They were blessed by the gods at birth with wealth and privilege. In a time of cataclysmic upheaval, a bold new generation of Romans vied for greatness amid the disintegrating remnants of their beloved Republic. But there was one who towered above them all — a brilliant and beautiful boy whose ambition was unequaled, whose love was legend and whose glory was Rome's. A boy they would one day call "Caesar."

Colleen McCullough's name is synonymouswith bestselling fiction. She is the author of nineextraordinary novels: TIM, AN INDECENT OBSESSION,A CREED FOR THE THIRD MILLENNIUM,THE LADIES OF MISSALONGHI, THE FIRST MAN IN ROME,THE GRASS CROWN, FORTUNE'S FAVORITES,CAESAR'S WOMEN, and the acclaimed Internationalphenomenon, THE THORN BIRDS.