Someone gave me Julius and I was just wondering if anyone had read it. Is it worth reading? I’ve never read any of Vidal’s works. What is it like?
Not bad if you are into late antiquity. You can read the story without any background much beyond a high school undertanding of the Roman Empire, but it will be very enjoyable if you know who Constitine and company were, the history of the early church, and so on.
If you like gossip about politicos and intellectuals of 40s 50s and 60s and after, Vidal’s Palimpsest is a great read.
Nitpick: I think you’re referring to Julian, the Roman emperor who used to be called “The Apostate”, because he tried to re-instate the worship of the old Roman Gods. And he did it without persecuting Christians or Jews. A fascinating read. Vidal was quite a good historical novelist (read Creation or Burr), and he researched this one pretty well. Highly recommended.