STEVEN’S BOOKSHOP/USA

NOVELS ABOUT THE ANCIENT WORLD

Special Fiction Bookshelves:

Graphic Novels

Greece

Troy

Roman Britain

Hannibal & Carthage

Attila

Cleopatra

Alexander

Classic Novels

Mystery

Sci-Fi/ Fantasy

Younger Readers

Recent Arrivals & Backlist:

THE GOLDEN SLAVE by Poul Anderson Better known for award-wining sci-fi and fantasy, Anderson also wrote historical fiction, including this novel of high adventure about a young barbarian warrior with an extraordinary destiny, set in the Roman world of 100 B.C. Published in 1960, it’s back in print, including a Kindle edition.

	THE LAND OF FOAM by Ivan Yefremov The famed Soviet science fiction author also wrote historical ficiton, including this novel set in ancient Egypt and Greece.		THAIS OF ATHENS by Ivan Yefremov Fictional story of the famed hetaera who became one of the most influential women in the time of Alexander the Great. Another translation is available here.
	I AM CYRUS by Alexander Jovy The story of “the real Prince of Persia”—Cyrus the Great—who made Persia a world power by ruthless conquest.		EMPEROR AND GALILEAN by Henrik Ibsen Ibsen’s epic 10-act play about Julian, the last Pagan emperor, is a “gargantuan masterpiece” (Booklist). A fascinating companion read to Gore Vidal’s landmark novel Julian.
	THE SONG OF ACHILLES  by Madeline Miller “At once a scholar’s homage to The Iliad and a startlingly original work of art by an incredibly talented new novelist.”—Ann Patchett		ACHILLES: A Love Story  by Byrne Fone The world’s greatest warrior was also a lover—of the handsome Patroclus. Also by Fone: War Stories: A Novel of the Trojan War and Trojan Women: A Novel of the Fall of Troy.
	THE DOVEKEEPERS by Alice Hoffman The popular author (The Story Sisters, Seventh Heaven) recounts the story of four women present at the Roman siege of Masada in A.D. 72.		THE END OF SPARTA by Victor Davis Hanson A novel of the great Theben leader Epaminondas, written by the Neocon academic and pundit.
	THE PENELOPEIA by Jane Rawlings A novel in verse provides a new look at the wife of Odysseus. Compare to Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad.		THEODORA: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy A novel of the most famous of all the Byzantine empresses, the actress who became the wife of Justinian. By the author of Parallel Lies.
	THE HITTITE by Ben Bova Sci-fi master Bova recounts the adventures of Lukka, a Hittite warrior whose search for his missing family leads him to the gates of Troy.		CLAUDIUS by Douglas Jackson When Caratacus rebels against Rome, the emperor Claudius sends a secret weapon against the Britons. By the author of Caligula and Hero of Rome.
	THE LIFE OF POLYCRATES & Other Stories for Antiquated Children by Brendan Connell Bizarre and cerebral tales include the story of an eccentric Greek ruler and the fantastic personalities around him.		VESTAL VIRGIN by Suzanne Tyrpak A priestess of Vesta engages in a passionate game of wits with the emperor Nero, and finds herself drawn to a new, exotic god from the East called Jesus.
	DAUGHTERS OF ROME by Kate Quinn Two sisters maneuver the treacherous tides of history and passion in Rome’s turbulent Year of Four Emperors, 69 A.D. By the author of Mistress of Rome.		MISTRESS OF ROME by Kate Quinn In the reign of Domitian, a girl from Judaea becomes her mistress’s rival for Rome’s most savage gladiator.
	QUEEN OF KINGS by Maria Dahvan Headley What if Cleopatra was a vampire? A novel of dark magic, myth, and mystery.		CONSPIRACIES OF ROME by Richard Blake begins a series about the far-flung adventures of young Briton Aelric in the 7th century Roman Empire. Followed by Terror of Constantinople and The Blood of Alexandria.
	WARRIORS ed. by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois Giant anthology includes a new Seven Saylor story, “The Eagle and the Rabbit,” about Rome and Carthage. The story is in Volume 1 of the paperback edition.		THE ROAD TO ROME by Ben Kane The adventures of the twin siblings Romulus and Fabiola continue as the Ides of March draw near. The series begins with The Forgotten Legion and The Silver Eagle.
	KILLER OF MEN by Christian Cameron The author of Tyrant embarks on a new tale—a hero’s progress in the epic struggle between Greece and Persia. Cameron is also the author of the nonfiction Washington and Caesar.		TYRANT by Christian Cameron After fighting for Alexander, the Greek warrior Kineas becomes a mercenary for the Tyrant of Olbia on the Black Sea. Followed by Storm of Arrows • Funeral Games • King of the Bosphorus
	SHORT EPICS by Maffeo Vegio, trans. Michael C. Putnam Ancient World fiction from the Renaissance; Vegio’s mini-epics based on the Aeneid, the Iliad, and the tale of the Golden Fleece were international bestsellers in their day.		MOMUS by Leon Battista Alberti, trans. Sarah Knight Ancient World fantasy fiction from the Renaissance, as the fault-finding god Momus, thrown out of Olympus by Jupiter, foments mischief among the mortals and the other gods.
	PENELOPE’S DAUGHTER by Laurel Corona The story of Xanthe, daughter of Odysseus, unfolds in a novel that “provides new insight into the lives of Homer’s women.” (Booklist)		TIBERIUS JULIUS ALEXANDER by Daniel M. Friedenberg Fictional memoir of a paradoxical figure of the Ancient World — a wealthy Jew from Alexandria who served as second in command under Titus during the siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
