“Blood of the Gods” is the fifth novel and short story from the cycle “Emperor.” Julius Caesar has been assassinated, and Rome is filled with grief. The killers who named themselves the Liberators of Rome have been granted amnesty, but they are not at peace with their fate—too loudly their actions have echoed. The Senate is on their side, but not everyone is ready to betray the memory of the great hero of Rome. Mark Antony, a longtime ally of Caesar who rose under his patronage, and Caesar’s adopted son Gaius Octavius have formed an alliance and will stop at nothing—traitors must face retribution.
The story “Fig Tree” by Iggulden is devoted to the last days of the adopted son of Caesar—Octavian, who, under the name Caesar Augustus, was destined to bury the Republic and be the first to assume the title of Emperor of Rome.