Roman authors and books

[Shaddix1980]

What are your favorite authors that write Roman historical fiction, and what are your favorite books?

I'm always looking for new books to read.

Myself, I love Simon Scarrow.

Your thoughts...


http://www.amazon.com/Swords-Rome-Christ...ds+of+rome

[Longovicium]

I think it is hard to beat Wallace Breem, to be honest.

[richsc]

There are so many! Steven Saylor, Lindsey Davis, Wallace Breem, Carolyn Lawrence, Ruth Downie, Albert Bell, Robert Harris, John Maddox Roberts!, Rosemarie Rowe, Rosemary Sutcliffe, wow, so many.

[ValentinianVictrix]

Francis is too modest to mention his own book, available from Amazon and if you look at the bottom of his post you will see the link to it. I myself think Sidebottom's books are a good read. However, I find the best read of all are the ancient authors themselves, my own preference being Ammianus.

[Medicus matt]

I think it is hard to beat Wallace Breem, to be honest.

What Francis said.

The Boat of Fate by Keith Roberts is also a very, very good read.

[Nathan Ross]

I think my current favourite 'Roman' author is Harry Sidebottom - his stories have lots of intriguing and unusual background detail, and cover an interesting period. I've also enjoyed Ben Kane and Antony Riches, and recently MC Scott. For earlier writers - Wallace Bream, George Shipway ('Imperial Governor'), Gore Vidal ('Julian') and of course Robert Graves.

I have read several Scarrow novels: they're very entertaining, although the stories get rather repetitive after a while, and the squaddie-talk is grating. Plus he never has anyone draw a sword without a 'rasp' - blades are constantly 'rasping coldly' or 'suddenly' from scabbards, or being 'drawn with a quiet rasp' or whatever. Drawn swords don't actually make much of a noise at all...

However, I have yet to find anyone who writes as well about Romans as Christian Cameron does about Greeks!

These recent threads might prove interesting:

Most Historically Accurate Roman Novels?

An Abundance of Roman Novels

Fictional Characters

[Longovicium]

Thank you, Adrian - I didn't want to seem crass and self-serving there!

I too would recommend 'The Boat of Fate' by Keith Roberts - and for those who love Late Roman fiction as I do, I would also suggest 'Amida' by Mark Walker here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amida-A-Novel-eb...101&sr=8-1

And at the risk of being biased, 'Behind the Eagles', by Paul Elliot, whom some of you might know!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Behind-the-Eagle...=8-1-spell

Both these books bring to life the period under Julian and Constantius II in vivid and different ways!

[Agricola]

I don't read much in the way of Roman fiction although I did enjoy Rosemary Sutcliff's Roman books when I was younger, while the last book of Roman fiction I read was Roma Victrix by Russell Whitfield, which I enjoyed. I've been trying to read the alternate history/sci-fi novel Romanitas too, although it's a bit of hit and miss.

Personally I plan on expanding my interest in Roman fiction books and I've been eyeing up Ben Kane's Hannibal novels. I might give Simon Scarrow's books a look too, although I'm somewhat daunted by the fact that he's published so many of them. It's going to take a while to play catch up, I think.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

I don't do much of Roman Fiction either, but Rusty Meyers mentioned there are some pretty good ones.

I actually read parts of Longovicum's AAR, which would later become his book. It's good, I liked it.

[Trebski]

Besides many mentioned above, I love Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Rome). I was amazed that such fantastic Roman novels could be written by the author of "The Thorn Birds" and alikes...

[Shaddix1980]

Scarrow has written a quite a lot, but they are all easy reads and fun - kind of a action author. Although, I do wish he would stop recycling some of his own plots: how many traitors do we need in every novel? lol


http://www.amazon.com/Swords-Rome-Christ...ds+of+rome

[Simon N Scarrow]

I'd have to agree with you there. I did not discover Breem until I had written my fourth or fifth novel. Just as well, since I doubt I'd have tried to follow in his footsteps. The last third of The Eagle in the Snow is the most enthralling action sequences ever written.

Edit: Whoops, that was supposed to be a reply to an earlier comment about Wallace Breem!