The boni

[Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus]

In reading one of Colleen McCulloughs books I come across this faction with the likes of Cato, Bibulius, Brutus and others determined to see caesar fall. From the way she writes about them she portrays them as an evil faction, but I don't see them as a evil faction, just a traditional and conservative one. Is her portrayal of them accurate. Are there any books or another resource that talks about the boni to a greater extent. <p></p><i></i>

[Praefectusclassis]

There are about a gazillion books describing the rise of Caesar, Pompey, Crassus and Cicero. The whole political scene is in there, Populares, Optimates, Boni and all. <p>Greets<br>
<br>
Jasper</p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

McCullough's books are novels. It sounds as if you're reading one of the later sequels on Cæsar. Since her earliest protagonists are Gaius Marius and Sulla, she transfers that postion in the next generation to Cæsar. In the novels, the boni are fictional antagonists, but they were political opposition historically. Colleen's sympathies defintiely lie with her protagonists, but that's normal for novelists and their readerships. Cæsar's political opposition definitely saw him as evil incarnate (Cicero in particular), so much so that they assassinated him. As Jasper says, there are numerous other primary sources and many historical studies on that most interesting period.<br>
<br>
Many of us in this forum really like(d) and were influenced by Colleen McCullough's work. I confess my own appreciation of Marius and Sulla has undergone radical revisions and sympathies since I first read her portraits of them. Further reading and study have increased my own appreciation of Marius on the battlefield and Sulla as political animal, while my sympathies from the novel have mutated greatly. She's still a very entertaining writer and has never lost her ability to make her vision of ancient Rome come alive on the pages.<br>
<br>
Wade Heaton<br>
[email protected] <br>
www.togaman.com<br>
Link back up and accessible now! <p></p><i></i>

[Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus]

Thanks both of you for your insight. I did realize that parts of that faction are most likely fictional, but its hard to tell sometimes without reading resources on that period more. Since I am still in the process of studying about rome, I will get to reading more indepth about that period.<br>
<br>
Peace<br>
<br>
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus <p></p><i></i>