I'm a (very) minor history buff (I don't have as much time as I'd like to read about history outside of the topics I study) so I'm finding most of this pretty fascinating. There's a BBC series that goes along with it, however the book is so much more detailed that people who enjoyed the show should really go read this.
It covers eight defining moments in Roman history, from the Republic-era tension between the commons and the elite, through to Julius Cesar and Pompey the Great's civil war, to Augustus's rule and the end of the Julio-Claudian era to the sacking of Rome in the early 4th century by the Visigoths. It's been quite an enthralling read so far (I'm almost finished), so I guess I'd recommend it to anyone who has a passing interest in learning about the Roman Empire and doesn't really know where to start, as its very broad and provides a good base in order to 'fill in the blanks' with more detailed accounts of the periods covered.
. For me the originality of the world and future depicted is reason enough, but the story is pretty good too. It doesn't have the subtility and wordplay of, say, David Mitchell, but it's decently written.
