
Historical fiction book · Curated
Dictator
Robert Harris · historical fiction
Series: Cicero trilogy
Cicero’s final years—exile, return, and the death of the Roman Republic—told by his secretary Tiro.
Why read it: Closing volume of Harris’s Cicero trilogy—politics as thriller.
About this historical novel
Dictator by Robert Harris is historical fiction set around 58–43 BCE in the Ancient world period with key settings including Rome, Italy. Cicero’s final years—exile, return, and the death of the Roman Republic—told by his secretary Tiro.
On HisFic we tag it under 4. Biographical fiction and 1. Literary historical fiction so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include politics, power, oratory, and republic. Closing volume of Harris’s Cicero trilogy—politics as thriller.
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Plot summary
Cicero’s final years—exile, return, and the death of the Roman Republic—told by his secretary Tiro. Closing volume of Harris’s Cicero trilogy—politics as thriller.
Subgenres
Eras
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Regions & places
Europe
Rome · Italy
Themes
- politics
- power
- oratory
- republic
Tags
series · rome · political