Review of 'The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic' on 'Storygraph'
3 stars
As a narrative it holds up well, but I left the book wishing there was a bit more theory. What really caused the end of the Roman Republic? Was it the decline of mos maiorum? Was it too much power accumulating in the aristocracy of the senate? These things are mentioned but never really wrapped up into a tight package. I did enjoy the voice and the tone of the book. Many authors writing about ancient history manage to make war, political infighting, and social revolution out to be the driest material, but Mike Duncan makes this story out to be an engaging narrative. Inspires me to finish his podcast, The History of Rome.
