# Fiction set in ancient Greece or Rome?



## Erika (Dec 11, 2009)

I'd be very grateful for any recommendations for fiction set in ancient Greece or Rome. I realized recently that most everything I've read about these periods has been of the nonfiction variety. Really interesting, but I'd love to get a better sense of what it was like to really live there. 

I think a few years back I read something set in ancient Rome entitled... something about a bull. And there was a red bull on a black background etched on the front cover. (Yeah, super useful description, I know.) But other than that I can't think of anything I've come across that was set there. 

Thanks in advance for recs


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Steven Saylor wrote a series of mysteries set in ancient Rome that are available on kindle.


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## William Meikle (Apr 19, 2010)

The Bull one might have been Mary Renault's The Bull From The Sea. She wrote several Greek novels 

The Last of the Wine (1956) — set in Athens during the Peloponnesian War; the narrator is a student of Socrates
The King Must Die (195 — the mythical Theseus up to his father's death
The Bull from the Sea (1962) — the remainder of Theseus' life
The Mask of Apollo (1966) — an actor at the time of Plato and Dionysius the Younger
Fire from Heaven (1969) — Alexander the Great from the age of four up to his father's death
The Persian Boy (1972) — from Bagoas's perspective; Alexander the Great after the conquest of Persia
The Praise Singer (197 — the poet Simonides of Ceos
Funeral Games (1981) — Alexander's successors

All great reads, well worth seeking out.


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## William Meikle (Apr 19, 2010)

As for Ancient Rome.... some of my favorites are Lindsey Davis' Falco mysteries.

Currently 19, with 20 coming soon.

The Silver Pigs (1989) winner of the Author's Club First Novel Award
Shadows in Bronze (1990)
Venus in Copper (1991)
The Iron Hand of Mars (1992)
Poseidon's Gold (1993)
Last Act in Palmyra (1994)
Time to Depart (1995)
A Dying Light in Corduba (1996)
Three Hands in the Fountain (1997)
Two for the Lions (199
One Virgin Too Many (1999)
Ode to a Banker (2000)
A Body in the Bath House (2001)
The Jupiter Myth (2002)
The Accusers (2003)
Scandal Takes a Holiday (2004)
See Delphi and Die (2005)
Saturnalia (2007)
Alexandria (2009)
Nemesis (to appear 2010)


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

If you'll go for an alternate reality set in the Byzantine (eastern Roman) empire, some of Eric Flint's "Belisarius" series are free from Baen, starting with:



(While David Drake's name is at the top, my understanding is he provided the concept and plot outline, but Flint did all the actual writing.)


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## Vyrl (Jun 7, 2010)

"The Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield would be my recommendation.



The linkmaker only has the paperback so here's the link to the Kindle version for you:

http://www.amazon.com/Gates-of-Fire-ebook/dp/B000NJL7QO/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2


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## Chloista (Jun 27, 2009)

Colleen McCullough wrote a fantastic series about Rome -- I highly recommend them. If you google McCullough's name, I'm sure the books will come up on Amazon.  Yes, she wrote The Thornbirds, but her series on Rome is also quite wonderful.  Images in her books stayed with me for a long time.  I think there are six in the series.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

John Maddox Roberts wrote a whole series of "detective stories" set in Rome. I read the first few in DTB and recommend them.

Nogdog mentioned a book by David Drake. Drake and Harry Turtledove are both science fiction writers with extensive knowledge of the ancient world (Turtledove is a professor of Byzantine history, while Drake was a mere bach degree holder) who write some excellent stories set in the Roman or Byzantine worlds, or thinly-disguised ripoffs of those worlds.


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## Rye (Nov 18, 2008)

There's a book called Mighty Hammer Down from David Guyton. I believe it's set in Rome.


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## lorezskyline (Apr 19, 2010)

Conn Iggulden's Emperor Gates of Rome series was very enjoyable it follows Julius Ceasar and Brutus through their early years in the legions and onto become leader of the largest empire at that time.  Theres action, betrayal and political intrigue throughout.  It also has some nice historical detail.


