“The Herbal Wreath” is the second part of Colleen McCullough’s dilogy, which is a continuation of the novel “The First Man in Rome.” The famous conqueror of Germany and Numidia, Gaius Marius, strives to achieve what was predicted to him many years ago: the unprecedented election as consul of Rome for the seventh time. This can only be achieved at the cost of betrayal and blood. The struggle pits Marius against murderers, power-hungers and Senate intriguers and leads to conflict with the ambitious Lucius Cornelius Sulla, once Marius's trusted right-hand man, and now his most dangerous rival.