Love a good desperate siege, plus, as a mid-ish career engineer desperately trying to minimize the number of days spent entirely in meetings, sometimes too relatable. In the end, I can't resist a book where being clever saves the day, or where someone walks into the halls of power, realizes everyone else is gone, and says "well, shit... I guess I have to be in charge now". I was a little bit disappointed by the abruptness of the end—would have liked a bit more foreshadowing. But will definitely be checking out more.

(Also, if you want the real Roman empire, this is it. Corruption, nepotism, cowardice, lethargy, it's all there.)