IMPERIUM by Robert Harris (fic)

What I enjoy most about a Robert Harris novel is that he has done his homework, and I can be fairly sure that the facts that he presents are correct.  One of his more famous novel is "Enigma" about undercover work in WWII.  "Ghostwriter was set on an island like Martha's Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast.  "Pompeii" an excellent read about the fated city and volcano Vesuvius is equally entertaining.  The novel "Imperium" is about the early life of the great Roman orator Cicero.  It takes place in the years 79-70 BC when Cicero was a rising star in Roman politics.  Democracy was at its best during this time in Rome's imperial history.  The story is narrated by Tiro, Cicero's slave scribe who eventually outlived him and was given his freedom.  As an aside, Tiro invented a type of shorthand that proved a precursor of the modern type.  This was the time of the powerful military leaders Pompey and Crassus.  Julius Caesar is a rising star and plays only a small role in the book.  Tiro chronicles Cicero's rise from a man of modest background, to the most popular orator and lawyer in Rome, to finally the supreme achievement of Roman Consul.  The author writes in a straightforward plain manner and is not big on style.  It reads much like a biography and a primer on the history of Rome during this period.  While I became engrossed in the historical aspects of the novel, and it led me to do some further research, it is definitely not a page turner.  It is more of a contemplative read.  Harris followed this book up with "Conspirata" which follows  Cicero's further history and the rise of Marc Antony who eventually has Cicero murdered.