Newer Fiction on Ancient Rome

Attila: The Gathering of the Storm / by William Napier

By the fifth century AD, the Roman Empire is on the verge of collapse as multiple armies attack its vulnerable borders, pushing for a permanent dissolution of the realm. The greatest threat posed is a conglomeration of raiders from the East led by a notorious warrior named Attila who has
succeeded in uniting the Hunnish clans with the other
Scythian tribes for one seemingly unstoppable force. (FIC NAPIER)

The Silver Eagle / by Ben Kane
In this sequel to Kane’s riveting novel The Forgotten Legion, Fabiola is a prostitute in the burgeoning Roman Republic. As current mistress to the powerful Decimus Brutus, Fabiola seeks to use her elevated status to influence matters around her and ultimately to see her enslaved brother Romulus, a former legionnaire, returned safely back to Rome. (FIC KANE)

Lavinia / by Ursula K. Le Guin

Lavinia is a prominent maiden and daughter of a king in the peaceful pre-Roman land of Latium. A beautiful woman with many suitors, she also has powers to communicate with the spirit realm. When a ship arrives carrying a man wishing to court her, Lavinia uses her gift of intuition to learn of a destiny which sees her becoming one of the primary founders of the Roman Empire. (FIC LEGUIN)

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Conspirata: A Novel Of Ancient Rome / by Robert Harris

In Harris’ riveting sequel to Imperium, things in pre-Imperial Rome are particularly tumultuous. Marcus Cicero is made the pro-consul of the Roman Republic in the year 63 B.C to the anger of several of his rivals. As he maneuvers through the complex political landscape, Cicero must look out for his life as well as his job. (FIC HARRIS)

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The Course of Honour / by Lindsey Davis

During the first century of the Roman empire, a slave girl named Caenis is a server in the household of Antonia, then the sister-in-law to Emperor Tiberius. Sparks fly when Caenis meets Vespasian, then an unknown citizen-soldier from one of the rural provinces, and a love affair begins which will witness Vespasian’s legendary rise to power, culminating with his being crowned emperor in 69 A.D.
(FIC DAVIS)
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Persona Non Grata: A Novel of the Roman Empire / by Ruth Downie

Returning back to Rome after a stint with the military in the region of Brittania, physician and part-time sleuth Gaius Ruso arrives home to find his affairs un-customarily in disarray—he’s bankrupt. When a man who owes Ruso money drops dead of poisoning, the doctor is suddenly suspected of the crime and must use every ounce of his investigative abilities to clear his name. (MYS DOWNIE)

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Give Me Back My Legions! / by Harry Turtledove

During the reign of Caesar Augustus, Publius Varus is a Roman centurion-statesman who leads three legions north of the Rhine to fight the barbarous Germanic tribes who continue to defy ultimate surrender. On the other side of the battle lines, however, is a very determined Prince Arminius, leader of the subjected Teutonic peoples. Arminius feigns cooperation with the Romans only to plot their down

fall and free his people from their grip in this thrilling alternate history novel. (SF TURTLEDOVE)