Rome Fiction

On a blistering day in the 26th year of Augustus Caesar's reign, a young chef, Thrasius, is acquired for the exorbitant price of 20,000 denarii. His purchaser is the infamous gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius, wealthy beyond measure, obsessed with a taste for fine meals from exotic places and a singular ambition: to serve as culinary adviser to Caesar, an honor that will cement his legacy as Rome's leading epicure.

In the waning years of the Roman Republic, a talented engineer is tapped to bring water to one of the city’s most notorious slums. Nonius believes he is doing good for his city, but he isn’t counting on the many obstacles that prevent anything from getting done in those turbulent times. His troubles multiply when he falls in love with beautiful, haunted Amaris, concubine of a senator who is determined to stop Nonius’ aqueduct from going through.

Aurelian, Emperor of Rome, has one last enemy left to conquer: In Gaul, the usurper Tetricus holds sway, and Aurelian will need every last man if he is to unify his domain and bring peace to the Empire. One of those men is Cassius Corbulo, now seconded to the legion of Prefect Venator in southern Gaul. When a leading general is abducted on the eve of battle, Cassius is ordered to find and rescue him before the enemy gain crucial intelligence. As ever he is accompanied by attendant Simo and Indavara, the ex-gladiator bodyguard.

Bastien Ley, working in Italy for the Office of Strategic Services, has been tasked with sabotaging German convoys. When his team kills an officer headed for Rome, the man’s similarity to Bastien is undeniable, and seeing an opportunity to turn the tide of the war, Bastien makes a bold decision: he will assume the dead officer’s identity. To help with his stressful assignment, his superiors send him a reinforcement in the form of the lovely Gracie Begni, an intelligent and eager radio operator with absolutely no undercover experience.

Many stories have stood the test of time, but this selection have entranced audiences for thousands of years and remain as fresh today as they were when first told. A fascinating collection which gives vivid insights into lives in ancient times and the issues that occupied the people of the day.

1527. While the Papal city of Rome burns, brutally sacked by an invading army including Protestant heretics, two of her most interesting and wily citizens slip away, their stomachs churning on the jewels they have swallowed as the enemy breaks down their doors.

Always blazing their own path, newly engaged couple Chase and Gavin decide to forego a typical American wedding, followed by a honeymoon in Italy. Instead, they'll spend the month of December in Rome with a local Italian family, learning the customs and exploring every romantic adventure they can find. On a trip to the famed Colosseum, Chase and Gavin meet an elderly artist who offers them four riddles that he promises will unlock the most romantic places in all of Italy.

The year is 68 A.D., and the vast Roman Empire is in chaos. Provinces are in rebellion, while Emperor Nero struggles to maintain the remnants of his political power, as well as his last shreds of sanity. In the province of Hispania, the governor, Servius Sulpicius Galba, marches on Rome.

150 AD. Alaric, once lord of the Ravensworn is no longer feared nor revered. It has been six long years since his great defeat. He now lives life in the shadows. All hopes of glory and eternal rest in the Heroes Hall are gone. Alaric is alone. An outlaw to his land. When a band of horsemen appear on the horizon, eager to recruit the man they still believe to be a lord of war. And so Alaric is pulled back to a life he thought had forsaken him. For in the far north of Germania lies a tribe in desperate need of aid.

Zwei verfeindete Familien. Ein Geheimnis. Eine verbotene Liebe. Zwei Familien, zwei Weinberge und ein jahrzehntelanger Hass. Die Santuccis und Villanis sind erbitterte Rivalen, mit nur einer Gemeinsamkeit: ihrem Stolz auf die kostbaren Trauben, die sie seit Generationen hervorbringen. Als eines Nachts die Weinfelder der Santuccis brennen, ist Rome Santucci wild entschlossen den Schuldigen zu stellen – nur ein Villani wäre so niederträchtig. Da Caius Villani und Rome Santucci die Imperial Academy besuchen, heftet sich Rome an seine Fersen, um an Informationen zu gelangen.

