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The Death of Kings :Emperor Series 2
Author: Conn Iggulden

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN: 9780007321766
Pages: 452
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The Death of Kings - spanning from 81 BC to 71 BC (Cornelia's pregnancy to the defeat of Spartacus). Opening in the Aegean Sea, Caesar leads a group of men to attack a rebellious fortress in Mytilene (historical) and he is saluted for his courage. Meanwhile, Brutus is forced to flee Greece upon having late meetings with a young woman. Accompanied by cruel but magnificent gladiator Renius, he sets off to Rome. Meanwhile, Cornelia is terrified as Sulla haunts her. Upon raping her on the night where her and Caesar's daughter Julia is born, Caesar and Brutus' friend Tubruk (caretaker of Caesar's estate when they were young) kills Sulla and manages to escape uncaught though others are tortured and killed. Caesar is caught by pirates and forced to ransom 20 talents. He suggests 50 instead, and upon being released on the African coast he builds up a minor army, manages to find the pirate in Greece and takes revenge. Upon landing in Greece, he finds out Sulla is dead and decides to go home. Meanwhile, defeated but surviving, Mithridates rebels yet again to fight Rome and Caesar falls into battle with him, managing to defeat and kill the king (the title of the book, suggesting Sulla and Mithridates. This event is fictitious as Mithridates was historically defeated by Pompey and committed suicide more than ten years later.) Upon returning to Rome, Caesar rises as a lawyer and manages to claim Marius' old house and send the optimate housed in it (Antonidus) into slavery, receiving enemies among the optimates. Upon the rebellion of Spartacus, Caesar follows the populares Pompey and Crassus who rallies troops and hunts the slave army to Gaul. Cato, who secretly had Pompey's daughter killed as revenge for Sulla now lets murderers kill Cornelia and Caesar returns in sorrow to Rome. Upon tracking down the assassin, Pompey kills him and Cato. Crassus builds a wall to trap the slaves on the coast. Caesar goes out to fight the last battle, depressed but encouraged by old friend Cabera, a healer and friend of Renius. Spartacus fights the last battle against Pompey and seeing his slaves are defeated he puts on his helmet, grasps his sword and charges into the battle, predicting Rome will fall one day. The book closes with Crassus and Pompey riding along the Via Appia towards Rome, passing six thousand crucified slaves. The two have been assuming power and, having exiled Caesar to Hispania, enter the city, with Pompey believing Caesar will be no more than the man whom he already is.