The book Antonius, Son of Rome is a historical fiction novel by Brook Allen. It’s the first book of a trilogy about Marc Antony, or Marcus Antonius. The date of publication is 2018. To read my other recent book reviews, please check out:

Dying of Whiteness, by Jonathan Metzl

Opium and Absinthe, by Lydia Kang

The Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

Freshwater Road, by Denise Nicholas

Antonius, Son of Rome is a fictional biography. Fictional biography is something I write myself. Trust me, it isn’t easy to do well. Usually, the reader knows what’s going to happen eventually, and the author still must entertain them and make the story interesting.

Choosing Marc Antony as the subject of the biography wasn’t an easy choice, either. Like most figures from the Roman Republic, we don’t know a great deal about his early life. Most of what we do know comes from his career as a public figure. This isn’t a surprise, especially for Roman historical figures. In Republican Rome, public action was the only thing that counted. The idea of an introspective Roman is a contradiction in terms.

Portrayal of Antony in Antonius, Son of Rome

The author portrayed Antony as a complex figure with plenty of flaws. In fact, her portrayal of Antony was everything I hate about aristocracy. He became the head of his family at a young age after his father dies in disgrace and his stepfather takes part in the Catiline Conspiracy and suffers execution as a result. Those things were misfortunes outside of Antony’s control.

But nearly everything else about his early years is disastrous. Antony opens a private club for gambling, drinking, and whoring in one of Rome’s slums. He does a great deal of all three. Before long, Antony is a drunk so deeply in debt he must sell off family heirlooms just to meet the interest. (The author gave a rough estimate of $14 million dollars in debt by his early 20s. Now that is running up a tab.)

As a result of his irresponsibility, people around him suffer. Thugs hired by his creditors murder his first wife. His family remains in disgrace. This is especially bad in Republican Rome, where public reputation means everything. The only thing that saves him from the early death he deserves for his poor decisions is that Julius Caesar is his cousin. Caesar pays for Antony to go to Greece and learn military tactics.

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Moving On in Antoninus, Son of Rome

You can guess what happens after that because if you’ve ever heard the name Marc Antony, you know he was a powerful Roman general who eventually teams with the Egyptian Cleopatra. But even this part of the story doesn’t salvage Antony’s character for me. He’s brave in combat, yes, and a skilled tactician. But why is that a trait people might admire today? Being good at killing people for the sake of conquering them isn’t virtuous. It’s might makes right.

And why is it that Antony goes to Egypt in the first place? To get a share of the spoils from conquering—to pay off his debts and get more prestigious military commands. So, more people must die and suffer, so that Antony escapes the consequences of his previous irresponsibility and can return to living the lifestyle he “deserves” as a Roman aristocrat from a prominent family.

Is this a fair critique? After all, few people in Republican Rome saw things that way. But it surely isn’t heroic or worthy of admiration now. Is it fair to critique a book for a morally archaic attempt at heroic portrayal?

In Spite of That . . .

At this point, you’re probably thinking that I’ll give Antonius, Son of Rome a low grade as a book. But that’s not true. My quarrel is with Antony and the way of life he represents (and with people today who continue to lionize that way of life), not with the author’s storytelling ability. The historical descriptions in the book were quality. The character portrayals had some nuance. I’m not a true expert in all facets of Republican Rome, but I’ve read my share, and nothing seemed far out of place.

The fact that I made it through a book about a character I couldn’t empathize with means that the storytelling was just fine. It’s also, I suppose, a warning to writers who want to write stories outside the box about unlikeable people. They should tread carefully. Or, perhaps, that’s just me and my views about what makes someone sympathetic showing through. In any case, as a story, Antonius, Son of Rome is a quality work of historical fiction. Give the book 8 points out of 10.

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As always, I welcome constructive and polite discussion in the comments section. Thank you for reading!