Holland states in his introduction that he intends to offer a much-needed reassessment of the maligned emporer, and he delivers. The text is informative but still very engaging. Holland gives a good overview of the times; Nero's ascension to power, reign, and fall from grace; the personalities that surrounded the emporer, and his chroniclers; the rumors and stories that grew up in the wake of Nero's rule, and whether or not any of those stories likely reflect what actually happened. The author scores major points for lack of bias: he doesn't attempt to excuse or blame away Nero's actions, but neither does he bend over backwards trying to prove that Nero committed every nefarious deed attributed to him. My end verdict is that this book would be well worth the read for anyone interested in Nero or classical Rome.