Augustus is an epistolary novel chronicling the life of Augustus, the first Roman Empire. His life, and Rome itself during his reign, is documented in a series of letters dated before, during, and after his lifetime, written by his friends, family, supporters, and enemies. And, in the final section Augustus himself writes his own memoir reflecting on his life.

Augustus is a really well-done piece of historical fiction. The characters all come alive through their correspondence, and while Augustus features as a character with dialogue only very briefly until the very end of the novel, he's so richly described through the other characters' eyes that he still takes center stage. The prose is modern while still feeling ancient, and it's obvious Williams drew heavily from real extant letters. The novel paints a very human picture of the emperor who for all intents and purposes was ruler of the world; despite this fact the characters see him as fallible and manipulable and decidedly imperfect.

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading Williams's other novels. If you'd like to read some Roman history that doesn't focus so much on the typical warring and legionnaire adventures, this is a good choice. I did find myself visualizing the characters as their actors in HBO's Rome, which is a compliment to that show.