‘Friends, Romans, countrymen…’ Ten Novels Set In Roman Times

Posted on by whatcathyreadnext

As a fan of historical fiction with a taste for a bit of action from time to time, here are ten novels set in Roman times I’ve read. Some are part of a series (unlike me, you might want to start from the beginning of the series!), some are standalone. Links from the title will take you to my full review.

  1. Defender of the Wall (Dragon of the North #1) by Chris Thorndycroft – Britain, 390 AD. A barbarian prince fostered by a Roman family faces conflicted loyalties
  2. The Emperor’s Shield (Legionary #9) by Gordon Doherty – 386 AD. The Eastern Roman Empire faces multiple threats meaning Pavo, a veteran of the legions, is called back into service
  3. Death to the Emperor (Eagles of the Empire #21) by Simon Scarrow – Britain, 60 AD. The Roman Empire’s hold on the province is increasingly fragile as tribes implacably opposed to Rome grow more cunning in their attacks on the legions
  4. Terra Incognita by Simon Turney – 61 AD. Emperor Nero tasks members of his Praetorian Guard to discover the source of the River Nile
  5. Sword of the War God by Tim Hodkinson – 436 AD. The Huns, led by the fearsome Attila, once Rome’s allies are now its deadliest enemies
  6. The Iron Way (Sarmation Triology #2) by Tim Leach – 180 AD. Bound by an oath to serve as part of the Roman army for twenty-five years, the Sarmatians find themselves guarding one of the forts along Hadrian’s Wall against the threat of attack from tribes to the north
  7. Masters of Rome (Rise of Emperors #2) by Gordon Doherty & Simon Turney – 308 AD. Childhood friends, Constantine and Maxentius compete for the imperial throne
  8. The Fort (City of Victory #1) by Adrian Goldsworthy – 105 AD. The Dacian kingdom and Rome are at peace, but no one thinks that it will last
  9. Rivals of the Republic (Blood of Rome #1) by Annelise Freisenbruch – 70 BC. Roman high society hums with gossip following the suspicious suicide of a prominent Roman senator and the discovery of the body of a Vestal Virgin in the River Tiber
  10. The Wolf Den by Elodie Harper – 74 AD. Amara was once a beloved daughter, until her father’s death plunged her family into penury. Now she is a slave in Pompeii’s most infamous brothel

Any recommendations for other novels set in Roman times?

Defender of the Wall

9 thoughts on “‘Friends, Romans, countrymen…’ Ten Novels Set In Roman Times”

  2. That’s a great list, although the only one I’ve read is The Wolf Den, which I enjoyed. My favourite books set in Ancient Rome are the Cicero trilogy by Robert Harris – I hadn’t expected to find Roman politics so fascinating, but I was completely gripped!

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  3. Wait… you don’t have the whole Masters of Rome books by Colleen McCullough on your list. Those are the truly definitive books about ancient Rome, and probably the most accurate historically. I gobbled them up when they first came out, but I kind of fizzled with the last book, and never finished it.

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      1. The first one, The First Man in Rome, starts WAY back at 110 BC, and you don’t get Julius Caesar until book 4 or 5. And they’re real doorstops at over 900 pages, and a huge glossary! But boy, they’re immersive. I’d read about three of the books when I visited Rome for the first time in my life. I was there with my husband, and as we walked through the Forum I started telling him what things were, and what the buildings were used for, and the different types of people in the government, as if I was a trained tour guide! (I really should finish that last book…)

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  4. I love reading about the romans. I’m currently reading through Kate Quinn’s series and I have bought a book about Fulvia, wife to both Clodius and Marcus Antonius. I loved Conn Iggulden’s Caesar series and the Cicero trilogy by Robert Harris is also well worth the read!

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