Roman Ancient Historical Fiction

Bound by destiny, Melisto and Rhaskos - Amber and Clay - never meet in the flesh. By the time they do, one of them is a ghost. But the thin line between life and death is just one boundary their unlikely friendship crosses. It takes an army of snarky gods and fearsome goddesses, slaves and masters, mothers and philosophers to help shape their story into a gorgeously distilled, symphonic tour de force.

Some debts you cannot repay, even if you live forever. Seasoned imperial officer Marcus Sempronius Gracchus leads the 9th Roman Legion into a bloody battle against a fierce barbarian tribe. It's a battle he won't survive. When he awakens three days later, clawing his way from a shallow grave, Marcus must face the reality of his new existence. He will never see the afterlife...but that won't stop him from dying time and again over the next 2,000 years.

AD 381. Five years have gone by since a Roman governor ordered the deaths of a Gothic king and his attendants at a feast in their honor. This disastrous act led to warfare in the Roman Empire and the death of the Emperor Valens. The Empire is now at peace, but the powerful brother of the murdered king has sworn revenge on the regicides, and will not rest until they are hunted down. For the eight legionaries who carried out the killings, the bloodshed is only just beginning.

58 AD, Rome. Agricola, teenage son of an impoverished yet distinguished noble family, has staked all his resources and reputation on a military career. His reward? A posting as tribune in the far-off northern province of Britannia. Serving under renowned general Suetonius Paulinus, Agricola soon learns the brutality of life on the very edges of the empire, for the Celtic tribes of Britannia are far from vanquished. To take control of the province, the Romans must defeat the ancient might of the druids.

Rome, AD 270. In the wake of the emperor’s marriage ban, rumors swirl that there is one man brave enough to perform wedding ceremonies in secret. A public notarius and leader of an underground church, Valentine believes the emperor’s edict unjust and risks his own life for the sake of his convictions. But as his fame grows, so do fears for his safety. Iris, the daughter of a Roman jailor, believes regaining her sight will ease the troubles at home. Her last hope rests in searching out Valentine and his church, but the danger of associating with people labeled a threat to the empire is great.

March, AD 80. In Rome, the Emperor Titus has announced that there will be 100 days of games to open the new Flavian amphitheatre (now known as the Colosseum). Suspecting that their friend Jonathan is not dead, as they had thought, Flavia, Nubia, and Lupus organize an invitation to Rome on the pretense of witnessing this historic event.

Egypt, 25 BC. Titus Cervianus marches into the unknown as he and the Twenty Second Legion contend with the armies of the Bellatrix: the Warrior Queen of Kush. The Kushites and the Egyptians are united against the Roman presence in their lands—but there are complex political and military forces at work. Deep in the deserts, Cervianus and his comrades must brace themselves for a furious onslaught as they take on the might of the Bellatrix.

From Sunday Times best-selling author Ben Kane comes a collection of short stories.

Flavia, Jonathan, Lupus, and Nubia - friends and detectives - sail to the Bay of Naples to spend the summer with Flavia's uncle, who lives near Pompeii. There they uncover a riddle that may lead them to a great treasure. Meanwhile, tremors shake the ground, animals behave strangely, and people dream of impending doom. One of the worst natural disasters of all time is about to happen: the eruption of Mount Vesuvius!

Loyalty to your people. Loyalty to Rome. Only one can remain... Centurion Faustus Valerianus has already proven his bravery and skill, marching alongside Julius Agricola for six gruelling years to conquer the north of Britain. But that was just the beginning... With Agricola back in Rome, Faustus is given a new mission: to journey to Hibernia with exiled Irish prince Tuathal Techtmar and help him reclaim his rightful throne.

Rom, 94 nach Christus: Mitten in der Nacht stürmen Soldaten die Villa von Jubas Familie. Kaiser Domitian beschuldigt Jubas Eltern des Verrats: ein sicheres Todesurteil für die ganze Familie. Juba und seinen Geschwistern gelingt in letzter Sekunde die Flucht aus der Villa, während die Eltern zurückbleiben. Eine furiose Verfolgungsjagd beginnt. Die Geschwister wollen sich zu ihrem Onkel nach Britannien durchschlagen, am Ende der den Römern bekannten Welt. Auf der weiten Reise drohen todbringende Gefahren: Mörder, Banditen, skrupellose Sklavenhändler und heftige Stürme.

