The Poison KingThe Poison King
Score Modern
What it's about
Mithradates, the king of Pontus on the Black Sea in the first century BC, was one of Rome's greatest enemies, a brilliant ruler who resisted Rome for forty years. Adrienne Mayor tells his remarkable life, including his obsessive study of poisons, which he took in small doses to make himself immune.
Why it's worth reading
It was a National Book Award finalist. It's a vivid, fascinating biography.
You'll love it if you liked
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
I, ClaudiusGood to know
It's history, with some speculation.
By the numbers
- Readers33 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics28 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it doesn't have enough readers yet for us to rank it alongside the Must-Read 50 pool. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
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Quick answers
Is The Poison King worth reading?
It was a National Book Award finalist. Its Must-Read Score is 59.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Poison King about?
Mithradates, the king of Pontus on the Black Sea in the first century BC, was one of Rome's greatest enemies, a brilliant ruler who resisted Rome for forty years. Adrienne Mayor tells his remarkable life, including his obsessive study of poisons, which he took in small doses to make himself immune.
How long does it take to read The Poison King?
About 12 hours (472 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Poison King?
If you liked it, try SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon or I, Claudius by Robert Graves.