Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a frequent subject of Victorian historical fiction and also popular throughout the 20th century. It was similarly popular in movies, though it fell out of fashion for a couple of decades until the game-changing success of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, released in 2000. Since then the floodgates of fictional Rome have been torn open.
But Rome means different things to different people. For some it is a military story of imperialism and war in foreign lands. For others it is the victim-tale of the conquered (especially if the conquered happen to be British or Judaic). For others it is broadly cultural: how could people be so similar to us and so different? There is a broad strand of historicals that touch on the New Testament stories, including many new ‘gospels’ and a wealth of faith stories, as well as some militantly anti-Christian novels. There are Roman detective novels, military historicals, sea stories, epics, and literary novels.
Biographical novels are perhaps the richest vein – for literature and ‘box office’.
Clash of Empires
Genres:
On the cusp of destroying its bitter foe, Carthage, the Roman Empire is already looking for its next target. In Clash of Empires, ...Read Review
Retribution
Genres:
Retribution is the third and final instalment of Riches’ trilogy covering the Batavian revolt of 69 AD, aka the Year of the Four Emperors. ...Read Review
Fire in the Year of Four Emperors
Genres:
This riveting novel is set in 1st-century Rome following Nero’s rule. Galba, the governor of Spain, declares himself emperor. Four Roman generals ...Read Review
The Encircling Sea
Genres:
The Encircling Sea sees the return of Goldsworthy’s loveable rogue Flavius Ferox to the northern frontier of Roman Britain in 100 AD. Roughly ...Read Review
The Throne of Caesar
Genres:
Here is the long-awaited next installment of Saylor’s Roman mystery series, featuring Gordianus the Finder, that deals with Julius Caesar’s assassination. ...Read Review
Pandora’s Boy
Genres:
This is another story in the Falco series set in Rome in the first century AD. It concerns Falco’s daughter, Flavia, who ...Read Review
Caligula
Genres:
Everyone knows his name, and everyone thinks they know what he did while Emperor. This is an account from his youngest sister, Julia ...Read Review
Memento Mori
Genres:
Ruso, a Roman army medic living a life of bucolic domesticity with the family of his British wife, receives a desperate plea from ...Read Review
Hadrian’s Wall
Genres:
The Landmark Library is a series of books published by Head of Zeus, each devoted to ‘a crucial theme in the history of ...Read Review
Blood Forest
Genres:
Minden, Germania. 9 AD. Found by the 17th Legion naked and covered in sacrificial blood, he has no name. He has no recollection of ...Read Review