Robert Harris has accomplished quite a feat in DICTATOR. Similar to the New Fiction style that was so popular in the ’60s and ’70s, he has taken ancient history and transformed it to read like a modern thriller novel. For those who struggled through history class and could never get into the ancient Roman era, Harris’ latest focuses on the turbulent years in the life of Cicero. Many will recall that Cicero was an infamous figure of this time period, who came to fame mainly as an orator and later as a philosopher and political theorist.

DICTATOR is the final installment of the Ancient Rome Trilogy following IMPERIUM and CONSPIRATA. Book one focuses on the early part of Cicero's career primarily as an orator, and its follow-up outlines his political struggles as he works toward creating a new republic of Rome, which began his assignment as Rome’s consul. What makes these novels so interesting is that they are told through the voice of Tiro, a one-time slave who is Cicero’s companion and scribe. Tiro himself became somewhat famous for creating one of the first systems of shorthand, a skill he put to great use when capturing Cicero’s life on paper.

"Harris does such a deft job formulating the action that you cannot help but root for Cicero, even though his fate has already been determined through the course of history."

This concluding volume opens with a list of Dramatis Personae --- similar to a play --- as there are so many famous characters involved here that you would need a scorecard just to keep everyone straight. The story begins with Cicero in turmoil. He has fled Rome in fear of his life due to the role he played in the attempted overthrow of the government. Although initially strategic in thwarting this attempt, Cicero somehow ended up at odds with Caesar, and this political positioning forces him into a lengthy exile.

Months later, Cicero is finally convinced by those who have provided him shelter that he should make up with Caesar by showing his support to the man and the government he rules over. Cicero reluctantly does so and is welcomed back into favor in Rome. Unfortunately, the turmoil is still all around them, and it’s impossible to know who to trust. When Caesar eventually dies, the rule of Rome falls to Mark Antony. Regrettably for Cicero, Antony is not a fan, thus his days may be numbered.

Harris does such a deft job formulating the action that you cannot help but root for Cicero, even though his fate has already been determined through the course of history. DICTATOR allows us to get inside Cicero’s head --- via the written word of Tiro --- and experience this tumultuous period in history in the same way we would read a thriller about fictionalized creations.