Series · historical fiction
Cicero Trilogy
The Cicero Trilogy series by Robert Harris has 3 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Imperium (2006).
- Books
- 3 books
- First published
- 2006
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: Imperium (2006) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
About the Cicero Trilogy series
Narrated throughout by Tiro, Cicero's real-life slave and secretary (and the historical inventor of an early Latin shorthand system), the Cicero Trilogy dramatizes the Roman statesman's entire public career: his rise from provincial outsider to Consul of Rome in Imperium, his consulship and the Catiline conspiracy in Lustrum, and his slow fall from power under Julius Caesar and the triumvirs that follow in Dictator. Harris treats Cicero's political maneuvering -- alliances, bribery, courtroom rhetoric, backroom deals -- with the same tension and pacing he brings to his contemporary thrillers, turning the collapse of the Roman Republic into a character study of ambition, principle, and compromise.
Published between 2006 and 2015, the trilogy draws heavily on Cicero's surviving letters and speeches, and on Plutarch's biography, giving it a grounding in primary sources unusually deep even for Harris's typically well-researched fiction. Lustrum was published in the US under the alternate title Conspirata. Distinct from Harris's many standalone novels (tracked separately on this site), this is his only continuous multi-book series, following one man's career from beginning to end across three books rather than resetting with each new premise -- making it the natural pick for readers who want more Harris after finishing one of his standalones, especially those drawn to Pompeii's ancient-Rome setting.
How to read this series
Read in publication order: Imperium, Lustrum (published in the US as Conspirata), Dictator. The trilogy tells one continuous story of Cicero's career from young lawyer to elder statesman, so the books build directly on each other and should not be read out of sequence. No prior knowledge of Roman history is required -- Tiro's narration explains the political system as it goes -- though readers who enjoyed Pompeii will find the same historical rigor and vivid sense of ancient Rome here, deepened across three books instead of one.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Cicero Trilogy?
Three: Imperium (2006), Lustrum (2009), and Dictator (2015).
What order should I read the Cicero Trilogy in?
Publication order -- the three books tell one continuous story of Cicero's political career.
Why is Lustrum sometimes called Conspirata?
That's its US title; it's the same book published under a different name in America.
Who narrates the Cicero Trilogy?
Tiro, Cicero's real historical secretary and the inventor of an early Latin shorthand, narrates all three books.
Is the Cicero Trilogy connected to Robert Harris's other novels?
No -- it's his only continuous multi-book series; his other novels are all standalone, tracked separately on this site.
Reading order last verified .