	THE ATTILA TRILOGY by William Napier: • Attila • The Gathering Storm • The Judgment “Rip-roaring...jam-packed with epic set pieces.” (Daily Mail)		FIRST CITIZEN EMPEROR by Charles David Eyer At age 24, Nero has been emperor for nearly eight years—but can he hold on to power amid a vortex of intrigue and his own excesses?
	THE GOLDEN MEAN by Annabel Lyon The philosopher Aristotle is called on to become the tutor of a precocious young prince—Alexander, one day to be called the Great.		CECILIA by Linda Ferri A teenaged Roman girl comes of age in the reign of Marcus Aurelius and finds herself drawn to the forbidden cult of the Christians. By the author of Enchantments. Read a review here.
	STEALING FIRE by Jo Graham The heirs of Alexander the Great resort to magic to claim his legacy; “confirms Graham’s place in the highest ranks of historical fantasists.” (PW) See more Graham novels at the Scifi/Fantasy page.		THE HADRIAN ENIGMA by George Gardiner When the emperor’s young lover drowns in the Nile, is it a prank gone wrong, suicide, murder—or something far more sinister?
	LADY PHILOSOPHER by Brian Trent The stirring story of Hypatia, a scholar at the Library of Alexandria and subject of the movie Agora (see Steven’s New Movies page).		FLOW DOWN LIKE SILVER by Ki Longfellow A novel about the turbulent life of the scholar Hypatia of Alexandria, subject of the movie Agora (see Steven’s New Movies page).
	THE IDES OF MARCH by Valerio Massimo Manfredi The new novel by Italy’s most popular historical novelist is a thriller about the plot to murder the most powerful man on earth. See more Mandredi novels here.		RANSOM by David Malouf “evokes the final days of the Trojan War with cinematic vividness” (PW) as King Priam seeks to ransom the body of his son Hector from Achilles. By the author of An Imaginary Life, about Ovid.
	THE HIDDEN by Tobias Hill Archaeological thriller about an Oxford student at Sparta, with a parallel story of ancient Greece. “The evocations of Greece and historical details of Sparta are excellent.” (Publishers Weekly)		THE LAST WORLD by Christoph Ransmayr The exile of Ovid in 8 A.D. is dislocated in time, as the poet’s friend Cotta goes on a quest to find him in the phantasmagoric landscape of modern Bulgaria.
	THE LOST BOOKS OF THE ODYSSEY by Zachary Mason “Mason’s fantastic first novel [is] a deft reimagining of Homer’s Odyssey...This original work consistently surprises and delights.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)		CONSPIRATA by Robert Harris In the sequel to Imperium, Cicero faces conspiracy of Catilina in 63 B.C.—the same setting as Steven Saylor’s Catilina’s Riddle.
	A BEDSIDE ODYSSEY by Michael Gall The other lost books of the Odyssey? The original Olympia Press erotic classic with a preface by Maurice Girodias.		ROMAN ORGY by Marcus Van Heller A randy retelling of the Spartacus story; the original Olympia Press erotic classic by the legendary Marcus Van Heller.
	ZENOBIA by Haley Elizabeth Garwood After the Romans assassinate her beloved husband, the Queen of Palmyra rises up to challenge the emperor Aurelian.		GIVE ME BACK MY LEGIONS! by Harry Turtledove A novel about the momentous battle of Teutoberg Forest in 9 AD, which changed the destiny of the Roman Empire.
	MARCUS AURELIUS: THE DIALOGUES by Alan Stedall Philosophical fiction: the emperor explains himself to the physican Galen; Harnouphis, high priest of Isis; and his co-emperor, Lucius Verus. Read the intro here.		OMEROS by Derek Walcott The Nobel Prize winner follows the wanderings of a modern-day Odysseus, bringing Classical motifs to contemporary characters.
	AUGUSTUS by Allan Massie The fictional memoir of one of history’s most famous, yet most elusive, figures. By the author of The Evening of the World.		AUGUSTUS by John Williams Winner of the National Book Award. “A masterpiece.” (LA Times) “An always engaging, psychologically convincing work of fiction.” (NY Times)
	FIRE IN THE EAST by Harry Sidebottom A German favorite of the emperor in the 3rd Century faces sea battles, spies, assassins, and siege warfare. Sequel: King of Kings and Lion of the Sun. By the author of Ancient Warfare.		EMPIRE: Wounds of Honour by Anthony Riches Fleeing the wrath of emperor Commodus, Marcus Valerius Aquila enlists to serve at Hadrian’s Wall just as rebellion breaks out. Followed by Arrows of Fury and Fortress of Spears.
	VISPANIA by Jasper Burns In 12 B.C. the emperor Augustus forced his stepson Tiberius to divorce his pregnant wife, Vispania...but that was not the end of her story. By the author of Great Women of Imperial Rome.		CLEOPATRA’S DAUGHTER by Michelle Moran A novel about the three children of Cleopatra and Antony, and their fates after the deaths of their parents. By the author of Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen.
	THE SOLDIER OF ROME Series by James Mace follows the far-flung adventure of the soldier Artorius in the 1st Century: The Legionary • The Sacrovir Revolt • Heir to Rebellion • The Centurion		LAVINIA by Ursula K. LeGuin Before the Trojan warrior Aeneas founded Rome, he took the daughter of King Latinus to be his wife. “Deserves to be ranked with I, Claudius.” (Publishers Weekly)
	AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF RED by Anne Carson A novel in verse about Geryon, winged monter of Greek myth and foe of Herakles, by the author of Eros the Bittersweet.		STEALING ATHENA by Karen Essex A novel of the Elgin marbles tells two tales, of Lady Elgin and of Aspasia, the lover of Pericles, tried for sexual impropriety in ancient Athens. By the author of Kleopatra and Pharaoh.
	MARIUS’ MULES: The Invasion of Gaul by S.J.A. Tunrney A tale of warfare, politics and betrayal based on Julius Caesar’s war diary and seen from the perspective of one of his officers. Kindle. Sequel: The Belgae		INTERREGNUM by S.J.A. Turney A story of redemption, loss and recovery in a fractured empire; alternate history set in a fictional world inspired by the crumbling later Roman Empire.
	TRAJAN’S WAR by Karen Mayberry The young soldier Casius serves the emperor Trajan in his rapacious war against the Dacians.		TRAJAN, LION OF ROME by C.R.H. Wildfeur The tumultuous life story of one of Rome’s most powerful and successful emperors.
	FIRE AND BRONZE by Robert Raymond A Phoenician princess flees from Tyre to found the city of Carthage and become the legendary Queen Dido.		FAREWELL BRITANNIA: A Family Saga of Roman Britain by Simon Young The dramatic story of 400 years of Roman rule seen through the tales of 14 family members.
	SHIP OF ROME by John Stack As war on the sea rages between Rome and Carthage, the Greek-born Roman captain Atticus is charged with building the fledgling Roman navy		THE EMPRESS by Robert DeMaria The story of Agrippina, sister of Caligula, wife of Claudius, mother of Nero. By the same author: Clodia, a novel of the poet Catullus and his lover (celebrated in his poems as the elusive Lesbia).
	SHADOW OF COLOSSUS by T.L Higley On Rhodes in 227 BC., the death of her owner gives a courtesan a chance for freedom. Next in the Christian author’s Seven Wonders series: City of the Dead • Guardian of the Flame		THE BETRAYAL by Kathleen & Michael Gear In 325 A.D., Brother Barnabas defies the emperor Constantine and the Council of Nicea to preserve forbidden texts on the life of Jesus.
	THE HEADLONG GOD OF WAR Jon Edward Martin A novel of ancient Greece and the battle of Marathon by the author of by In Kithairon’s Shadow and Shades of Artemis.		NEVER GROW OLD by Brian Trent Inspired by the ancient epic, this is the story of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk; the wildman Enkidu, last of his kind; and a quest for immortality. By the author of Lady Philosopher.
	THE REPUBLIC TRILOGY by Jack Ludlow Action-packed series set in the turbulent Roman Republic: The Pillars of Rome • Sword of Revenge • The Gods of War		ALEXANDER & ALESTRIA by Shan Sa The queen of the Amazons, dazzled by Alexander on the battlefield, decides to kidnap the warrior and make him her “wife.” By the author of Empress.
	KING OF ITHACA by Glyn Iliffe begins the Adventures of Odysseus series, followed by The Gates of Troy and The Armour of Achilles.		THE REPUBLIC OF VENGEANCE by Paul Waters A young Roman travels the world in the era of the wars between Rome and Carthage. Also by Waters: Cast Not the Day and The Philosopher Prince.
	TYRANT by Christian Cameron After fighting for Alexander, Kineas becomes a mercenary for the Tyrant of Olbia on the Black Sea. Followed by Storm of Arrows and Funeral Games.		GLADIATRIX by Russell Whitfield A first century Spartan woman is forced into slavery in the eastern Roman Empire and becomes a gladiatrix. “Makes Gladiator look very tame indeed!” (Simon Scarrow)
	VOYAGE OF THE SNAKE LADY by Theresa Tomlinson After Troy falls, Myrina leads the Moon Riders, a band of warrior women. But the son of Achilles is bent on revenge. Sequel to The Moon Riders.		THE EAGLE AND THE RAVEN by Pauline Gedge Gigantic novel of Boudicca and Caradoc spans three turbulent generations in Roman Britain; foreward by Donna Gillespie.
	SOUL FLAME by Barbara Wood Healer Selene travels from Antioch to Persia, Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Nero’s Rome. Is she the granddaughter of Caesar and Cleopatra? By the author of Daughter of the Sun.		THE PHOENIX CIRCLE by Boris Raymond The Roman Empire succumbs to barbarian encroachment and the growing power of Christianity. “Engrossing and insightful.” (Roman Times)
	GREEK FIRE by Clara Rising A novel of Pericles, the birth of democracy in Athens, and the struggle with Persia. Read an excerpt.		ANTIGONE’S WAKE by Nicholas Nicastro Sophocles becomes a general in the Athens of Pericles. By the author of The Isle of Stone: A Novel of Ancient Sparta and Circumference: Eratosthenes & the Ancient Quest to Measure the Globe.
	THE FIGHT FOR ROME by James Duffy 68 A.D.: The emperor is dead, the throne is up for grabs, and Taurus the gladiator finds himself in the thick of it. A sequel to Sand of the Arena.		EMPIRE RISING by Sam Barone Barbarians and Egyptian intrigue threaten the rising city of Akkad on the Tigris at the dawn of civilization. Sequel to Dawn of Empire.
	THE QUEST Wilbur Smith is the latest in the bestselling author’s series of historical thrillers set in ancient Egypt. Previous titles, in order: River God • The Seventh Scroll • Warlock		THE UNCERTAIN HOUR by Jesse Browner In 66 A.D., under pressure from Nero to commit suicide, the cultured aristocrat Petronius (author of The Satyricon) hosts a sumptuous banquet.

