Aurelia

Written by Alison Morton
Review by Helen Hollick

“Late 1960s Roma Nova, the last Roman colony that has survived into the 20th century Aurelia Mitela is alone – forced to give up her beloved career as a Praetorian officer. But her country needs her unique skills. Somebody is smuggling silver – Roma Nova’s lifeblood – on an industrial scale.”

The Roma Nova series of excellent alternate history books is a pleasure to read as modern-day exciting thriller adventures, and in the scenario of what if Rome had survived and women ruled?

We are taken to the Roma Nova of the 1960s, to Aurelia Mitela’s story – the grandmother of our heroine in the previous books. She is a young woman experiencing devastating loss. Her career in the Praetorian Guard appears to be finished but she is sent to Berlin to find those responsible for stealing Roma Nova’s silver reserves. Prepare to enter a world of alternative history written so thoroughly believable it is hard to accept that the Roman Empire along with all its intrigues and politics did not survive into the twentieth century.

Alison Morton’s skill as a writer is superb; her heroines are feisty and full of kick-ass determination; the heroes are heroic, and the villains are the thoroughly nasty bad-guys they are meant to be. Add to that, the overall feel and presentation of the books shriek professionalism throughout – starting with the stunning cover design.

Strictly speaking the series does not quite slot into the HNS guideline of ‘Historical Fiction’ (novels are to be set fifty years in the past) but anyone interested in Roman History will enjoy the concept– and as this one is set in the sixties, it ticks all the boxes and deserves to be selected as Editor’s Choice.