The Poison King

Anyone who's studied ancient Roman history or at least read a halfway-decent book that covers ancient Roman history has probably encountered the name “Mithradates” a few times. Depending on certain factors (mostly whoever is writing the book/covering the course/textbooks involved in said course/etc.), Mithradates is portrayed either as an “Oriental despot” (and goodness but my Said-educated brain cringes at that phrase) the Romans deservedly crushed under their hobnailed boots; a rival ruler the Romans both respected and despised; or - as has been the case most recently - as a kind of freedom fighter struggling against the chokehold of Western (Roman) imperialism in that part of the world we now categorise as the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Mayor's book is of the lattermost sort, and is pretty fun to read because of that, even if it is rather dry and repetitive in places.