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## Indy (Jun 7, 2010)

You should check out Phaedra by Jean Racine.  Written in the 1600's, it's a play about some woman whose mom was umm, a minotaur's lover.  VERY interesting.  The language is memorable, to say the least.


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## jonconnington (Mar 20, 2010)

Try Roma Eterna, by Robert Silverberg...it;s an alternate history in which Rome never fell and ended ruling the world right to the present day....


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

jonconnington said:


> Try Roma Eterna, by Robert Silverberg...it;s an alternate history in which Rome never fell and ended ruling the world right to the present day....


Oddly enough, I don't reccommend Roma Eterna. To me it felt too disjointed. I guess I expected a novel, but it's actually a series of short stories (and thanks jonconnington for reminding me about it, I just read an anthology of alternate history stories and one of them was a Silverberg that was VERY familiar, now I realize it was originally in Roma Eterna.


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## PhillipA82 (Dec 20, 2009)

The King Must Die is really a great read!


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## patrisha w. (Oct 28, 2008)

PhillipA82 said:


> The King Must Die is really a great read!


I agree. Unfortunately, none of Mary Renault's books are Kindlized as yet.


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## john_a_karr (Jun 21, 2010)

Vyrl said:


> "The Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield would be my recommendation.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Thirding the recommendations for Mary Renault. Magnificent storytelling, and books that I enjoy re-reading.

Far more light-hearted, but fun reading, are the _Falco_ stories mentioned above. I'm currently reading the latest one, _Nemesis_. While the historical details feel well-researched, the characters have fairly modern sensibilities. I assume this is deliberate, as Davis clearly knows the period, and the contrast is part of the comedy.


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## Erika (Dec 11, 2009)

Thank you all very much for the recs! I'll probably be checking out the ones available on Kindle (I should've specified in my first post... I rarely do DTBs any more). Whee


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Thanks for posting the question, Erika; I hadn't really thought of it so much as a reading genre, but have had an offhand interest in those eras and found some interesting suggestions in this thread.  Even more interesting how many people have contributed suggestions -- you know how sometimes there are things you think will get a lot of suggestions and don't, and things you think won't but do?


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## Erika (Dec 11, 2009)

Agreed, Steph, I just posted here on a whim and certainly didn't expect so many answers! It's great. 

I ended up DLing samples of:

Gates of Fire 
The October Horse
SPQR I: The King's Gambit

I'm on a budget so I shall have to be very strict with myself to determine whether or not to buy.  

I'm intrigued by the (DTB-only) Mary Renault recs, I might look her up next time I go to Chapters or another DTB-purchasing locale. Thanks again!


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## jonconnington (Mar 20, 2010)

scarlet said:


> Oddly enough, I don't reccommend Roma Eterna. To me it felt too disjointed. I guess I expected a novel, but it's actually a series of short stories (and thanks jonconnington for reminding me about it, I just read an anthology of alternate history stories and one of them was a Silverberg that was VERY familiar, now I realize it was originally in Roma Eterna.


Well, you could also try the Germanicus series by Kirk Mitchell, set in Roman Empire where Pilate pardoned Jesus and was able to conquer germany.


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

http://www.amazon.com/Pompeii-A-Novel-ebook/dp/B000FBJF3M/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2

I read this a few years ago, and I enjoyed it immensely.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jan 20, 2010)

It's such a shame that I, Claudius isn't on Kindle!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

jonconnington said:


> Well, you could also try the Germanicus series by Kirk Mitchell, set in Roman Empire where Pilate pardoned Jesus and was able to conquer germany.


Thanks, but they don't seem to be available for kindle or even in DTV from amazon.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I would recommend A. D. 62: Pompeii, a novel. [Kindle Edition] by Rebecca East

It is set in the year before the eruption.
And it tells the story of a modern woman, time-trapped after traveling back in time. The story centers around Roman life and the "place" of a woman, especially a slave in a Roman household. I thought it very good. Not sure what has happened to Rebecca.


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## Marisa14 (Jun 30, 2010)

Gates of Fire is one of my favorites.


