Fiction in Roman/Byzantine Empires

[SeanF]

This is a an area of history I'm very keen on.  I've read Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome, Robert Graves' I Claudius, Claudius the God, and Count Belisarius, Allan Massie's Roman novels, Harry Sidebottom's Warrior of Rome and Iron and Rust series, Robert Harris' Pompeii, and Cicero trilogy, Guy Gavriel Kaye's The Sarantine Mosaic duology, Rosemary Sutcliffe's Sword at Sunset, and Bernard Cornwell's Warlord trilogy.  I didn't like Conn Iggulden's novels about Caesar, which took far too many liberties with history.

I'd welcome any more recommendations, for either historical, alternative history, or fantasy literature set in these worlds.

[red snow]

Alan Smale has an alt history "Clash of Eagles" where western rome never fell and has them venturing into North America. I've yet to read it but it sounds fun.

I think there's some translated works by an italian author, Robert Fabbri (can't vouch for quality) following the rise of Vespasian. I think I'd be more interested in books not based around Caesar and the The Claudio-Augustine line just because that era is covered a lot.

I think Mark Charan Newton has a book series that's "swords and sandals" but is a fantasy world even if it has the trappings of Rome.

I'm at a loss for Byzantine novels though. It's an area I don't know much about but plan on getting through the podcast on it.

[Jo498]

Have you read the earlier ones by Rosemary Sutcliff taking place before Sword at Sunset? "The Eagle of the Ninth" etc. They are more "young adult" but I remember them as pretty good (although I only read them as kid 30 years ago my brother re-read them as an adult and was still fond of them).

And while old-fashioned "Quo vadis" by Polish author Sienkiewicz is not that bad as far as I recall.

I plan to read Harris' "Cicero" books eventually and also "Augustus" by John Williams that is supposed to be very good.

[SeanF]

11 minutes ago, Jo498 said:

Have you read the earlier ones by Rosemary Sutcliff taking place before Sword at Sunset? "The Eagle of the Ninth" etc. They are more "young adult" but I remember them as pretty good (although I only read them as kid 30 years ago my brother re-read them as an adult and was still fond of them).

And while old-fashioned "Quo vadis" by Polish author Sienkiewicz is not that bad as far as I recall.

I plan to read Harris' "Cicero" books eventually and also "Augustus" by John Williams that is supposed to be very good.

The earlier Sutcliff stories were great fun to read as a child, but not really adult enough for me, now.

[Seli]

Admittedly only one of the stories is actually set in Roman times, but Love and Romanpunk by Tansy Rayner Roberts is an interesting collection. She has recently released the story set in Rome in audio format (last part, with links to the previous here http://sheepmightfly.podbean.com/e/julia-agrippina-part-6/ ,also on iTunes).

Strangely I can only remember novels which touch on the foundation of Rome (the Troy books by David Gemmell, and Lavinia by Ursula K Le Guin), none of which matches your request but are good books regardless.

eta: and of course after posting: if you like graphic novels/bande dessinees there is Alix, and of course more tongue in cheek Asterix. 

Furthermore there is Queen of Kings by Maria Dahvana Headley, although I never actually got far in that at the time.

[williamjm]

5 hours ago, red snow said:

Alan Smale has an alt history "Clash of Eagles" where western rome never fell and has them venturing into North America. I've yet to read it but it sounds fun.

Another alt-history with a similar-sounding premise is Sophia MacDougall's Romanitas trilogy where the Roman Empire has survived into the 21st Century and is in a Cold War situation with Imperial Japan. While I enjoyed the series and liked the characters I wouldn't say the world-building was necessarily its strongest point, it didn't feel like there was enough depth in the description of the 'modern' Roman civilisation for it to feel convincing.

[beniowa]

Robert Silverberg's Roma Eterna, where Rome never fell, is pretty good.  It's less a novel and more a series of interconnected short stories giving glimpses throughout the history of the empire.

