The October Horse

Caesar reaches Egypt chasing Pompey, fights the Alexandrian war and gets involved with Cleopatra. Then he beats the last Republicans in Africa and Spain, led by Metellus Scipio, Cato, Labienus and Pompey's sons. At his peak, torn between his duty to Rome and Cleopatra, Caesar is assassinated on the Ides of March by Brutus, Cassius and the Liberators. His will names the heir: Octavian, his 18-year-old great-nephew, a promising young man who turns cold and vengeful. He fights Mark Antony for power, Cicero is killed, and the two end up allied against Caesar's murderers. The book ends with the battle of Philippi, in 42 BC, where the armies of Brutus and Cassius are defeated.

1. Behind the scenesThe October Horse

   The title comes from a chariot race on the Ides of October. The right-hand horse of the winning team was sacrificed to the gods. In the book, Caesar is that horse: the best in Rome.

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2. Behind the scenesMeant to be the end

   McCullough planned this as the final book. She argued the Republic truly fell after Philippi. Most historians point to Actium, in 31 BC, instead.

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3. SetupThe boy from Apollonia

   Octavian, Caesar's great-nephew, shows up as a promising young man with firm values. Watch closely how he changes over the course of the book.

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