The Ancient World Fiction of GORE VIDAL (1925 - 2012) The late Gore Vidal was most famous for his fiction inspired by American history, but he also wrote some remarkable works set in the Ancient World. JULIAN, Vidal’s novel of the last Pagan emperor, became a huge bestseller and set him on the path to becoming America’s foremost historical novelist. • ROMULUS, a play about the last emperor of the Roman Empire, was first produced on Broadway in 1962. Vidal adapted his play from a work by Friedrich Duerrenmatt, also included in this volume. • CREATION: Restored Edition includes passages cut from the original edition, as Vidal’s novel imagines a man who knew Socrates, the Buddha, Confucius and Zoroaster. Read Steven’s review. • LIVE FROM GOLGOTHA is an irreverent satire set in 96 B.C., but featuring appearances by a host of moderns, including Mary Baker Eddy, Shirley Maclaine, and Oral Roberts.

Do you crave vintage trashy novels set in the Ancient World? Check out Joe Kenney’s Swords, Sandals, Sex and Sin List Part 1 and Part 2 at Amazon. Kenney blogs at glorioustrash.blogspot.com.

Rosemary Sutcliff’s novels about Roman Britain and Homer’s Greece have become beloved classics of the historical genre. The Eagle of the Ninth, about the quest of Marcus Aquila to recover a lost eagle standard, has now been made into the movie The Eagle (see New Movies). The million-copy bestseller begins a series featuring Aquila had his descendents, taking them from Roman Britain to the times of King Arthur and beyond: The Silver Branch • Frontier Wolf • The Lantern Bearers • Dawn Wind • Sword at Sunset • Sword Song • The Shield Ring Sutcliff’s other stories set in ancient Roman Britain include The Mark of the Horse Lord, the story of a gladiator who impersonates a king, and The Outcast, about a Roman boy brought up by a British tribe. Sutcliff also retold the tales of Homer in Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus.

