Dominus: An Epic Tale of Power and Betrayal in the Roman Empire

Eric Smith: After following the fortunes of the Pinaari family through all it's ups and downs the story finally concludes.
Three very enjoyable books take us through the history of Rome and it's many Emperors some likeable others less so. A great way to pull all the threads together and a series that was impossible to put down. Highly recommended.

United Kingdom on Apr 27, 2023

Paolo F.: bellissimo!

Italy on Jan 26, 2023

Rowan Element: Loved this book, which is big and filled with adventure and historical facts. This book is part of a series and so far I have enjoyed them all.

Australia on Dec 09, 2022

Alison S. Coad: “Dominus” is the concluding volume of Steven Saylor’s sprawling Roman history that began with Roma and continued with Empire. Here, we follow the fortunes of the Pinarii clan, now largely known as builders and sculptors, during the period of AD 165 and the reign of Marcus Aurelius to AD 325, when Constantine takes over the empire, converts to Christianity and begins his massive project to create a New Rome in what becomes Constantinople. Throughout this 160 year period, the Pinarii are once again close to power, able to observe the changes at first hand and comment on it all. As with the previous two novels, there is a lot of gore and cruelty depicted, but the overall effect is to come away with a fairly comprehensive knowledge of ancient history, more or less. I read all three books back-to-back and would perhaps caution other readers against doing so, simply because after a while the constant plagues, fires, assassinations and invasions all become rather repetitive - but then, that’s history for you! Recommended.

United States on Sep 22, 2022

Glorie Sacco: Captivating, entertaining, educational account of emperors through the eyes of a Senatorial family over 100+ years. Following the continuation of the family is genius in itself, but the detailed vision of the emperors, their families and the society around them, make for an easy read that you don't want to put down.

United States on Jun 11, 2022

Clemens A. Schoonderwoert: **Should Read as 4.5 Stars!**

After having read the tremendous books called, Roma and Empire, I've thoroughly also enjoyed this 3rd episode called "Dominus", featuring the Pinarii Family, situated now in late 2nd until early 4th century AD.

At the beginning of the book you'll find a wonderful map of the Roman World, starting with the reign of Marcus Aurelius circa AD 165, and this map is followed by the Pinarii Family Tree in the Imperial Period, and some quotes and a Latin explanation of the word "Dominus".

At the end of the book you'll notice an extensive but also a very well documented Author's Note, where the historical details concerning this period of history are superbly explained, and last but not least a list of Roman Emperors, starting from AD 161-180 with Marcus Aurelius, jointly with Lucius Verus until his death in AD 169, until the sole ruler of Emperor Constantine, AD 324-337.

Storytelling is of a superb quality, the chapters are wonderfully linked with each other historically, all characters come splendidly to life in this tale about Imperial power, family feuds, plague-ridden deaths and religious-seeking elements, and all that happening...

United Kingdom on Apr 25, 2022

Gilbert Borman: Saylor is simply one of the best historical fiction writers out there.

His ability to plop his characters down into the events and people of ancient Rome is just amazing.

His use of the Pinari family of artisans was a quite clever literary device to put his characters in the presence of the emperors. While I think that the life expectancy of anyone who came into contact of most emperors was 1 generation, the Pinari are plausible enough and, naturally, the stars are the Domini (my Latin is rusty).

United States on Sep 17, 2021

Dr Mervyn Eastman: I consider Saylor as the first amongst all historical novelists writing on ancient Rome. Dominus, was of course highly readable, but lacked the pace of his other Republic/Imperial Roman sagas. That said, I highly recommended it, and he remains my favoured author of this period.

United Kingdom on Aug 27, 2021

JRAlpine: In “Dominus,” author Steven Saylor depicts the story of Rome from Marcus Aurelius to Constantine through the eyes of the Pinarius family, a gifted clan of artists and builders whose monuments chronicle the steady decline of a once-dominant empire. The device allows the author to sustain a fictional narrative without sacrificing historical accuracy.

Saylor tells his complicated story with ease and grace, never losing track of key themes. The decadence on display is startling: Who’d guess that Caligula was perhaps not Rome’s most dissolute ruler? The Pinarii endure war, plagues, corruption, terror, and religious fanaticism of all sorts as Rome comes apart. The grandeur that was Rome? Not in this book. But you can't turn away.

United States on Aug 16, 2021

D. C. ROSSD. C. ROSS: Saylor has a firm grasp on the arc of history flowing through the history of Roma. In this latest look, we're treated to Galen's rise to fame, Commodus' luck by way of a fascinus, and an interesting perspective on early Christianity by non-Christians. There's more of course but I wouldn't want to spoil your read.

If you've enjoyed Saylor's previous efforts you will not be disappointed by Dominus. And remember, Freud had nothing on these phallic loving Romans!

United States on Jul 26, 2021