Agrippa: A Novel of Ancient Rome's Descent Into Dictatorship by Harris, Robert

From the #1 internationally bestselling author of Conclave and Dictator, a gripping tale of ancient Rome's descent into dictatorship

He was born feet first, a dangerous way to enter the world. His mother did not survive, and the nickname, Agrippa--mother killer--stuck. But the schoolyard taunting only served to harden his resolve and hone his predilection for aggression. In time, the name lost its sting and became instead a mark of his invincibility. It came to shape his destiny.

Agrippa was a mere commoner, a plebeian, his father a humble Stoic, but he earned the respect and fear of his peers. He defended a bullied young boy, Octavius, who turned out to be the nephew of Caesar himself, a chance encounter that would change the trajectory of his life. He eventually joined the ranks of the legionnaires and marched against their enemies. His prowess on the battlefield spoke for itself, and Caesar relied on him to protect his favored nephew. When Caesar was murdered in the Senate, Octavius inherited the empire in name only. To assume the mantle he would have to fight for it, and Agrippa, forever by his side, would be his closest advisor and the merciless agent of his military will.

As gripping and full of intrigue as his bestselling novel Conclave, Agrippa is Robert Harris's monumental return to the world of ancient Rome on the precipice of dictatorship, a novel for our times.

Author: Robert Harris
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Published: 09/01/2026
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 9.50h x 6.33w x 1.32d
ISBN: 9780385552387

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2026
Booklist 08/01/2026

About the Author
ROBERT HARRIS is the author of sixteen bestselling novels: the Cicero Trilogy--Imperium, Conspirata, and Dictator--Fatherland, Enigma, Archangel, Pompeii, The Ghost, The Fear Index, An Officer and a Spy, which won four prizes including the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Conclave, Munich, The Second Sleep, V2, Act of Oblivion, and Precipice. Several of his books have been adapted into films, including The Ghost and the Academy Award-winning Conclave. His work has been translated into forty languages and he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He lives in West Berkshire with his wife, Gill Hornby.