The October Horse: a marvellously epic sweeping historical novel full of political intrigue, romance, drama and war

Colleen McCullough

Mar 2012 · Random House

About this ebook

Let international bestselling author Colleen McCullough transport you back in time to Rome to 48 BC: scene of one of the greatest political battles and one of the most passionate love affairs of all time. This is an evocative and enthralling historical novel that will have you gripped. Fans of Conn Iggulden, Madeleine Miller and Simon Scarrow will not be disappointed.

'An enormous rich mountain of a book, which will appeal to people who like their history in great succulent dollops' -- Sunday Times
'Incomparable... Engrossing... Breathtakingly detailed... McCullough has triumphed again' -- Chicago Tribune
'Intrigue, political manoeuvring, grandstanding, gossip, sex, both affectionate and calculated, and wholesale slaughter... McCullough works to charge history with the current of personality.' -- Booklist
'A really engrossing read' -- ***** Reader review
'A masterpiece' -- ***** Reader review
'In a peerless class of its own' -- ***** Reader review
'Entertaining and engrossing' -- ***** Reader review

*****************************************************
Rome, 48 BC: Julius Caesar is in the prime of his life and at the height of his powers.

But behind the myth lies a man beset with contradictions - happily married, he is also the lover of the enigmatic Egyptian queen, Cleopatra; a great general, he wishes to bring to an end Rome's endless wars; conscious of his own power and contemptuous of lesser men, he is determined not to be worshipped as a living god or crowned emperor.
But Caesar is a man whose very greatness attracts envy and jealousy to a dangerous degree, and as the political intrigues which surround him reach their climax, his destruction becomes inevitable...

The October Horse is the sixth book in the Masters of Rome series.

About the author

Colleen McCullough was born in Australia. A neurophysiologist, she established the department of neurophysiology at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, then worked as a researcher and teacher at Yale Medical School for ten years.

Her writing career began with the publication of Tim, followed by The Thorn Birds, a record-breaking international bestseller. The author of over ten other novels, including the acclaimed 'Masters of Rome' series, Dr McCullough also wrote lyrics for musical theatre.

Until her death in 2015 she lived on Norfolk Island in the Pacific with her husband.