The novel ends up being a kind of political thriller, as Rufus and Cupido become embroiled in the secrecy and intrigue of the Roman court, with the pro- and anti-Caligula factions trying to draw them in. This section is quite interesting and the novel just about manages to stay one step ahead of the reader and not become too predictable.
It did seem rather a macho book too, definitely a ''boys' own'' kind of runaround. Although there are female charactyers characters in ''Caligula'', the males dominate in every way and I did think the novel would be better suited to men in their twenties and thirties.
Overall, I did end up enjoying the novel and read the last hundred or so pages in one sitting, but I am not sure whether it was worth the pain of that awful chapter III.