I love love love Lindsey Davis' Falco and Flavia Ablia series, historical mysteries set during the times of Vespasian and Domitian. 

A new book released last year by history professor Michael Livingston is The Shards of Heaven.  It's set around the time when Octavian is fighting with Antony and Cleopatra and has some supernatural elements regarding legendary objects with the power of the gods.  Haven't read it myself, but a cursory look in the bookstore led me to believe it's better for readers who don't know much of the history involved.

[Leofric]

Harry Turtledove has a couple of series set in Videssos, a fantasy Byzantium analog.   Much of the plots and intrigue are based on the history between Constantinople and its neighbors (Persia and others) as well as internal conflicts.

[felice]

Warlords of Utopia by Lance Parkin has all the alternate histories where Rome never fell fighting against all the alternate histories where the Nazis won WWII... It's told from a Roman perspective, and it's very good.

[Darth Richard II]

Conn Iggulden is the devil.

 

Steven Saylor is good.

 

[The Marquis de Leech]

An old-but-awesome historical fiction novel set during the final fall of the Byzantine Empire: The Dark Angel, by Mika Waltari. Waltari's also written other historical fiction set in the Roman Empire, but I enjoyed that less on account of it being largely a vehicle to explore early Christianity.  

[Andorion]

Anthony Riches' Empire series follows a band of Roman auxiliaries from the Wall in Britain to Europe and beyond. 

Gordon Doherty has two series - Strategos and Legionary

The Attila Trilogy by William Napier is worth a look as is Attila the Scourge of God by Ross Laidlaw

[ithanos]

An oldie but a goodie; Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem.

[SeanF]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I did read quite a few of the Falco novels, and enjoyed them, but I felt that the series ran out of steam after about half a dozen or so.  Also, they seemed to me like crime novels that could have been set in any period of time, rather than something that was specific to First Century Rome.  Lindsey Davies did write a good novel about Domitian, as well, called Master and God.

[SeanF]

7 hours ago, Roose Boltons Pet Leech said:

An old-but-awesome historical fiction novel set during the final fall of the Byzantine Empire: The Dark Angel, by Mika Waltari. Waltari's also written other historical fiction set in the Roman Empire, but I enjoyed that less on account of it being largely a vehicle to explore early Christianity.  

I'd possibly find the Fall of Constantinople too sad to read about.

[Chaircat Meow]

I'm always on the look out for novels about Byzantium in particular, but I usually end up staying away because they never look promising. Count Belisarius also sets a very high standard. It is disappointing because there is so much untapped potential. I have suffered similar disappointments with novels set during the crusades.

So I tend to stick with histories. So not a novel but the Armenian history by pseudo-Sebeos with the commentary by James Howard-Johnston is amazing. It is the earliest account of the great war between Islam, on the one hand, and Rome and Persia on the other, and it also has good coverage of the 602-628 Romano-Persian war.

I briefly flirted with writing a super accurate historical novel about this period myself, and still have a draft of half a chapter which was going to be a prologue and featured Phocas marching to Constantinople to overthrow Maurice. Heraclius was going to be the main protagonist and I was considering a POV for Muawiya ... 

[SeanF]

1 hour ago, Chaircat Meow said:

I'm always on the look out for novels about Byzantium in particular, but I usually end up staying away because they never look promising. Count Belisarius also sets a very high standard. It is disappointing because there is so much untapped potential. I have suffered similar disappointments with novels set during the crusades.

So I tend to stick with histories. So not a novel but the Armenian history by pseudo-Sebeos with the commentary by James Howard-Johnston is amazing. It is the earliest account of the great war between Islam, on the one hand, and Rome and Persia on the other, and it also has good coverage of the 602-628 Romano-Persian war.

I briefly flirted with writing a super accurate historical novel about this period myself, and still have a draft of half a chapter which was going to be a prologue and featured Phocas marching to Constantinople to overthrow Maurice. Heraclius was going to be the main protagonist and I was considering a POV for Muawiya ... 

