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The first volume in a major new series that brings to life the colour and spectacle of Ancient Rome. An epic tale of ambition and rivalry, bravery and betrayal, from a storyteller with the great gift of bringing history alive in a compelling and thrilling novel. From the spectacle of gladiatorial combat to the intrigue of the Senate, from the foreign wars that created an empire to the political conflict that almost tore it apart, the ’Emperor’ trilogy tells the remarkable story of the man who would become the greatest Roman of them all. On an estate just outside Rome in the First Century BC, two boys share the hardships of traditional education as they prepare for lives as soldiers and leaders, friends and rivals. Gaius and Marcus have barely reached manhood when their home is suddenly threatened by slave riots and they have to battle for their lives before fleeing to Rome. Thrust into a strange new life in the most exciting city in the world, the young men waste no time in savouring all its temptations - and dangers. For a titanic power struggle is about to explode. Soon citizen will fight citizen in a bloody conflict that will shake the Republic to its core. And Gaius and Marcus will be in the thick of the action.