Ancient Historical Fiction

Trouble has a way of seeking out Nicolas Calva, and it's not likely to leave him alone anytime soon. With Caesar's magic bulla, the Malice of Mars, and the possibility of a Jupiter Stone in play, all the powers of Rome are circling Nic. He'll have to maneuver his way through scheming government officials and reawakened magical beasts to save the Empire.

Historians and inquisitive laymen alike love to ponder the dramatic what-ifs of history. In these never-before-published essays, some of the keenest minds of our time ask the big, tantalizing questions: Where might we be if history had not unfolded the way it did? Why, how, and when was our fortune made real. The answers are surprising, sometimes frightening, and always entertaining.

Auf dem Monte Somma oberhalb der mondänen, niedergehenden Stadt Pompeji werden tote Vögel gefunden. Während einer Versammlung von Vogelschützern hat der Einwanderer Jowna eine Eingebung: Wenn der Vulkan grollt, soll man das Weite suchen. Ohne Schulbildung, Geld und Einfluss gelingt es ihm, sich an die Spitze einer Aussteigerbewegung zu setzen. Bald fürchtet das Stadtoberhaupt Fabius Rufus, die Vulkangerüchte könnten Pompeji schaden. Als sich sogar der frühere Sklave Polybius dafür interessiert, schaltet sich Rufus' Frau Livia ein, und Jownas Eingebung verkehrt sich in ihr Gegenteil.

Rome, 90 BC. Quintus Sertorius is tired. Weary after eight years of warfare in Greece, the decorated hero longs to reunite with his family and repair their frayed bond. But no sooner has he returned than Rome is thrust into war again. This time, the attackers are their closest allies, the Italian tribes surrounding them. To make matters worse, Sertorius learns his son has joined the legion under the command of a scheming rival looking to exert leverage.

Winner of the Golden Heart Award for historical romance, Jeannie Lin’s Butterfly Swords combines riveting period detail and thrilling action for a romantic adventure set during China’s Tang dynasty. Princess Ai Li, fleeing from an undesirable marriage, enlists the aid of warrior Ryam, and love soon begins to blossom.

She was the original Cinderella....Doricha is twelve when her father is murdered by a roving band of Greeks. Betrayed by a jealous priestess and sold into slavery, headstrong Dori loses her most valuable possession-her freedom. She hopes that one day she can truly be free, but not even Aesop, her mentor, can protect her. The harsh world of classical Greece has little use for the minds of women, and she finds her body traded to another owner, who transports her to a new life of luxury and political turmoil in the faraway deserts of Egypt. All she has to do is be beautiful, all she has to do is love him, and she will be kept safe.

The Lady Elizabeau Treveighan is the illegitimate daughter of Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany. Elizabeau was sent to foster at a very young age, her identity known only to herself and the earl who fostered her. When her half-brother Prince Arthur is murdered and rumors begin to fly that the opposition to King John intends to marry her to a Teutonic prince and supplant her and her new husband as the rulers of England, she suddenly becomes a very hot, and very dangerous, commodity.

Tamworth AD831. Icel's profile continues to rise. Lord of Budworth and warrior of Mercia, he's acknowledged by King Wiglaf and his comrades to keep Mercia safe from the ravages of Wessex, the king-slayer of the East Angles, and the Viking raiders. But, danger looms. Alongside Spring's arrival comes the almost certain threat of the Viking raiders return. When Lord Coenwulf of Kingsholm is apprehended by a Viking and held captive on the Isle of Sheppey in Wessex held Kent, Icel is implored by Lady Cynehild to rescue her husband.

On the day of his birth, Prince Alexos is revealed to be the long-awaited champion of Athene. He grows up lonely, conscious of all that is expected of him. But Alexos discovers that being a champion isn't about fame and glory - it's about sacrifice and courage.

The author of the best-selling Empire sequence continues his new epic of the uprising of the Batavi in AD 88. The Rhine frontier has exploded into all-out war. Summoned back to their homeland by their new leader, Kivilaz, the Batavi cohorts, so recently proud soldiers of Rome, find their lands transformed. All Roman influences have vanished after a battle in which two legions were humbled by the rebels, then chased away to lick their wounds in their fortress, the Old Camp.