I now understand Sean Gabb has written a number of novels in 7th century Rome and Byzantium, under the pseudonym Richard Blake, which have had some good reviews.  So, I'll give one a try and see what it's like.  The period seems to have been as catastrophic in the East as the 5th century was in the West (the populations of imperial cities just collapsed).  Yet, the Byzantines were able to weather the storm, by cutting out layers of useless bureaucracy, and turning serfs into soldier-farmers, giving the people a vested interest in defending their land from the Arabs.

Edit:  I've received a recommendation for Belt of Gold, by Cecilia Holland.  It's about Empress Irene, who was Empress Regent, and Empress Regnant, for about 20 years at the end of the Eighth Century.  Charmingly, she had her son, Constantine VI, blinded so brutally that he died shortly afterwards, after he attempted to reverse her policy of reinstating Icons.

 

[JGP]

Thomas Harlan's Oath of Empire series is, overall, fantastic.

It's an alt-history fantasy, with a pinch of steampunk [there's a clockwork dragon, iirc] and the narrative revolves around a well-researched 7th century Roman Empire in decline, replete with 'barbarians' at the gate and all that. Cast is large [male and female alike they're well drawn, but subtle as opposed to in your face] there's necromancy, demons, and really [really] wicked battles, probably some of the best action I've read in fantasy.

I loved this four books series [the first book was the author's first work] and wanted to continue doing so-- but he didn't stick the ending and that type of thing grates on me when the preceding volumes are strong. Still... there were quite a few aspects of this series that bordered on true greatness.

I'll probably give it a reread soon and see how I feel about it these many years later.      

[Chaircat Meow]

3 hours ago, SeanF said:

I now understand Sean Gabb has written a number of novels in 7th century Rome and Byzantium, under the pseudonym Richard Blake, which have had some good reviews.  So, I'll give one a try and see what it's like.  The period seems to have been as catastrophic in the East as the 5th century was in the West (the populations of imperial cities just collapsed).  Yet, the Byzantines were able to weather the storm, by cutting out layers of useless bureaucracy, and turning serfs into soldier-farmers, giving the people a vested interest in defending their land from the Arabs.

Edit:  I've received a recommendation for Belt of Gold, by Cecilia Holland.  It's about Empress Irene, who was Empress Regent, and Empress Regnant, for about 20 years at the end of the Eighth Century.  Charmingly, she had her son, Constantine VI, blinded so brutally that he died shortly afterwards, after he attempted to reverse her policy of reinstating Icons.

 

I remember scouting out the Blake books about 3 months ago. Eventually I decided I didn't like the look of them partly because I'm not keen on an invented main protagonist being recycled throughout different historical situations, so I haven't read any of them. The Cecilia Holland book might be more promising, so I'll check that out.

[Wilbur]

Kirk Mitchell's Germanicus trilogy is a neat package from the 1980's alternate history stylings where Rome never fell:

- Procurator (novel) (1984)

- The New Barbarians (1986)

- Cry Republic (1989)

 

John Roberts Maddox's SPQR series is a truly excellent mixture of mystery and historical fiction, including several Mystery Writers' Edgar Awards.

- SPQR (1990) (also SPQR I: The King's Gambit)

- The Catiline Conspiracy (1991)

- The Sacrilege (1992)

- The Temple of the Muses (1999)

- Saturnalia (1999)

- Nobody Loves A Centurion (2001)

- The Tribune's Curse (2003)

- The River God's Vengeance (2004)

- The Princess and the Pirates (2005)

- A Point of Law (2006)

- Under Vesuvius (2007)

- Oracle of the Dead (December 9, 2008)

- The Year of Confusion (February 16, 2010)

Two short stories have been published in anthologies, including "An Academic Question" (1998, SPQR series) and  "Beware the Snake" (2011.

JMR also wrote two good historical fiction novels about the fall and re-birth of Rome:

• Hannibal's Children (2002)
• The Seven Hills (2005)