The author is terrific when writing about women. McCullough losses the story’s momentum when she is describing the politics of the time. The two men served together to win the war against Numidia (Africa) in 107 B.C.E. and held off the Cimbri and Teutonii Germanus tribes invasion between 103-102 B.C.E. Even though one man is a liberal and the other a conservative they are able to put aside their political difference to work together for the betterment of Rome. This is the first book of a series about Rome.
The book was narrated by David Ogden Stiers. This is my second book by McCullough the first one I read by her was “The Thorn Birds”.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Jeremy Causer
- 05-08-22
The best historical fiction I have ever read.
Simply the greatest novel on Rome I have ever read. The Masters of Rome series is a masterpiece. Love the narration too.
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- Bibliophilos
- 10-12-20
Good listening
The narrator, David Ogden Steers, is very good. I wish it had been unabridged, so only 4 stars, but is is a fine tale.
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- KU Jayhawk
- 04-30-24
wanted the unabridged version
I thought I got the unabridged version, but this was abridged. It seemed very disjointed. It wasn't until the very end that it said it was abridged.
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- Caroline Adaire
- 02-01-19
So boring.
It's a history lesson. The characters are flat and I felt no concern for them. Yawn.
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- VeePee
- 03-04-25
HEAVILY ABRIDGED
I thought the character development and plot were shallow and blocky. Then it turns out it is a heavily abridged version, although it is not obviously marked as such on the Audible website. I'm displeased with Audible, not the book.
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- Mom of moms
- 03-16-16
perfect
Enjoyed the speakers wonderful deep soothing voice. I would recommend this story to anyone that enjoys stories with more than one main character.
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- Itssooome
- 09-30-19
Good, if you have never read/heard the story.
Too much of the story had been cut in the abridgment. Many key story lines were omitted which left me extremely disappointed. Granted her stories are detailed and long, but I would have published it in two audio books rather than cut content.
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- Kindle Customer
- 08-24-22
Sadly abridged, hurts the overall experience
I read this book ages ago, but still remembered enough to notice the many missing parts in such a glaring way, it consistently effected my enjoyment of the story, even with David Ogden Stiers as a performer. He was fabulous as a reader, but this audio book was sadly not as good as it could have been. Disappointed.
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