It is unfortunate that this book, with such a great premise, executes its "story" rather poorly. Glaring historical inaccuracies (Atticus was born in "82 B.C." - really? How would he have known the year if it was 78 years before Jesus of Nazareth was born, and longer still before the calendar was fixed with Christ's birth as the point seperating "BC" from "AD"? And, still, he's a teenager in 30 B.C.? Again, how?!?), little dialogue, multiple plot holes, and choppy narrative all work to scuttle this story. The rich details of life in those times don't do enough to compensate for the lack of engaging characters, actual conversations, witty banter, or anything of sparkling, "living" substance.This author has several highly-reviewed works to his credit. However, "Atticus of Rome" probably will not join that pantheon.