trope: Rome

The Drums of Chaos (Simon of Gitta Chronicles)

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The Drums of Chaos (Simon of Gitta Chronicles)
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You might want to start with the collection of short stories featuring Simon of Gitta written earlier by the same author

CAN A HANDFUL OF HEROES STOP AN APOCALYPSE CENTURIES IN THE MAKING?

Escaped gladiator-slave Simon of Gitta returns to Judea — during the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth — on a mission to avenge the deaths of his parents, seeking revenge in blood against the Roman officials who committed the murders and sold Simon into slavery.

But as Simon travels the Holy Lands with his mentor Dositheus and their apprentices Menander and lione, they gradually become entangled in a complex occult plot designed to call down a monstrous alien entity to herald a new aeon on Earth. The mysterious time traveler John Taggart (from Tierney’s The Winds of Zarr) also becomes involved with Simon as their separate quests converge toward a common goal of saving all life on Earth from extinction.

But can a handful of travelers really thwart a covert scheme backed by the power of the Roman Empire? As the apocalyptic supernatural events slowly unfold, Simon and his allies are in a race against time to prevent the devastation of the world.

Using mystery cults and early Christian Gnosticism as his vehicle, with meticulously researched Roman history and Biblical scholarship, this is author Richard Tierney’s magnum opus: an epic Lovecraftian alternate history dark fantasy novel that features Tierney’s most famous characters, Simon of Gitta and John Taggart. This novel will appeal to fans of historical fantasy and sword & sorcery fiction in the vein of Robert E. Howard, and the elements of cosmic horror and the Cthulhu Mythos will satisfy many fans of H.P. Lovecraft.

Sorcery Against Caesar: The Complete Simon of Gitta Short Stories

Sorcery Against Caesar: The Complete Simon of Gitta Short Stories
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These stories were one of the inspirations for the Cthulhu Invictus campaign for the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game by Chaosium. Enjoy sixteen stories combining superbly researched historical fiction with sword & sorcery and Lovecraftian horror.

This is a long-running series of stories (begun in the mid-1980s) by Tierney features Simon of Gitta, an escaped slave turned magician, roves the Roman Empire battling dark magic and demons, all the while pursued by Caesar’s soldiers.

Join Simon as he flees across the ancient world evading cultists and Legionaries, outwitting sorcerers and Centurions, and fighting gladiators and gods, even the deities of the Cthulhu Mythos. Yet all these foes cannot prepare him for his greatest challenge: the pursuit of his lost soul-mate Helen, a love so deep even death can’t stand in its way for long.

There is also a novel : The Drums of Chaos 

 

I Am a Barbarian by Edgar Rice Burroughs

I Am a Barbarian by Edgar Rice Burroughs
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written in 1941 but was not published until after the author’s death

The story is pitched as a free translation of the memoirs of Britannicus, serving for 25 years as the slave of Caligula, emperor of Rome from AD 37 to 41 who is historically known for being insane. It treats a number of different supposed facets of Caligula’s life, including his popular early acts as emperor and his descent into madness.

Valentia: (Victorinus Book 1)

Valentia: (Victorinus Book 1)
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The first book in a thrilling new series of adventures set in Roman Britain. Perfect for fans of Simon Scarrow, Ben Kane, SJA Turney and Gordon Doherty.

Meet Tribune Sixtus Victorinus. Drunken soldier. Absent father. Unlikely hero.

Wall of Hadrian, Britannia, AD 367

It’s just another day, until it isn’t. Tribune Sixtus Victorinus is scouting north of the Wall when he first sees the smoke. Little does he know it’s about to change his life forever. Riding south he finds a province in chaos, the local populace in flight, the soldiers absent.

For rebellion is in the air at the far reaches of empire. The land is ablaze, overrun with barbarians, ‘Valentia’, is the word on everyone’s lips. And no one seems to have the first clue what to do about it.

And so Victorinus must act. He has let his life run to ruin, drunk his youth away. Now he must forge himself into the soldier he always wanted to be, the hero his children think he is.

Because his family are among the missing, and traitors lurk much closer than he could ever believe.

To save his family, he must first save an empire.

Praise for Adam Lofthouse and Valentia:

“Flawed characters seeking redemption. Honour, courage, sacrifice, bloody battles and deadly betrayals, Valentia has it all. Adam Lofthouse goes from strength to strength and this novel is up there with the best in the genre.” – Matthew Harffy

“Lofthouse takes one of the most shadowy and intriguing events in Roman history and turns it into a rampantly-paced, intense adventure. Simply masterful.” – Gordon Doherty

“The author delivers a lesson in how to depict a frontier world at the edge of a crumbling empire and how to populate it with believable and very likeable characters.” – Mark Knowles

The Centurion’s Son (Path of Nemesis Book 1)

The Centurion's Son (Path of Nemesis Book 1)
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Albinus, the son of a revered Roman veteran Silus, has always longed to be a farmer, not a soldier, and live his days ploughing and reaping the harvests, with his bride-to-be, Licina.