With the beautiful and cunning Poppaea at his side, Nero commands the Roman empire, ushering in an unprecedented era of artistic and cultural splendor. Although he has yet to produce an heir, his power is unquestioned. But in the 10th year of his reign, a terrifying prophecy comes to pass and a fire engulfs Rome, reducing entire swaths of the city to rubble. Rumors of Nero’s complicity in the blaze start to sow unrest among the populace - and the politicians.... For better or worse, Nero knows that his fate is now tied to Rome’s.

45 n. Chr.: Vespasians Bruder Sabinus wurde in Britannien von Druiden gefangen genommen und nun muss Vespasian ihn vor dem Opfertod retten - und zugleich den Kampf gegen seinen alten Feind Caratacus fortsetzen. Nachrichten aus Rom verheißen nichts Gutes: Am wenigsten Kontrolle über das Reich hat Kaiser Claudius selbst. Seine unersättliche Gemahlin Messalina weiß ihn durch ihre Einflüsterungen zu lenken. Claudius’ drei Freigelassene ringen um die Macht, und kaum aus Britannien zurückgekehrt, wird Vespasian in ihre Intrigen hineingezogen...

1234 A.D. - For as long as she can remember, the Lady Adalind de Aston has loved Sir Maddoc du Bois. Being sent away to foster did nothing to cure her of her unending love for Maddoc, a sentiment he did not return. Years later, Adalind returns from fostering as a cultured and beautiful woman. So beautiful, in fact, that tales of her beauty are legendary and a string of hopeful suitors follow her home. Maddoc, now faced with this exquisite and refined creature, is tasked, as the captain of the army, with chasing the suitors away.

Rome 174 AD. As the war continues in the north, Marcus Aurelius orders Gaius Maximus and Rufus Atticus to return to Rome. Enemies lurk in the shadows in the capital, spreading propaganda and sowing dissent. The praetorian guards must lure their enemies out - and defeat them. Yet Maximus is returning home for something, or rather someone, else: Aurelia. The soldier will be caught between his duty and his happiness. Rufus Atticus will also be forced to make a choice, between duty and family.

Daniel de Lohr, son of David de Lohr, is a highly trained knight of the highest order from one of the finest families in England. But he is also a wanderer, a gypsy, who prefers to travel rather than be tied down to one castle, one lord, or even one woman. He loves his vagabond lifestyle, much to the distress of his parents, who wish he would settle down. But Daniel's wandering ways come to a stop when he comes across a young boy running for his life across the Yorkshire moors.

In 431 BC, ancient Greece experienced its own "Pearl Harbor" - a treacherous sneak attack that would mark the start of the bloody war between the democracy of Athens and the tyranny of Sparta. Caught between these superpowers, the independent city-state of Plataea became the arena where their battle for control of all of Greece would begin.

As Titus advances towards the Jewish Holy City with his massive army of 70,000 imperial soldiers, the warring Judean factions must decide whether to stand together against the coming onslaught or die in a bloodbath of mutual hatred.

Ancient Rome has been in a state of turmoil as the rival gangs of Publius Clodius, a high-born, populist politician, and his arch-enemy, Titus Milo, have fought to control the consular elections. When Clodius is murdered on the famed Appian Way and Milo is accused of the crime, the city explodes with riots and arson, and even the near sacrosanct Senate House is burned to the ground.

Hannibal, a name used to terrify millions. Long before that pale shade Lecter came on the scene, the original Hannibal shook the foundations of the ancient world. Do you remember who defeated him? Few remember. But those who do never forget. You can ride with the Legion. You can fight the Carthaginian hordes in desperate battles. You can risk daring rescues. You can escape from an enemy’s grasp. You can survive defeat to fight another day. Listen to the exciting real-life story that sounds like a Hollywood action movie script. Only it’s true. Richard Sharpe.

When young Telemachus gets the chance to join the crew of the merchant ship Selene, he's delighted to escape the rough streets of Piraeus. He knows little of the dangers of life at sea. And even past hardship has not prepared him for the terror on board when a pirate ship appears on the horizon. The fight is bloody, but the result is never in doubt. Then the victorious pirate chief, Bulla, offers the beaten men a cruel choice: join us, or die.