Reading Suggestions?

[Eli]

Caesar is #5 and Caesar's Women is #4. All the rest is correct.

I think you can start with Fortune's Favorites. You'll miss the early life and rise of Sulla, but Pompey and Caesar start their careers in this book and Marius is already dead so it's mostly a clean start.

There arent many women and plot stuff in any of the books. You have a few major characters like Aurelia and Servilia, but most of the time it's politics, politics, politics.

[Ecthy]

I ask because once I read in some book catalogue about soem youth book with youth character Caesar and his girlgriend and evil Sulla being an evil guy. Don't want to read any cheesy kiddy/youth "literature".

[Tuberski]

Oh and read The Stainless Steel Rat books if you can find them.

Also, Armor by John Steakley is an awesome book, and he's currently working on a sequel.

ACK!

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Tuberski
Oh and read The Stainless Steel Rat books if you can find them.

I remember seeing them, but I never read any.
Can you give me a thumbnail of what I missed?

[Eli]

Originally posted by Ecthy
I ask because once I read in some book catalogue about soem youth book with youth character Caesar and his girlgriend and evil Sulla being an evil guy. Don't want to read any cheesy kiddy/youth "literature".

No, the Masters of Rome Series is nothing like that.

But it's far from perfect. The main problem is, as I already said, the over idealization of some characters. In the first books, you have Marius and Sulla as super efficient men, always thinking right and straight, always having the good of Rome at first priority. While most of their opponents are little men, inefficient, selfish, etc. Scaurus the Princeps Senatus is the only rival who gets a positive treatment and even that's because he joins Marius towards the end.

Only during Marius' executions and Sullas proscription they lose their positive aura.

With Caesar it gets even worse. He's practically a god. He's already super-smart when he's a toddler, he's a on an entirely different level of clear thinking and efficiency than anyone else, he looks great and he has a huge dick (mentioned and referred to more than once). The last three books are one big Caesar hagiography.


Despite this the books are still a great read, as long as you always keep in mind that reality was probably a bit more balanced.

[Ecthy]

A big dick?

[Eli]

The biggest in Rome, or so Colleen says.

[MRT144]

the end of poverty

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Ecthy
A big dick?

Ah. Biggus Dickus.

How I larfed.

[Ecthy]

I once 'knew' a girl Colleen. No ,actually I only about knew her via friends. A friend of a friend so to speak.

She was of the kind you like to show your d!ck to.

[Tuberski]

Originally posted by Zkribbler


I remember seeing them, but I never read any.
Can you give me a thumbnail of what I missed?

Sure:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat

ACK!

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Ecthy
I once 'knew' a girl Colleen. No ,actually I only about knew her via friends. A friend of a friend so to speak.

She was of the kind you like to show your d!ck to.

She used your dictaphone ? Or did she blow on your saxophone ?

[Ecthy]

Not me personally. She had a weird boyfriend. A friend of mine kept fingering her now and again anyway.

A weird bunch.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Ecthy

Not me personally. She had a weird boyfriend. A friend of mine kept fingering her now and again anyway.

I never encountered that kind of phraseology in my German audio-visual classes or textbooks.

'Karl and Ingrid live in Rodenkirchen. They are twins. Karl's friends finger Ingrid from time to time.

They eat... Rotkohl mit Kartoffeln dazu.... and listen to the Screamers....'


I knew they were leaving something out.

[Ecthy]

Er... whatever. Apparently she was a virgin at the time, and her boyfriend was a guy known for claiming his own virginity to create trust, deflower, and break up soon after. My friend fingered her but never told her what an a$$hole her b/f was.