Rome was not built in a day. Electrifying
stories abound in the building of this empire: potions, augers, conspiracies,
rebellions, gladiator fights, orations in the Senate, battles on land and the
high seas, grand public constructions, art, literature, exiles, famines,
curses, superstition, and treacheries.
Infinitely more exciting, heart pumping, and
nerve-wracking than those weaved by Scheherazade in her one thousand and one
nights.
I had more than a few sleepless nights in 2019
adventuring in these amazing tales. Caveat: this is a historical fiction list,
but I dare say that with these ancient Romans, facts, myth, and ancient gossip
blur.
1. Roma
by Steven Saylor
Astoundingly ambitious and utterly successful
weaving of the personal stories of the Potitii and Pinarii ancient Roman
families into the tumultuous "history" of Rome years before the time
of Romulus and Remus, the rise and fall of the Roman Republic, up to the
assassination of Julius Caesar and the ascension of Rome's first emperor.
2. Empire:
The Novel of Imperial Rome by Steven Saylor
An incredibly massive story spanning five
generations of the Pinarii (Lucius the Lightning Reader, Titus and Kaeso the
twins, Lucius the Seeker, Marcus the Sculptor, and Lucius, comrade of Marcus
Aurelius) amidst the backdrop of Imperial Rome (from the Julio-Claudian dynasty
to the Year of the Four Emperors, the Flavian Dynasty and finally to the end of
the reign of Hadrian of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty) and the mysterious fascinus
which had made its way from one Pinarius family member to another.
3. The
Last King of Rome: Lucius Tarquinus Superbus by Laura Dowers
Tarquin the Proud, 7th king of Rome, seized the
throne by literally throwing Servius, the reigning king, down the steps of the
Senate house and into the street (with this ignominious start, it wasn't a big
surprise when the Romans said "enough" after 26 years, sent Tarquin
into exile, abolished the monarchy, and established the Republic).
4.
Augustus by John Williams
A collection of edicts, letters, and fragments
of memoirs of the members of the first emperor of Rome's inner circle create a
suspense-filled narrative from the time Augustus (then known as Octavius)
received news of his adoptive father/uncle Julius Caesar's assassination; his
climb and consolidation of power; his loyalty to his friends, his enduring
(although fractious at certain points) partnership with his third wife, Livia;
his painful decision to exile his only child Julia to the lonely island of
Pandateria; and to the ponderous question at the end, "Was it all worth
it?".
5. I am
Livia by Phyllis T. Smith
While the book does not reach the soaring
heights of John Williams’s "Augustus", it is an absorbing read on the
thoughts of Livia Drusilla, the other half of the power couple that ruled and
dominated Rome for 40 years.
6.
Roman Blood (Roma Sub Rosa #1) by Steven Saylor
Absolutely brilliant - Cicero in his early
years as advocate, an indefatigable Finder, powers-that-be whose feathers
cannot be ruffled, and the slow peeling of layers and layers of a political
intrigue!
7. Antonius: Son of Rome by Brook Allen
Volume 1 of the trilogy provides a sympathetic
narrative on the early years of Marcus Antonius and how these influenced his
actions and decisions later on - his mixed feelings about Julius Ceasar, his
dogged enmity towards Cicero, his relations with Publius Clodius Polcher and
Curio, his utter lack of sympathy for Octavius, and his position on the
restoration of the Republic (helmet off to Brook Allen who has made me re-think
my views on Marcus, a character I've long written off from my Imperial Rome
saga)
8. Antonius:
Second in Command by Brook Allen
Volume 2 of the trilogy expands on how Marcus
Antonius has strived long and hard to prove himself to Julius Caesar but these did not seem enough - Caesar threw him into the snake pit of Roman politics
with scant support, refused to consider taking him along on the Parthian
campaign, and the last straw, stroked out Marcus from his will and instead
named Octavius as his adopted son and heir (this book is so well written that I
got distressed, less enamoured with my heroes, and kept saying to myself all
throughout the book, "Oh Caesar, how could you?", "Chickpea,
surely you can rise above your prejudices and ambitions!" and "Octavian
young man, pay heed to your betters!").
I can't wait for the last and final segment to
this trilogy and I look forward to how Brook Allen defends Marcus in the
Parthian War and his last stand at the Battle of Actium against Octavian and
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa.
9. The
Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George
Cleopatra's scrolls provide a vivid
and in-depth look at THE queen's childhood, her struggles to keep the throne,
her dreams, her loves, and through all these, her drive to keep Egypt not only
independent but survive and thrive amidst Rome's growing and encroaching power.
10. The
Daughters of Palatine Hill by Phyllis T. Smith
The daring, cunning, and political acuity of
Livia Drusilla (wife of Emperor Augustus), Julia (Augustus's only child), and
Selene (only daughter of Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra) during the early
precarious years of Augustus leave us breathless page after page.
11. Julia, Daughter of Rome by Elizabeth Elson
It is irresistible to fall into the notion that
Julia, only child of the first emperor of the Roman empire, lived a charmed
life; but the bar was so set so high for this girl from the onset that it does
not come as a big surprise that she'd rebel against the life that's been set up
for her, gets mixed up with the wrong crowd, and comes to a very sad and painful end.
12.
Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran
Selene, Cleopatra's daughter by Marcus Antonius,
has shown herself a true heir to the Ptolemies - she diligently applies herself
in Octavia's household, diplomatically makes sure she does not cross Augustus
and Livia (the power-behind-the-throne), astutely understands her position in
the political marriage arrangements, and rises to the challenge and her true
potential when she agrees to become Juba's queen in Mauretania.
13. I,
Claudius by Robert Graves
A vindication for those who do not subscribe to
self-promotion: because he was considered a total washout by the powers that
be, Claudius not only survived the violent reign of Tiberius and the mad years
of Caligula but at 50 years old, became the fourth Emperor of Rome, reigning
for almost 14 years.
14. The
Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George
The traumatic childhood of Nero under
Caligula's shadow; his ascent to the throne as manipulated by Agrippina the
Younger, his mother; and his passion for art, athletics, music, and
architecture all provide a more sympathetic picture of the last Roman emperor
of the Julio-Claudian dynasty who has come down in history as the tyrant who
cruelly persecuted the early Christians and instigated the Great Fire of Rome.
15.
Domina by Paul Doherty
Agrippina Minor (great granddaughter of Julia and Marcus Vipsanius
Agrippa and daughter of the famous Germanicus)'s life story is unbelievably so
harrowing and full of conspiracies (she managed not only to survive but
surmount the rules of her grand uncle Tiberius, her brother Caligula, and her
husband Claudius) that how she perishes in the end, seems to be the ultimate
dramatic flourish to a 43-year life of constant plotting, waiting, and
striking.
