Best Fiction Set in Roman World

[The Augusta]

for I still have not read any historical novel set in any period or location that is better than a story produced by the genius who was Mary Renault - despite her love affair with Alexander that allows him few flaws. Her recreation of the ancient world is done with such detail that the reader is totally submerged in the times

I have (but have not yet read) Renault's The King Must Die. Any particular suggestions?

 

BTW, thanks for the recommendations and keep them coming!

 

 

If you can bear with the panegyric, her 'Alexandriad' (Fire from Heaven, The Persian Boy and Funeral Games) is well worth a try, and strangely enough it might be best to start with the last volume, Funeral Games , which gives a vivid account of the competition between the various generals and satraps to control the Alexandrian empire after the king's death. Both the Theseus volumes (King must Die and Bull from the Sea) are great achievements of historical fiction: Renault turns myth and legend into a believable history, which is no mean feat! The first of her Greek novels, however, was The Last of the Wine which deals with the Peloponnesian War and the circle of philosophers at Athens. Socrates is drawn with an exquisite brush. And for anyone of a theatrical bent, The Mask of Apollo gives us an in depth study of what it must have been like to be a travelling actor in the 4th century BC. This only leaves The Praise Singer, the story of Simeonides set at the time of the Pisistratids - and is perhaps her least successful, IMHO. I have always regretted the fact that she did not write a Roman novel.

 

BTW: I am glad you enjoyed Imperium, Cato. How Harris translated Cicero's natural wit to the page had me chuckling aloud. A great read.

[Pantagathus]

What are anybody's thoughts on Valerio Massimo Manfredi?

[The Augusta]

What are anybody's thoughts on Valerio Massimo Manfredi?

 

 

Glad you raised this, Pan. I have been leafing through his work in several bookstores recently, but found that the writing did not grab me. Immediately let me say that this is no doubt due to translation problems, and for this reason, it may well be better to read him in the original Italian - if possible. But I am interested in his subject matter and do intend to make an effort at some stage in the not too distant future. Have you read him? Could you recommend?

[Pantagathus]

Have you read him? Could you recommend?

Back in 2002 I was returning from a business trip in the Netherlands and picked up Ends of the Earth in Schiphol. I enjoyed what I started reading but pulled a stupid move and left it on the plane when I made a connecting flight in Paris...

[Gaius Paulinus Maximus]

I've read most of Manfredi's work and really enjoyed it, as far as historical fiction goes I think he tells a really good entertaining story, I thought 'The Lost Legion' was an excellent adventure and if they're still going ahead with the movie version it should be very entertaining. The last book of Manfredi's I read was 'Empire Of Dragons'

 

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/valeri...ssimo-manfredi/

 

I also second The Augusta's shout on Manda Scott's 'Boudica' series, very entertaining.

[Julius Ratus]

 

Would also like to add "Gates of Fire" by Pressfield that recounts Thermopylae. Despite being Greek rather than Roman, it would be a disservice to not include it.

 

Iv read it and liked altough im not sure if slaves were Spartan wariors too.

 

 

Sometimes slaves fought in the Spartan army. The Neodamodeis, the new men, were slaves who had been freed to fight for Sparta. This was more of a Peloponesian War thing, and generally only in fringe campaigns such as Brasidas'. In Gates of Fire the boy isn't a slave, but a resident foreigner (I forgot the Greek word for this term.) There were people who trained with the Spartans who weren't Spartans themselves. Alkibiades, adopted son of Perikles, was trained in the Spartan school system.

 

Sorry about the tangent.

[Skarr]

I've finished Harris' excellent novel, Imperium, and I was wondering what other novels set in ancient Rome people might suggest. (Needless to say, I found McCullough's Caesar-is-the-most-perfect-man-ever series pure crap not my cup of tea.) My all time favorite is still Quo Vadis, but I also liked Harris' Pompeii very much too. Suggestions?

