Caligula: A thrilling historical epic set in Ancient Rome that you wont be able to put down

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, the third Roman Emperor, is better known by another name: Caligula, a name synonymous with decadence, cruelty and madness. He is as generous as he is cruel, he is a megalomaniac who declares himself a living god and simultaneously lives in fear of the plots against his life. His paranoia is not misplaced.
A major new historical epic in the tradition of Conn Iggulden combines impeccable research and historical detailing with the power and pace of a great thriller As a young slave, Rufus grows up far from the corruption of Caligula's imperial court where excess, huge building projects, the largest gladiatorial battles Rome was ever to see?men and animals killed in the hundreds?conspiracies, assassination attempts, and sexual scandal were the norm. But when Rufus' growing reputation as an animal trainer and his friendship with Cupido, one of Rome's greatest gladiators, attract the cruel gaze of the Emperor, Rufus is bought from his master and taken to the imperial palace as the keeper of the imperial elephant. Rufus soon sees that life here is dictated by Caligula’s ever shifting moods?he is as generous as he is cruel and he is a megalomaniac who declares himself a living god who simultaneously lives in constant fear of the plots against his life. But Caligula's paranoia is not misplaced, and Rufus and Cupido find themselves unwittingly placed at the center of a conspiracy to assassinate the Emperor.
A major new historical epic, in the tradition of Conn Iggulden, Caligula brilliantly combines impeccable research and historical detail with the power and pace of the best thriller writing.Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, the third Roman Emperor, is better known by another name: Caligula, a name synonymous with decadence and cruelty. His reign was marked by excess, huge building projects, the largest gladiatorial battles Rome was ever to see — men and animals killed in their hundreds — conspiracies and sexual scandal.Rufus as a young slave grows up far from the corruption of the imperial court. His master is a trainer of animals for the gladiatorial arena. Rufus has a natural ability with animals, a talent for controlling and schooling them. It is at the arenas that Rufus meets Cupido, one of Rome’s greatest gladiators.It is his growing reputation as an animal trainer and his friendship with Cupido that attracts the cruel gaze of the Emperor. Caligula wants a keeper for the imperial elephant and Rufus is bought from his master and taken to the palace, where life is dictated by Caligula’s ever shifting moods. Caligula is a megalomaniac who declares himself a living god and simultaneously lives in constant fear of plots against his life. But his paranoia is not misplaced; intrigue permeates his court, and Rufus and Cupido find themselves unwittingly placed at the centre of a conspiracy to assassinate the Emperor.From the Trade Paperback edition.