The Field of Swords
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| Author | Conn Iggulden |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Emperor series |
| Subject(s) | Julius Caesar |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Released | December 2004 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 588 (Hardback), 656 (Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-00-713693-5 (Hardback), ISBN 0-00-713694-3 (Paperback) |
| Preceded by | The Death of Kings |
| Followed by | The Gods of War |
The Field of Swords is the third novel in the Emperor series, written by British author Conn Iggulden. The series is historical fiction following the life of Julius Caesar.
The book was released in the UK in December 2004, and published by HarperCollins. The story follows Julius Caesar from his position as Governor in Spain, through the Gallic Wars, the conquest of Britannia, the defeat of Vercingetorix, and eventually crossing of the Rubicon signalling the beginning of the Roman Civil War.
The book, like its predecessors, is not entirely accurate in historical terms. Some events in Caesar's life were changed for plot purposes.
Having defeaten Spartacus in The Death of Kings, Caesar is serving a five year term as Governor Of Spain (Hispania Ulterior) with his Tenth legion. Depressed with guilt still over the death of his wife in The Death of Kings, he has exhausted himself in conquering and expanding Spain. However when his friend Marcus Brutus' mother (Servilia) arrives, she engages in a romance with him and re-awakens his desire for power.
Before his term ends he deserts his Governorship (a serious crime amongst Roman patricians) to challenge for the role of Consul. With the help of current Consul Crassus he manages, yet only just and by getting himself into unbelieveable levels of debt (and by defeating a mercenary army on the verge of attacking Rome), to obtain the rank. To allow himself unprecedented military control of a province after his first 6 months as Consul, Caesar forms the First Triumvirate with Crassus and Pompey, the old Consuls.
After 6 months fulfilling promises he made during the election campaign, Caesar takes: his Tenth legion, the Third Gallica (formed from the mercenary survivors) and 2 legions from northern Italy to a small outpost in Gaul.
Whilst fighting in Gaul, Rome is sliding towards strife as 2 new senators Clodius and Milo attempt to wrest control of the city from each other, with their gangs by terrorizing and fighting in the city. On a final night, the Curia is destroyed and both are killed by each other and Pompeys legion. After this night, Pompey declares himself Dictator and begins his dominion of the city. Meanwhile Crassus is killed fighting with his legion in Parthia leaving Pompey sole master.
After 8 years of fighting, 2 expeditions to Britain, 1 million Gauls killed and another million sold into slavery; Caesar must make possibly the most important decision of his life. Does he return to Rome alone as ordered by the Dictator Pompey , where his only military rival will most likely kill him or plunge the Roman world into a civil war and see whether he survives. With a night of soul-searching on the Rubicon riverbanks, Caesar utters the words "the die is cast" (alea iacta est in Latin) and heads south to Rome with his legions.
One of the historical strays in this book is that Crassus and Pompey seem to serve 2-4 years as Consul when the limit was 1 year and the Senate wouldn't have allowed them the consecutive terms it did to Marius. Also, at the end of The Gods of War, at that time Octavian would have been 19 rather than the late 20's-early 30's he is now and then.