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## CNDudley (May 14, 2010)

Chloista said:


> Colleen McCullough wrote a fantastic series about Rome -- I highly recommend them. If you google McCullough's name, I'm sure the books will come up on Amazon. Yes, she wrote The Thornbirds, but her series on Rome is also quite wonderful. Images in her books stayed with me for a long time. I think there are six in the series.


Six-book series can be daunting, but I picked up THE FIRST MAN IN ROME today on your recommendation, Chloista, and love it so far. Great character development and sweep. That woman can structure a story!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

It's not really Fiction and isn't on the Kindle unfortunately, but I found it to be a really pleasant and fun read. Then again I enjoy reading this kind of stuff so...


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## brian70 (Mar 26, 2010)

geoffthomas said:


> I would recommend A. D. 62: Pompeii, a novel. [Kindle Edition] by Rebecca East
> 
> It is set in the year before the eruption.
> And it tells the story of a modern woman, time-trapped after traveling back in time. The story centers around Roman life and the "place" of a woman, especially a slave in a Roman household. I thought it very good. Not sure what has happened to Rebecca.


Hi Geoff. Does Vesuvius erupt in 63 A.D. in the book? It erupted in 79 A.D. in real life. Just curious.


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## Hoosiermama (Dec 28, 2009)

> I would recommend A. D. 62: Pompeii, a novel. [Kindle Edition] by Rebecca East
> 
> It is set in the year before the eruption.
> And it tells the story of a modern woman, time-trapped after traveling back in time. The story centers around Roman life and the "place" of a woman, especially a slave in a Roman household. I thought it very good. Not sure what has happened to Rebecca.


I just finished reading this last night. It was really an enjoyable read, and I loved how she wove real people from Pompeii into the story.


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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

I LOOOOOVE these time periods. My favorite book set in ancient Rome is _Pompeii_ -- a thriller by Robert Harris. Fast moving, well written and great research. I also enjoy Steven Saylor's books.

Maybe I shouldn't mention this--but I have a suspense novel set in Rome at the time of Nero coming out in December, _Vestal Virgin_.
Great to find other readers with my interests!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

CNDudley said:


> Six-book series can be daunting, but I picked up THE FIRST MAN IN ROME today on your recommendation, Chloista, and love it so far. Great character development and sweep. That woman can structure a story!


I think the Sulla book - _The Grass Crown_ - is the best one.

It starts to run out of gas by the end. But the first couple of titles absolutely crackle off the page.


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## northtexas (May 16, 2010)

CNDudley said:


> Six-book series can be daunting, but I picked up THE FIRST MAN IN ROME today on your recommendation, Chloista, and love it so far. Great character development and sweep. That woman can structure a story!


There's actually seven novels in the series with Antony and Cleopatra in 2007 the last.


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## northtexas (May 16, 2010)

SuzanneTyrpak said:


> I LOOOOOVE these time periods. My favorite book set in ancient Rome is _Pompeii_ -- a thriller by Robert Harris. Fast moving, well written and great research. I also enjoy Steven Saylor's books.
> 
> Maybe I shouldn't mention this--but I have a suspense novel set in Rome at the time of Nero coming out in December, _Vestal Virgin_.
> Great to find other readers with my interests!


I also enjoyed Harris's two Cicero novels and am looking forward to the third to be released next year:

Imperium: http://www.amazon.com/Imperium-ebook/dp/B000JMKRLQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1286915943&sr=1-3

Conspirata: http://www.amazon.com/Conspirata-ebook/dp/B003EGVD8A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1286915943&sr=1-1


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## theaatkinson (Sep 22, 2010)

did you try the Joan Grant series? she's been noted to say it's nonfic, but it reads like fiction. it's her past lives story. there's a bunch of them. i read them all and enjoyed

eyes of horus i think is one


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## Danielleqlee (Jun 21, 2010)

I thoroughly enjoyed Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon. Part of it was set back in Greece, not to mention Atlantis. Then the last part was mostly modern cities. I loved it!

http://www.amazon.com/Acheron-Dark-Hunter-Book-12-ebook/dp/B0011UJLL2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AZC9TZ4UC9CFC&s=digital-text&qid=1286917599&sr=1-1


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## lorezskyline (Apr 19, 2010)

Not sure if anyone mentioned it but David Gemmells Troy series is excellent begining with Lord of the Silver Bow.