When Luca Spaghetti (yes, that's really his name) was asked to show a writer named Elizabeth Gilbert around Rome, he had no idea how his life was about to change. She embraced his Roman ebullience, and Luca in turn became her guardian angel, determined that his city would help Liz out of her funk. Filled with colorful anecdotes about food, language, soccer, daily life in Rome, and Luca's own fish-out-of-water moments as a visitor to the United States, Un Amico Italiano is an audiobook that no fan of Eat, Pray, Love will want to miss.

Reicht ein unvergesslicher Abend aus, um das Leben zweier Fremder für immer miteinander zu verknüpfen, obwohl sie am anderen Ende der Welt voneinander wohnen? Als Josie ihre Italienreise bucht, will sie vor allem eins: ihrem Ex und der Männerwelt im Allgemeinen entfliehen. Im schönen Rom teilt sie sich ihr Hostel-Zimmer ausgerechnet mit dem Weltenbummler Leo. Der Chilene sieht nicht nur unverschämt gut aus, er bringt Josie mit seinen hartnäckigen Fragen auch so aus dem Konzept, dass sie ihre Lebensentscheidungen hinterfragt.

Power, tragedy and hubris are played out in this quartet, all of which are set in the febrile political atmosphere of ancient Rome. Performed by an incredible array of the 20th century’s greatest actors, Marlowe alumni including Ian McKellen, Prunella Scales, Patrick Wymark and William Devlin can be heard in these recordings.

Lizzie Addler's dream of working in Italy is about to come true - that is if she can convince passionate Italian chef Dante DeFiore to keep his side of their bargain. Dante might be hotter than the Italian sun, but he's as cool as ice toward Lizzie.... Dante hasn't the time to pander to Lizzie's dreams of culinary fame - he has a restaurant to run! But as Lizzie proves herself to be a spectacular addition to his kitchen - and to his life - Dante wonders...can he keep her forever?

The Rome Zoo - a place borne of fantasy and driven by a nation’s aspirations. It has witnessed - and reflected in its tarnished mirror - the great follies of the 20th century. Now, in an ongoing battle that has seen it survive world wars and epidemics, the zoo must once again reinvent itself and assert its relevance in the Eternal City.

Wall of Hadrian, Britannia, AD 367. Tribune Sixtus Victorinus is scouting north of the Wall when he first sees the smoke. Riding south he finds a province in chaos, the local populace in flight, the soldiers absent. Britannia is ablaze, overrun with barbarians and Valentia is the word on everyone’s lips. But no one seems to have the first clue what it means...

It is April of 69 A.D., and Rome’s first civil war in a hundred years has ended. Emperor Otho, who violently overthrew the tyrannical Galba just three months before, is dead. The triumphant armies of the Rhine coerce the senate into ratifying their governor, Aulus Vitellius, as emperor. While there is an uneasy hope that peace has returned to Rome, Vitellius’ cronyism and utter incompetence soon alienates most of Rome’s patricians, along with many of the provinces.

The final, gripping, instalment in "The Invincibles series". Octavian has revenged Caesar's name, and defeated the pirate Sextus Pompeius, but now he must ensure his complete rule of Rome. He feels the potential of betrayal around every corner: from his wife Livia, to his best friends and allies Maecenas and Agrippa. He needs heirs, and he needs security, but he has the shadow of Mark Anthony breathing down his neck from Egypt.

Victorious after the Battle of Pharsalus and enticed by the promise of riches in the East, Centurion Lucius Domitius is among the legionaries chosen to accompany Julius Caesar to Egypt. Upon arriving, the Roman troops find themselves embroiled in a sibling rivalry of a royal nature. Lucius becomes an unlikely ally with an alluring princess and her followers as they seek out the fabled Eye of Horus.

A gripping historical thriller and the third instalment in the Rome's Invincibles saga. The battle for control of Rome continues. Octavian has defeated and killed Caesar's assassins, but the road to absolute power is still long and treacherous. A threat now comes from Sextus Pompeius – a cunning pirate who rules the Italian coastline, terrorising Perugia's citizens. Suddenly, Civil War seems like child's play in comparison to a campaign against piracy. Octavian is close to defeat and death.