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	THE TAPESTRY OF BRONZE novels by Victoria Grossack and Alice Underwood are set in the Bronze Age world of Greek history and myth. Jocasta tells the story of Oedipus from a different point of view; a trilogy of novels about Niobe and her children begins with Children of Tantalus and continues with The Road to Thebes and Arrow of Artemis.
	THE EMPRESS OF ROME Seris by Luke Devenish A publishing sensation in Australia, finally available in the US—Luke Devenish’s racy, tell-all novels about the first women of Imperial Rome and their struggles for power, love, and survival, DEN OF WOLVES and its sequel, NEST OF VIPERS.
	THE MAEVE CHRONICLES by Elizabeth Cunningham “embraces the Magdalene’s reputation for prostitution to the extent of casting her as a sacred whore serving the goddess Isis...Mary is Maeve, a big, strapping, redheaded Celt sold into slavery in Rome...Cunningham’s big book is first an absorbing historical novel about down-and-dirty slave life in Rome and then a visionary fantasy about the Magdalene’s life as Jesus’ gentile wife.” (Booklist) Magdalen Rising • The Passion of Mary Magdalen •Bright, Dark Madonna

ROMANCES SET IN CLEOPATRA’S EGYPT by Constance O’Banyon The USA Today bestselling author recounts breathless tales of danger and desire along the Nile in the 1st Century B.C. Lord of the Nile • Sword of Rome • Daughter of Egypt • Desert Prince

This has “collector’s item” written all over it: a book of original short stories about Rome v. Carthage titled Hannibal Ante Portas! This labor of love is the creation of two Romanian brothers, Cristian Emilian Ghita (who edited the volume and contributed two of the stories) and Catilin Daniel Ghita, who provided illustrations. The paperback edition is text only; the deluxe hardback edition is sumptuously illustrated in color with insets, borders, and full-page images. See excerpts, images, and more info at this forum.

Dark of the Sun is a new collection of poetry by Malcolm Deeley, illustrated by David Cuccia, about the people who died when the eruption of Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum. Previous Deeley-Cuccia collaborations from independent publisher Gromagon Press about the Ancient World include Ferrum, exploring life in the late Roman Republic as seen through the eyes of a common metalworker, and Mythology, which retells stories from the Greek myths. These books are not available from Amazon; click on the links above for ordering info.

LOGUE’S HOMER “A work of great virtuosity, something completely original in style and stance...It is the perfect introduction to Homer, faithful in tone and spirit to the essential Greekness of the old poem.” (Lawrence Durrell) • “No classical scholar, no critic, has voiced more concisely the lasting impact of Homer.” (George Steiner, Times Literary Supplement) • “The best translation of Homer since Pope’s.” (Gary Wills, New York Review of Books) • War Music: An Account of Books 1-4 and 16-19 of Homer’s Iliad • Cold Calls: War Music Continued • All Day Permanent Red: The First Battle Scenes of Homer’s Iliad Rewritten

Focus on: ELAGABALUS The sexual escapades of the notorious emperor Elagabalus (202-223 A.D.) have been the subject of gossip and scandal for eighteen centuries. Find out why in these wildly diverse fictional treatments. Steven’s first encounter with Elagabalus was in the racy CHILD OF THE SUN by Onstott & Horner. Alfred Duggan’s more sober FAMILY FAVOURITES mixes straightforward historical fiction with sly satire. In 2006, veteran novelist David Chacko wrote about “the most outrageous of all” emperors in THE SEVERAN PROPHECIES, with the disclaimer: “This is not your mother’s Roman historical.” Literary critic H.L. Mencken, of all people, once wrote a play about the emperor: HELIOGABALUS, A BUFFOONERY IN THREE ACTS. Antonin Artaud wrote a novelized biography, HELIOGABALUS, OR THE CROWNED ANARCHIST. In BOY CAESAR by Jeremy Reed (“the English Rimbaud” according to Edmund White), a modern young Londoner emulates the exploits of the flamboyant emperor.

	THE MASTERS OF ROME SERIES by Colleen McCullough chronicles in epic detail the same period as Steven’s Roma Sub Rosa series. The saga begins with The First Man in Rome and continues with The Grass Crown, Fortune’s Favorites, Caesar’s Women, Caesar, The October Horse, and the latest, Antony and Cleopatra.
	Simon Scarrow chronicles the adventures of centurion Macro and legionnaire Cato beginning with the Roman invasion of Britain, with brazen tales of military adventure, political intrigue, and heroism. The series, in order: Under the Eagle • The Eagle’s Conquest • When the Eagle Hunts • The Eagle and the Wolves • The Eagle’s Prey • The Eagle’s Prophecy • The Eagle in the Sand • Centurion• The Gladiator
	The classic novels of Alfred Duggan include Three’s Company, a novel of the struggle between Octavian and Antony as seen by the third man in the Triumvirate, Lepidus. Winter Quarters follows the far-flung adventures of two Gauls in the Roman legions, including Crassus’s Parthian campaign. Conscience of the King and The Little Emperors are set in turbulent Roman Britain. Family Favourites is about the scandalous emperor Elagabalus.
	Imperium by Robert Harris Cicero’s tumultuous career in the Roman courts and political arena is recounted by his private secretary, Tiro. Conspirata finds Cicero at the peak of his power as consul, confronting a massive conspiracy against the Republic. In Pompeii, the bestselling author of Fatherland and Archangel recreates an opulent world on the brink of disaster. Read Harris’s piece on “The Lost Library of Rome” in the Sunday Times.

