Agrippa by Robert Harris.
Harris dials back the clock a few thousand years from his novel-turned-Academy Award-winning film Conclave, delving into a topic to satisfy the curiosity of those with the Roman Empire frequently on their minds.
Agrippa is a lesser-known plebeian “meathead” who rises through the ranks of the legionnaires to become an adviser to Augustus, Rome’s first emperor. From the novel emerges a portrait of the juvenile men who dictated the course of history for centuries.
“It is a sign of Harris’ discipline as a novelist that he has Agrippa tell his tale in almost comically unambitious prose,” The Guardian wrote. Buy Agrippa from your local bookstore.