But Silus’ has darker ambitions, and wishes for Albinus to follow in his footsteps in the army. As the conflicts between father and son come to a head, a growing threat comes down from the vengeful Germanic tribes to the north. Just as Albinus and Licina are about to marry, their settlement is raided by barbarians and Silus and his veteran comrades are brutally killed, while Licina is kidnapped by the raiders and taken to their king as a gift.

Believing her to be alive, Albinus sets out on a quest to find Licina, finally fulfilling his father’s wishes. As the barbarian hordes gather and plan major rebellion against the Romans, Albinus finds a new fighting spirit within him and grows in stature among the legionaries. Licina meanwhile has a fight of her own, to escape from slavery and find Albinus. Time is running out, as the northern tribes head for Rome, decimating everything in their path…

Oathbreaker (Ravensworn Book 1)

Oathbreaker (Ravensworn Book 1)
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An action packed historical thriller set outside the boundaries of Ancient Rome. For fans of Bernard Cornwell, Matthew Harffy, Ben Kane and Simon Scarrow

At the edge of empire, one man stands alone

Alaric is an enemy of Rome.

For too long he has thwarted the empires attempts to gain control over the land that has long resisted them: Germania.
To the Romans he is a scourge, always evading their carefully laid traps. But to the tribes he is much worse: Outlaw, chief killer, battle turner, Oathbreaker.

All men know him, all men fear him. At his back is a war host, on his shoulder sits Loki, the Trickster. A deal has been struck between the legions and the tribes: lifelong enemies agree to become friends, for a time. The eagles march with the wolves, together they hunt the raven.

Isolated and lacking in allies, will Alaric be able to break free from the noose that slowly encircles him? Or will the Sly One once more come to his rescue.

SPQR I: The King’s Gambit: A Mystery (The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 1)

SPQR I: The King's Gambit: A Mystery (The SPQR Roman Mysteries Book 1)
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Historical mystery serie set in the final years of the Roman Republic

by John Maddox Roberts who also wrote Conan pastiche novels (only one is available on kindle you can find it here)

Blackmail, corruption, treachery, murder–the glory that was Rome.

In this Edgar Award-nominated mystery, John Maddox Roberts takes readers back to a Rome filled with violence and evil. Vicious gangs ruled the streets of Crassus and Pompey, routinely preying on plebeian and patrician alike, so the garroting of a lowly ex-slaved and the disembowelment of a foreign merchant in the dangerous Subura district seemed of little consequence to the Roman hierarchy. But Decius Caecilius Metellus the Younger–highborn commander of the local vigiles–was determined to investigate. Despite official apathy, brazen bribes, and sinister threates, Decius uncovers a world of corruption at the highest levels of his government that threatens to destroy him and the government he serves.

Empire Of The Undead

Empire Of The Undead
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The Roman Empire was built at the expense of a thousand extinguished rivals, and during the reign of Domitian its long-forgotten enemies join together to enact a terrible curse. The dead began to walk, creating a plague of undead that sweeps across the Empire. And even the elite Roman forces, bolstered by war elephants, cannot hold them back.
The only hope of stopping the lifeless monsters is a disparate group of misfits and rogues led by the most ruthless Senator in Rome.

Legionary (Legionary 1): Orphan, slave… hero of Rome

Legionary (Legionary 1): Orphan, slave... hero of Rome
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The Roman Empire is crumbling, and a shadow looms in the east…

376 AD: The Goths amass at the edges of the Eastern Roman Empire, armed and with madness in their eyes. Emperor Valens frantically mobilises his legions to contain this unexpected tide. Little does he know of the far greater, darker threat that drove the tribes like this: the Huns.

The legions need every new recruit they can find, anyone to hold a spear. Pavo – slave and orphan – is not just anyone. Thrust into the border legions, cast into the front line, he must become a man, or he will die, and the empire will fall with him.

Epic Roman fiction, brimming with adventure, battles, blood and gore.
A perfect novel for fans of Bernard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom series, Conn Iggulden’s Emperor series, Simon Scarrow’s Macro and Cato saga or Ben Kane’s Forgotten Legion series.

The Last Dying Light: A Novel of Belisarius (The Last of the Romans Book 1)

The Last Dying Light: A Novel of Belisarius (The Last of the Romans Book 1)
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Rome has fallen into darkness.

Its legacy remains alive in Constantinople, whose leaders struggle to retain control of a decaying land. Yet famine, war, and an encroaching night leave the Eastern Empire trending towards ruin.

Faint hope arises as a new dynasty ascends to the throne of Caesar. Bearing witness to such events is Varus, a young Herulian slave to the aging yet powerful Justin, who unveils a bold plan held by two generations of Romans – to retake the West and reclaim their homeland.

Following Justin’s dream, Varus enlists with the Roman Army and discovers the carnage of 6th Century warfare. As a mysterious horde of black-shielded invaders devastates the Empire’s northern provinces, Varus’ unit is called upon to defend under the leadership of Belisarius, one of Justin’s most promising commanders.

As Varus prepares for the sacrifices to come, however, he begins to question Justin’s secrets, seeking answers regarding his true identity and place as a pivotal figure in the Empire’s survival.