 First US edition cover | |
| Author | Colleen McCullough |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Masters of Rome series |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Century (UK) Simon & Schuster (US) |
Publication date | 7 November 2002 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | Print (Hardback &Paperback) |
| Pages | 608 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0-7126-8056-X (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 59462504 |
| Preceded by | Caesar |
| Followed by | Antony and Cleopatra |
The October Horse is the sixth novel inColleen McCullough'sMasters of Rome series.[1] It was first published in November 2002 byCentury in UK andSimon & Schuster in USA.
The book begins withGaius Julius Caesar's Egyptian campaign inAlexandria, his final battles with the Republicans led byMetellus Scipio,Cato the Younger,Titus Labienus and the brothers Pompeius in Africa and Spain, and ultimately Caesar's assassination on theIdes of March byMarcus Brutus,Gaius Cassius and the Liberators. The latter stages ofThe October Horse chronicle the death ofCicero, the emergence ofOctavian and his battles withMark Antony, and conclude with theBattle of Philippi.
The title of the book comes from a peculiar chariot race inRome on theIdes of October, after which the right-hand horse of the winning team was sacrificed to the Roman gods. Then two teams, one from theSubura and the other from theVia Sacra, competed for the Horse's head.Julius Caesar, figuratively the best war horse in Rome, represents the October Horse in this novel.
Kirkus Reviews says the book is "a rousing and richly satisfying take on some of history's real beings."[2]
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