Websites
| Books | Historical novels
| Historical films
Augustus by Allan Massie (Sceptre, 1987) £6.99
The first in a quartet of Roman Caesar novels, this is based on the autobiography
of Augustus found in 1984 in a Macedonian monastery. The other books in
the series are: Tiberius (Sceptre, 1992), Caesar (Sceptre,
1996) and Antony (Sceptre, 1998).
Domina by Paul Doherty (Headline, 2002) £16.99
A well-informed piece of historical fiction telling the story of Agrippina,
wife of Claudius and mother of Nero, and her struggle to survive the harsh
realities of the imperial Roman court.
I, Claudius by Robert Graves (Penguin, 1941) £7.99
Recreating the life and times of Emperor Claudius as if it were his own
autobiography. What unfolds is a gruesome story of power, murder, treachery
and incest set against the backdrop of ancient Rome.
Julian by Gore Vidal (Abacus, 1993) £9.99
Vidal recreates the Roman empire teetering on the crux of Christianity
and ruled by an emperor – Julian the Apostate – who was an inveterate
dabbler in arcane hocus-pocus, a prig, a bigot and a dazzling and brilliant
leader.
Julius Caesar by John Buchan (House of Stratus, reissue 2001)
£8.99
The author of The Thirty Nine Steps turns his attention to fictional
biography and charts the life of Julius Caesar from military triumphs
and politics to conspiracy and murder.
The King's Gambit by John Maddox Roberts (St Martin's Press/Minotaur,
2001) £9.99
Set in republican Rome in 70 BC, Decius Metellus must investigate a series
of murders. His enquiries bring him into contact with some of the most
powerful men of the age.
Ovid by David Wishart (Sceptre, 1996) £6.99
Detective Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus is introduced in the first
of Wishart's Roman whodunits. The story also gives a plausible explanation
for the poet Ovid's exile from imperial Rome.
The Robe by Lloyd C Douglas (Houghton Mifflin, 1999) £8.99
A Roman centurion wins the robe that Christ wore when he was crucified
but it has a strange effect on the pagan soldier. Douglas paints a vivid
picture of Rome and Palestine.
Scipio: A novel by Ross Leckie (Abacus, 1999) £7.99
A fictional account of one of the great Roman leaders, General Scipio
Africanus. The dual narrative, told by Scipio and his loyal friend Bostar,
starts with the defeat of Hannibal at the battle of Zama and unfolds into
an account of one man's successes and failings.
The Silver Pigs by Lindsey Davis (Arrow, 2000) £5.99
The first in a series of mysteries set in ancient Rome and featuring Marcus
Didius Falco as the protagonist – considered by many to be Davis's best.
Top
|