 

I thought that Colleen's first book "The First Man in Rome", which focused more on Marius and Sulla was her best one. The ones that followed were not as good as that one and as the series drew on, it became more about Caesar than anyone else.

 

In any case, I did like Pompeii and haven't found time yet to read "Imperium" (on my "to read" list). As far as Roman historical novels go, there is a real dearth of real good reading out there and the previous posts have covered most of the important ones.

 

I'm currently reading a novel called "Centurion" by Peter W. Mitsopoulos. Haven't got far though. It seemed interesting but after the first chapter or so, is becoming really tedious and hasn't sustained my interest.

[CiceroD]

I have always loved The Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries.

 

I absolutely love Ms. Davis's sense of humor. While it doesn't concern itself for being perfectly accurate (Her rendering of female name are historically atrocious!) It nonetheless makes up for it in making the streets of the Aventine feel contemporary and real.

 

I find that the series tagline "Sam Spade in a Toga" to be remarkably accurate.

 

On another note I think that Robert Harris's Pompeii has real potential as a movie what do you guys think?

[The Augusta]

On another note I think that Robert Harris's Pompeii has real potential as a movie what do you guys think?

 

 

I second that, Cicero. But I have always wanted a really good 'disaster' movie about Pompeii for years. Hopefully, with today's massive budgets, we might get one. Fingers crossed.

Edited March 7, 2007 by The Augusta

[Mosquito]

I thought that Colleen's first book "The First Man in Rome", which focused more on Marius and Sulla was her best one. The ones that followed were not as good as that one and as the series drew on, it became more about Caesar than anyone else.

 

The second part - "Grass Crown" was good as well, not much about Caesar but a lot of Drusus and social war.

 

 

(Needless to say, I found McCullough's Caesar-is-the-most-perfect-man-ever series pure crap not my cup of tea.)

 

I bet that in your opinion whoever present Caesar as the good guy, is the poor writer

I hope that your little obsession wont change into serious personality disorder known for over 2000 years and named "catonism"

Edited March 7, 2007 by Mosquito

[Gaius Octavius]

I bet that in your opinion whoever present Caesar as the good guy, is the poor writer

I hope that your little obsession wont change into serious personality disorder known for over 2000 years and named "catonism"

 

Or, a mind in a catatonic state.

 

[Gaius Octavius]

My Domina tells me that: "Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome" by Robert Harris, is a good read.

[DecimusCaesar]

I rarely read historical fiction, and when I do, it's usually outside of the Roman era. I was impressed by Bernard Cornwell's take on a historical King Arthur in his Warlord Trilogy ( The Winter King, Enemy of God Excalibur.

 

What are anybody's thoughts on Valerio Massimo Manfredi?

 

I've read his Alexander trilogy. I found the first two parts to be rather good but not brilliant. The last book 'To the ends of the Earth' was a dissapointment. It seemed rushed in comparison to the other two, and Manfredi struggled to fit in all of the events from Alexander's arrival in Egypt to his death in Babylon. It seemed to me as if he had been too generous with his time in parts one and two (almost as if he was considering on extending Alexander's story into several long volumes) only to be told by his publishers that the story needed to be wrapped up by volume three.

[Northern Neil]

Simon Scarrow's work is pretty good, and his novels kept me company through the hard times of summer and autumn last year. But then, I always liked C.S. Forester's Hornblower novels, and to me Macro and Cato resemble, respectively, Bush and Hornblower. Almost identically, in my view!

Edited March 8, 2007 by Northern Neil

[Mosquito]

Simon Scarrow's work is pretty good, and his novels kept me company through the hard times of summer and autumn last year. But then, I always liked C.S. Forester's Hornblower novels, and to me Macro and Cato resemble, respectively, Bush and Hornblower. Almost identically, in my view!

 

 

I like Hornblower series but imho Patric O'Brian's Aubrey series are much better. Even Charlton Heston (Ben Hur) admitted it