Valerio Massimo Manfredi created an international sensation with The Alexander Trilogy: Child of a Dream, The Sands of Ammon & The Ends of the Earth. The Italian author’s other novels of the ancient world: The Ides of March is a thriller about a plot to murder the most powerful man on earth. • The Lost Army, about the legendary march of the Greek warrior Xenophon. • The Last Legion (now a motion picture), about the destiny of Rome’s last emperor, the boy Romulus Augustus. • Spartan, the story of two brothers in the harsh city-state of Sparta. • The Talisman of Troy (aka Heroes) in which the Greek warrior Diomedes journeys to Italy after the Trojan War. • Tyrant, the tale of Dionysius of Syracuse and his epic war with Carthage. • Empire of Dragons, in which Roman soldiers journey to China to help a prince regain his throne. Manfredi’s modern-day archaeological thrillers: In The Oracle, macabre murders in modern Greece are linked to a legendary hero of the Trojan War. In The Tower (filmed as Tower of the Firstborn), archaeologists discover a lost city in the desert that holds a terrifying secret. Pharaoh concerns a shattering discovey about Moses and the Ark of the Covenant. • In The Ancient Curse, the excavation of an Etruscan tomb leads to a series of gruesome killings in the Italian city of Volterra.

	THE CLEFT by Doris Lessing In the Nobel winner’s latest, an old Roman senator retells the origin of humanity, beginning with the Clefts, a community of women living in a coastal wilderness...		THE EAGLE by Jack Whyte The concluding volume of The Camulod Chronicles, the story of King Arthur set against the backdrop of the Roman and Celtic struggle for Britain.
	THE AFGHAN CAMPAIGN by Steven Pressfield Alexander the Great invades the Afghan kingdoms in 330 B.C. By the author of The Virtues of War, Gates of Fire, Tides of War, & Last of the Amazons. Also on audio cd.		DREAMING THE SERPENT SPEAR by Manda Scott Climax to an epic series about the warrior queen Boudica. Preceding volumes: Dreaming the Eagle • Dreaming the Bull • Dreaming the Hound.
	LADY OF THE LIGHT by Donna Gillespie Sequel to The Light Bearer follows a bold heroine in the age of Nero. “Historical fiction for adrenaline junkies: the pace is furious, the action ferocious, the suspense unrelenting.” (PW)		IN THE SHAPE OF A BOAR by Lawrence Norfolk “An epic achievement...stitching together classical Greek culture and modern barbarism.” (SF Chronicle) By the author of Lemprière’s Dictionary.
	SONGS ON BRONZE by Nigel Spivey Cambridge classicist Spivey retells the stories of Greek myth, from the creation of the world to the Trojan War and the wanderings of Odysseus.		THE QUEST FOR THE LOST ROMAN LEGIONS by Tony Clunn In 9 A.D., three Roman legions vanished in the Teutoburg Forest. Clunn combines on-site explorations with a fictional reconstruction of the ambush.
	PILATE’S WIFE by Antoinette May From her privileged place in Roman society, Claudia Procula views the doings of madmen, emperors, and prophets.		PILATE’S WIFE by H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) The famous poet of the 1920s labored long on this unusual novel, in which Pilate’s wife plots to avert the crucifixion of Jesus.
	BOUDICA, QUEEN OF THE ICENI by Joseph E. Roesch Caught in a tragic web and trusting in ancient prophecy, Boudica raises the Britons in a bloody revolt against the merciless legions of Nero.		EMPEROR: The Gods of War by Conn Iggulden concludes the saga of Julius Caesar. Previous titles in the series: The Gates of Rome • The Death of Kings • The Field of Swords • Iggulden’s new series begins with Genghis: Birth of an Empire.
