Caligula and I — Cy Stein

A personal mission to preserve the valuable and decaying scrolls of medical writings from his late master leads the medicus to accidentally discover a dusty cache of scrolls that recount life amidst the imperial family of Augustus Caesar in the aftermath of his reign―ironically, also written with the hope to preserve the decaying history of that time with first-hand accuracy.

What unfolds before his eyes in the reading room of the great library at the Forum of Trajan is the unraveling of another epic saga that stars not only Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus (famously known as Caligula), but also Tiberius, Claudius, and even the infamous Pontius Pilatus.

From the first-hand account in this ancient memoir as discovered by the medicus, we move through overlooked angles and tangents that framed the lives of these ancient figures. Importantly, Stein's extensive research enables him to present historically true foundations for each personality in order to dispel age-old myths and deepen readers' understanding of their personal passions, motives, and desires. The underpinning of power is uncovered; the implications of fate are moving.