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Agrippa : A Novel of Ancient Rome's Descent Into Dictatorship
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Overview
From the #1 internationally bestselling author of Conclave and Dictator, a gripping tale of ancient Rome's descent into dictatorship He was born feet first, a dangerous way to enter the world. His mother did not survive, and the nickname, Agrippa--mother killer--stuck. But the schoolyard taunting only served to harden his resolve and hone his predilection for aggression. In time, the name lost its sting and became instead a mark of his invincibility. It came to shape his destiny. Agrippa was a mere commoner, a plebeian, his father a humble Stoic, but he earned the respect and fear of his peers. He defended a bullied young boy, Octavius, who turned out to be the nephew of Caesar himself, a chance encounter that would change the trajectory of his life. He eventually joined the ranks of the legionnaires and marched against their enemies. His prowess on the battlefield spoke for itself, and Caesar relied on him to protect his favored nephew. When Caesar was murdered in the Senate, Octavius inherited the empire in name only. To assume the mantle he would have to fight for it, and Agrippa, forever by his side, would be his closest advisor and the merciless agent of his military will. As gripping and full of intrigue as his bestselling novel Conclave, Agrippa is Robert Harris's monumental return to the world of ancient Rome on the precipice of dictatorship, a novel for our times.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9780385552387
- ISBN-10: 0385552386
- Publisher: Doubleday Books
- Publish Date: September 2026
- Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.33 x 1.32 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.35 pounds
- Page Count: 384
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Robert Harris is well-acquainted with the transitional period between the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire: He wrote an entire trilogy on the life and career of the legendary Roman senator and orator Cicero. And he's certainly no stranger to drawing parallels between ancient Rome and modern governments.
After the success of the 2024 Oscar-nominated film adaptation of his novel Conclave, more eyes are on Harris' fiction than ever before, and he's chosen to return to the world of the dying Roman Republic with a compelling new perspective. Intimate, tense and rich with historical detail, Agrippa: A Novel of Ancient Rome's Descent Into Dictatorship is perhaps the ultimate story of the power behind the throne, mapping Rome's dictatorial turn under Caesar Augustus in a clear-eyed and nuanced narrative.
Narrated by the title character, a powerful lieutenant and Augustus’ trusted friend, Agrippa takes the form of an extended fictional memoir as Agrippa takes stock of how he rose from modest beginnings to stand at the right hand of power. His story begins with a childhood bond with a young boy of privilege named Octavius, continues through the rise of Julius Caesar, traverses the civil war upon Caesar's assassination and, finally, takes Agrippa into the highest halls of Roman authority as he helps his best friend, now Caesar's heir, consolidate power over all of Rome. Agrippa is the fighter of the duo, Octavius—who became Augustus—the shrewd politician, and by the end, Agrippa's forced to wonder if, for his entire life, he was simply a tool in the hands of someone more powerful.
The novel’s deceptively simple concept is immediately compelling, as Harris weaves together fact and invention to brush new color onto one of history's pivotal moments. It would be easy for a story like this to descend into sermonizing on our own era’s parallels to Octavius' rise and Agrippa’s complicity in the horrors and triumphs that followed. Instead, Harris takes a more meditative approach, reflecting on the value of ideals like loyalty, victory and steadfastness in the face of bitter compromise and cruelty. The prose is rich and driving, the characters layered and memorable even outside of their historical context, and the lessons of Agrippa's story both apparent and thoroughly entertaining. This is vintage Harris, great for longtime fans and new readers alike.
Robert Harris is well-acquainted with the transitional period between the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire: He wrote an entire trilogy on the life and career of the legendary Roman senator and orator Cicero. And he's certainly no stranger to drawing parallels between ancient Rome and modern governments.
After the success of the 2024 Oscar-nominated film adaptation of his novel Conclave, more eyes are on Harris' fiction than ever before, and he's chosen to return to the world of the dying Roman Republic with a compelling new perspective. Intimate, tense and rich with historical detail, Agrippa: A Novel of Ancient Rome's Descent Into Dictatorship is perhaps the ultimate story of the power behind the throne, mapping Rome's dictatorial turn under Caesar Augustus in a clear-eyed and nuanced narrative.
Narrated by the title character, a powerful lieutenant and Augustus’ trusted friend, Agrippa takes the form of an extended fictional memoir as Agrippa takes stock of how he rose from modest beginnings to stand at the right hand of power. His story begins with a childhood bond with a young boy of privilege named Octavius, continues through the rise of Julius Caesar, traverses the civil war upon Caesar's assassination and, finally, takes Agrippa into the highest halls of Roman authority as he helps his best friend, now Caesar's heir, consolidate power over all of Rome. Agrippa is the fighter of the duo, Octavius—who became Augustus—the shrewd politician, and by the end, Agrippa's forced to wonder if, for his entire life, he was simply a tool in the hands of someone more powerful.
The novel’s deceptively simple concept is immediately compelling, as Harris weaves together fact and invention to brush new color onto one of history's pivotal moments. It would be easy for a story like this to descend into sermonizing on our own era’s parallels to Octavius' rise and Agrippa’s complicity in the horrors and triumphs that followed. Instead, Harris takes a more meditative approach, reflecting on the value of ideals like loyalty, victory and steadfastness in the face of bitter compromise and cruelty. The prose is rich and driving, the characters layered and memorable even outside of their historical context, and the lessons of Agrippa's story both apparent and thoroughly entertaining. This is vintage Harris, great for longtime fans and new readers alike.