	DAUGHTER OF THE CROCODILE by Duncan Sprott continues the epic story of Greco-Egyptian royal dynasty that ended with Cleopatra. Volume I: The Ptolemies.		THE NERO PREDICTION by Humphry Knipe When Rome ruled the world, astrology ruled Rome. Nero’s secretary battles the prediction that he will murder the musical messiah.
	THE MEMOIRS OF HELEN OF TROY by Amanda Elyot In middle age, Helen writes her autobiography for her daughter, Hermione, revealing how she became the notorious Helen of Troy.		HELEN OF TROY by Margaret George The epic story of the Spartan princess, by the bestselling author of Mary, Called Magdalene, The Autobiography of Henry VIII, and Memoirs of Cleopatra.
	MEMNON by Scott Oden The Greek mercenary Memnon of Rhodes dares to oppose Alexander the Great. By the author of Men of Bronze.		MEN OF BRONZE by Scott Oden In 526 B.C., the decadent kingdom of Egypt faces threats and intrigue from Greeks, Persians, and Phoenicians. By the author of Memnon.
	DRUIDS by Morgan Llywelyn Panoramic novel of the Celtic culture and Druidic rites of the Gauls, and the struggle of their warlord Vercingetorix against Caesar. Sequel: The Greener Shore.		THE DRUID KING by Norman Spinrad SciFi master turns to historical epic with the tale of Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls against Julius Caesar. Spinrad wrote the screenplay for the movie now on DVD.
	FOLLOWING HADRIAN by Elizabeth Speller combines travelogue, biography and fictional memoir to recount the life of the emperor Hadrian, who ruled Rome at the peak of her power.		THE LABYRINTH by Catherynne Valente A surreal version of the myth of the Minotaur, featuring a female Theseus.
	THE EVENING OF THE WORLD by Allan Massie First in the Dark Ages Trilogy; a young nobleman witnesses barbarian onslaughts and the seedy splendors of Byzantium. Volume II: Arthur the King.		IN THE ARMY OF MARCUS BATALLIUS by David M. Ross When German barbarians threaten the northern frontier, emperor Marcus Aurelius sends legionary commander Batallius to build forts on the Rhine.
	THE YOUNG JULIAN by Thomas J. Hairston Grand-nephew of Constantine the Great, the eventual emperor Julian is stalked through his adolescence by a powerful cousin bent on his death.		JUSTINIAN by Basil Eleftheriou The greatest of Byzantine emperors reorganizes the decaying Roman empire in the East, and makes an ex-prostitute his wife and empress.
	MEMOIRS OF A BYZANTINE EUNUCH by Christopher Harris Zeno becomes the property of an eminent scholar amid the glittering court-life of Constantinople. By the author of Theodore and False Ambassador.		LEGION by William Altimari First Century military adventure follows the fortunes of a centurion who arrives in Gaul to train the raw recruits of the 25th Legion, just in time to face a massive barbarian invasion.
	THE FIRST HEROES: New Tales of the Bronze Age ed by Turtledove & Doyle 14 authors including Gene Wolfe, Poul Anderson, Judith Tarr, and S.M. Stirling set their tales in the age of Homer and Gilgamesh.		68 A.D. by D.G. Bellenger Valerian, son of the murdered emperor Galba, encounters intrigue, rebellion, and murder as he seeks his father’s assassins.
	THE LOVE-ARTIST by Jane Alison On the Black Sea coast, the poet Ovid encounters Xenia, a wild-eyed young woman who becomes his muse.		AN IMAGINARY LIFE by David Malouf In exile on the desolate Black Sea coast, the supremely urbane poet Ovid attempts to civilize a feral child. By the author of Ransom, a novel of the Trojan War.