After saving the Empire's richest province from a foreign army, Marcus and the men who protect him have been in hiding. Their lives will be forfeit if they are seen in Rome. But times have changed. Marcus's protector, the patrician legion commander Scaurus, has been summoned home by his mentor, a powerful senator who has decided he must act to save the empire from its debauched ruler's reign of terror. Rome is a hotbed of conspiracy and treachery and the senator is not the only contender for power. The emperor himself plans to destroy those he mistrusts, and no-one is safe.

Britannien, im Jahr 94 nach Christus: Um sich vor dem mächtigen Kaiser Domitian zu verstecken, der ihn und seine Geschwister verfolgt, tritt der 14-jährige Fronto unter falschem Namen in die römische Armee ein. Doch als ihn die Nachricht erreicht, dass seine kleine Schwester Ursula von Druiden entführt wurde, muss Fronto eine folgenschwere Entscheidung treffen: Soll er die Armee verlassen, um Ursula zu retten? Fronto kennt die strengen römischen Gesetze: Deserteuren droht die Todesstrafe.

Brei is going up against the largest army in the world. As thousands march north to annihilate her people, she is ready to take revenge on those who have taken so much from her already. If you want to kill a snake, cut off its head. If you want to destroy a legion, kill its leader. But what if the legate she hunts is not the monster she imagined? When a surprise attack lands the young warrior in enemy hands, Brei soon realizes that the only person she can trust is the man she has sworn to kill.

There is only one thing missing in Dulcia’s life - a husband. At least, that is what others would have her believe. But she feels the absence of something else - her father. Half slave and half noble, Dulcia has existed alongside him her entire life, just out of reach. Everything changes the day she arrives home to news of her betrothal. The problem is her heart already belongs to someone else. Nero is trying to make something of himself. Raised on the streets of Rome, he understands that family is a privilege, not a given.

Dies ist die Lebensgeschichte von Ana, der Ehefrau von Jesus von Nazareth. Eine fiktive Geschichte, die so aber hätte passieren können. Wir schreiben das Jahr 16 nach Christus, Galiläa ist von den Römern besetzt. Ana wächst in einer wohlhabenden jüdischen Familie auf. Sie ist ein kluges Mädchen mit rebellischem Geist und messerscharfem Verstand. Ana lernt Lesen und Schreiben, studiert die Thora und beginnt heimlich die Geschichten der vergessenen Frauen der Heiligen Schrift aufzuzeichnen.

Dies ist die Lebensgeschichte von Ana, der Ehefrau von Jesus von Nazareth. Eine fiktive Geschichte, die so aber hätte passieren können. Wir schreiben das Jahr 16 nach Christus, Galiläa ist von den Römern besetzt. Ana wächst in einer wohlhabenden jüdischen Familie auf. Sie ist ein kluges Mädchen mit rebellischem Geist und messerscharfem Verstand. Ana lernt Lesen und Schreiben, studiert die Thora und beginnt heimlich die Geschichten der vergessenen Frauen der Heiligen Schrift aufzuzeichnen: Eva, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel oder Ruth.

With the empire collapsing about him, Heraclius, the Exarch’s son, becomes the first Roman Emperor in 300 years to lead an army into battle. But this is no ordinary army: it is the Last Army, cobbled together from the bits and pieces that remain of once-great legions. Arrayed against him are the most formidable enemies Rome has ever faced: the Avar horde, the Sassanian Persian Empire intent on Rome’s annihilation, and the relentless plague that exploded under his predecessor Justinian and halved the Roman population.

From the moment his father was executed in the arena for an act of treason, former military tribune and condemned gladiator Marcus Valerius Pavo has burned with the desire for revenge. Now all that stands between Pavo and victory is a man considered by many to be the greatest gladiator to have ever lived: Hermes. But even with Optio Macro as his trainer and the help of the snakish imperial secretary, defeating Hermes appears an impossible task.

Helius, Nero's most trusted advisor, anticipates the death of his sworn enemy, the legendary warrior Gallus Sergius Vitas, scheduled to die a gruesome death in the arena. However, the badly beaten man who appears in the amphitheater is not who he seems. Rescued by a stranger and given a mysterious scroll, Vitas is told that he must decipher this letter to find the answers he needs. It is a letter that Helius is also determined to decipher and to keep hidden from Nero.