#29 I, Claudius

This took me longer than I would have liked to finish it, but that's not to say that it was bad. The book was quit amazing, and this was my first attempt at reading historical fiction. Many have called I, Claudius a masterpiece, and for many reasons this label is accurate. At quite a few points, I forgot that I was even reading historical fiction and had to remind myself that it was not the Emperor Claudius who wrote the book, but Robert Graves. Easily the most fascinating span of the book is during Caligula's reign, and the subsequent chapter of how Claudius became Emperor. Of course, his rise to the throne is not surprising, but that's not the point. Here, and as with all history, the lesson that should be taken away is to learn from the mistakes and not make those same ones.

I recommend the book to any who are intrigued by the Roman Empire and I will make it a point to read Claudius the god now.