THE MYTHS “A series of works that retell the great myths of the world is being released simultaneously in more than 30 countries, one of the largest synchronized publishing efforts ever...The publisher vows [the series] will eventually number more than 100.” (New York Times) • A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong • The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood, a retelling of the myth of Penelope and Odysseus • Weight by Jeanette Winterson, updating the tale of Atlas and Herakles • The Helmet of Horror: The Myth of Theseus & the Minotaur by Victor Pelevin • Lion’s Honey by David Grossman, the story of Samson • Dream Angus: The Celtic God of Dreams by Andrew McCall Smith

DIG IN! Archaeology Magazine combines worldwide archaeological findings with photography, specially rendered maps, drawings, and charts. Articles cover current excavations, recent discoveries, and special studies of ancient cultures. Regular features and departments include Timelines, news briefs, film and book reviews, current museum exhibits, The Forum, and two annual Travel Guides. Published six times a year by the Archaeological Institute of America.

	DOMITIA & DOMITIAN by David Corson Massive novel of the emperor whose reign saw the siege of Masada, the burying of Pompeii, and the opening of the Colosseum. • TRAJAN AND PLOTINA by David Corson The marriage of Trajan, the “perfect prince,” and the philosopher-empress Plotina raises Rome to new heights of grandeur.
	COMIC NOVELS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD by Tom Holt • A Song for Nero poses a stunner of a “what if” about the latter days of the notorious emperor. Alexander at the World’s End tells parallel tales of two Alexanders — one busy conquering the world, the other struggling to care for his own village. Olympiad uncovers comedy in the first Olympic Games. The Athenian comic playwright Eupolis narrates his adventures in Goat Song and The Walled Orchard.
	NOVELS OF ANCIENT EGYPT by Richard A. Gabriel • Military scholar Gabriel turns to historical fiction with two epic novels of ancient Egypt: Warrior Pharaoh, and a sequel, Lion of the Sun. Both are chronicles of Thutmose III, Great Lion of Egypt, as told by Thaneni the Scribe. Also by Gabriel: Great Armies of Antiquity • Great Battles of Antiquity • Great Captains of Antiquity • The Military History of Ancient Israel
	THE SEA TRILOGY By Les Cole The Mediterranean world of the Bronze Age, dominated by Minoan Crete, is the unusual setting for a trilogy of epic adventure novels notable for the author’s meticulous research. The Sea Kings recounts the fortunes of Tanuati, a Minoan sea trader. Lion at Sea follows the far-flung travels of a young aristocrat who flees the wrath of King Minos. The trilogy concludes with The Sea Peoples.
	THE ROMAN TRILOGY by Benita Kane Jaro • Three interrelated but independent novels focus on the same period as Steven’s Roma Sub Rosa books: The Key, about the poet Catullus; The Lock, about Cicero; and The Door in the Wall, about Marcus Caelius, the quicksilver lover of Clodia, protege of Cicero, and betrayer of Caesar. John le Carre says Jaro possesses “a voice I can listen to, and an ear that hears right.”

PILATE & THE EARLY CHRISTIANS In the spirit of Quo Vadis?, The Robe, and The Silver Chalice, Paul Maier’s documentary-style novels include Pontius Pilate, about the Roman politician who made a fateful choice, and The Flames of Rome, set in Nero’s reign. In Memoirs of Pontius Pilate by James R. Mills, an exiled Pilate compiles his memoirs, thirty years after the death of Jesus. The immensely popular inspirational novels of Francine Rivers include her Mark of the Lion series set in Rome, Ephesus, and Israel in the 1st century A.D., about Hadassah, a young Jewess sold into slavery, Marcus, a Roman sated by decadent pleasures, and Atretes, a Germanic captive forced to become a gladiator: A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, and As Sure as the Dawn.

Peter Huby is an artist, filmmaker, and writer with a special passion for the Ancient World. (At left: his sculpture Icarus & Daedalus.) The British polymath’s brief, potently charged novels offer insight into primal myth and tragedy. PASIPHAE The queen of Crete, consumed with passion for a white bull, turns for help to the inventor Daedalus. CARTHAGE The Roman siege of Carthage ends in a merciless orgy of fire, destruction, slaughter, and enslavement.

	THE EUNUCH NEFERU by Daniel Tegan Marsche In the 1st century B.C., an aging Roman general, smitten by a handsome peasant, takes the youth from his desert hovel to the marble halls of Alexandria.		CUTTER’S ISLAND by David Corson Short novel based on a seminal event of Caesar’s youth — his kidnapping by pirates. Also in paperback. (The same incident inspired Steven’s “Little Caesar and the Pirates” in The House of the Vestals.)
	DOMINIC by Kathleen Robinson An orphaned Gaulish dwarf trains as an acrobat and tours the ancient world with a Greek circus troupe; a tale of unlikely heroism.		GAMES OF VENUS by Sylvia Shults Orphaned and sold into slavery, Camilla becomes the most sought-after courtesan in Pompeii. By the author of Golden Horus.
	DAUGHTER OF LAZARUS by Albert A. Bell, Jr. Lorcis, a female slave, witnesses the eruption of Vesuvius and the decadence of Domitian’s court. By the author of All Roads Lead to Murder.		CENTURION by Peter W. Mitsopoulos Centurion Glaxus Valtinius battles wild beasts, barbarians, and the incompetence of his own commander, whose carelessness threatens the survival of three legions.

Through a long and varied career, Gillian Bradshaw has established herself as a leading author of historical fiction set in the Ancient World. In The Sun’s Bride, the helmsman of a Rhodian warship rescues a beautiful woman from pirates and finds himself drawn into intrigues that may engulf the whole Aegean in war. • Horses of Heaven takes place in Central Asia 200 years after the campaigns of Alexander the Great. • A young woman passes as a eunuch to study medicine in The Beacon at Alexandria. • The Sand-Reckoner charts the life of Archimedes, whose scientific genius created weapons of mass destruction. • What if young Caesarion, Cleopatra’s Heir, had not been killed after his mother’s demise? • There’s frontier intrigue in the shadow of Hadrian’s Wall on the Island of Ghosts — foggy, barbaric Britannia. • In Render Unto Caesar, a young Alexandrian travels to Rome and encounters a female gladiator who is more than she seems. • Dark North is the tale of Memnon, an Ethiopian warrior in the service of emperor Septimius Severus in Britain. • Imperial Purple is the tale of a silk weaver in 5th Century Constantinople. • The Bearkeeper’s Daughter is a set in the reign of Justinian and Theodora at the height of the Byzantine Empire. • Alchemy of Fire takes place in Constantinople in 672 AD, as a concubine hides her daughter’s royal origins.