Generally I tend to rant on about positives and negatives but this book doesn't really warrant that so much as it does simple observation. Topically speaking, this book encompasses one of the most interesting bits of Western History and it seems to do it at just about the perfect level of detail. Often historical fiction covering Roman history can be very heavy and bogged down with casts of characters numbering in the dozens. In this case the cast is light and simple and easy enough to follow at a relaxed read without feeling like you're studying for a college-level course.
Somewhat related to that, the writing too is very modern and you can choose to look at that as a positive or a negative. Personally I like my ancient Romans to sound a bit more ancient but in this case they could be just anyone from down the street. They use the occasional time-period appropriate term but it's always defined at least the first couple of times it's used.
In summary, I didn't watch "I, Claudius" but this book does catch my attention and makes me consider running off to some unnamed online video streaming service to catch up on the show. It's an inherently readable work that still manages to retain much of the color of the time period. Recommended for those who prefer their historical literature without all the thee's and thou's.
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