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## IUHoosier (Aug 6, 2010)

tbrookside said:


> I think the Sulla book - _The Grass Crown_ - is the best one.
> 
> It starts to run out of gas by the end. But the first couple of titles absolutely crackle off the page.


I thought all seven of them were fabulous. My favorites were _Fortune's Favorites_ and _The October Horse_. I've read Harris' _Pompeii_, too, but thought McCullough was much better.


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## stormhawk (Apr 29, 2009)

Roman Games by Bruce MacBain was really good ...


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## jonconnington (Mar 20, 2010)

Don;'t know if anyone mentioned this yet...but Steven Saylor wrote a novel called ROMA: THE NOVEL OF ANCIENT ROME...basically used the same device that Edward Rutherford doe sin his stories, telling the story of the city through the eyes of several families over the centuries, from the time of Romulus to the Fall of the Republic.


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

This was great, written by the wonderful Margaret Atwood


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

_I, Claudius_ by Robert Graves comes immediately to mind. Not sure if it's been Kindlized though. Claudius as the POV character narrates with an exquisitely dry irony as he observes the wicked excesses and madness of the Roman imperial family. The BBC series captures some of the book's tone and is very memorable, particularly the episode


Spoiler



when the mad Caligula comes to power, makes his horse a senator, and then marries his sister.


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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

I love the PBS, "I Claudius." 

Steven Saylor's books are set in Rome and really fun.


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## sportourer1s (Oct 2, 2010)

Looking for a good adult read set in ancient Greece that is not too romanticised or involving living Gods! So much is written woven around events in Roman history but not so much from Greece.


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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

Her books have been around for a long time, but have you read Mary Renault?

By the way, I'm working on a suspense novel set in Classical Greece, *Agathon's Daughter*, but it will be about a year before it's out.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

sportourer1s said:


> Looking for a good adult read set in ancient Greece that is not too romanticised or involving living Gods! So much is written woven around events in Roman history but not so much from Greece.


Possibly not what you had in mind, but I recommend "The Histories" by Herodotus. Several versions available on Kindle.


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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Possibly not what you had in mind, but I recommend "The Histories" by Herodotus. Several versions available on Kindle.


Herodotus is great! Very entertaining.

I also love *The Twelve Caesars* by Suetonius--Roman of course, but soooo interesting.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Looking over the thread, a couple of more that come to mind are:



A little on the literary side, but quite excellent.

And:



It doesn't appear to have a Kindle version that I can see.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Ancient Roman mystery for $2.99


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## mcostas (Nov 22, 2010)

I'm glad I found this thread! I just read the last days of jericho and this one - De Bello Lemures, Or The Roman War Against the Zombies of Armorica [Kindle Edition] both by Thomas Brookside. I am left with wanting to read more books of that nature.


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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

Have you read *33 A.D.* by David McAfee?

Jesus and vampires.


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## mcostas (Nov 22, 2010)

SuzanneTyrpak said:


> Have you read *33 A.D.* by David McAfee?
> 
> Jesus and vampires.


I have not read that one! I'm not really a vampire fan, more of a zombie lover myself, but every now and then I run into fresh vampire material, that looks like one of them so I am ordering it.


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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

No zombies or vampires in my book *Vestal Virgin*--but my protagonist speaks to the dead. It's dark suspense set in Rome at the time of Nero--lots of insanity. You might enjoy it.


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## mcostas (Nov 22, 2010)

It does look like something I would like, thanks!





It was too cold and drizzly to go out today so I am spending the day perusing in search of books. I am accumulating a pretty good line-up in my kindle collection I have named "bookshelf". 

I call it "nightstand" on my kindle dX.


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## SuzanneTyrpak (Aug 10, 2010)

_--- edited... no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## Bob Mayer (Feb 20, 2011)

Gates of Fire: The Battle of Thermopylae by S. Pressfield.


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## frankh (Feb 15, 2011)

Check out AUGUSTUS by John Williams. 

It won the National Book Award in 1973, and no one reads it today.


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