Ancient Historical Fiction

381 AD: The great struggle between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Gothic Horde rumbles into its fifth year. It seems that there can be no end to the conflict, for although the Goths are masters of the land, they cannot topple the last of the imperial cities. But heralds bring news that might change it all: Emperor Gratian readies to lead his Western legions into the fray, to turn matters on their head, to crush the horde and save the East!

Historians and inquisitive laymen alike love to ponder the dramatic what-ifs of history. In these never-before-published essays, some of the keenest minds of our time ask the big, tantalizing questions: Where might we be if history had not unfolded the way it did? Why, how, and when was our fortune made real. The answers are surprising, sometimes frightening, and always entertaining.

Amuba, un príncipe de la nación Rebu, a orillas del mar Caspio, y su auriga Jethro, son llevados a la esclavitud tras perder una batalla contra los egipcios. Se convierten en sirvientes de la casa de Ameres, un sumo sacerdote egipcio, y son bastante felices allí, hasta que el hijo del sacerdote mata accidentalmente al gato sagrado de Bubastes. Los lugareños se levantan furiosos y matan a Ameres, y Jetro y Amuba deben escapar con el hijo y la hija del sumo sacerdote.

It’s suave, handsome Edward de Wolfe’s tale as he vies for the hand of Paris de Norville’s daughter, Cassiopeia. The problem is the bride herself - she can’t stand the sight of him! He is a man of great words and swift action, and he soon finds himself battling another suitor for Cassiopeia's hand. While Edward's attention is genuine, the other suitor's attention is not.

In AD 1282, James de Wolfe, the endearing and gentle brother, is killed in Wales as the Welsh rebel against Henry III...or was he? Five years later, tales of a Welsh warrior known as Blaidd Cryf, or Blayth the Strong, are making way to English ears along the Welsh Marches. A Welsh warrior who can somehow read the minds of the English armies is rising to power among the last princes of Wales. Rumors come from Wales that Blayth the Strong is none other than James de Wolfe.

Egitto, 1798. Claude de Duras, archeologo inviato in Egitto al seguito dell'esercito napoleonico, nel corso degli scavi compie una scoperta eccezionale. La Campagna d'Egitto sembra procedere senza intoppi fino alla disfatta di Abu Qir. A quel punto, messo alle strette dal successo di Nelson, il diplomatico e segretario personale di Bonaparte, Louis Antoine de Fauvelet de Bourrienne, stringe un accordo con Robert Goldmeiner, giovane rampollo di una ricca dinastia dalle antiche origini.

It is the Olympics of 460 BC. Nico's best friend, Timodemus, is a competitor in the pankration, the deadly martial art of ancient Greece. Timo is the hot favorite to win. His only serious rival is Parmonos, from Sparta. When Parmonos is found beaten to death, it is obvious Timodemus must be the killer. The Judges of the Games sentence Timodemus to be executed in four days' time. Complicating everything is the fact that Athens and Sparta are already at each other's throats. If an Athenian is found to have cheated by murdering a Spartan, it will be everything the hawks in Sparta need to declare open war.

They may have won the prize, but will any of them make it home alive? Jason has fulfilled the mission set for him by his uncle, the scheming King Pelias of Iolkos: he and the Argonauts have won the fabled Golden Fleece of Colchis. Jason dreams of glory – of taking his uncle's throne, rightfully his – and, like his warrior shipmates, of home. But it is not only Pelias who wishes Jason ill. Before the Argonauts can make it back to Iolkos, they must contend with a legion of foes who would see them dead – and a web of allies who are not quite what they seem.

Two lost souls forge something beautiful from something broken. Rachel Ingram is living the dream. Heiress to billions, she’s engaged to the perfect man. But with the sudden death of her parents, her world begins to crumble.... Evander Talorc is living a nightmare. Traitor to his clan of immortal highlanders, he lives alone in a remote cottage. Abandoned and forgotten, Rachel and Evander find each other. But the rest of the world will not let them be.

When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the secret of time travel - a hand-held device known as the Infinity Ring - they're swept up in a centuries-long secret war for the fate of mankind. Recruited by the Hystorians, a secret society that dates back to Aristotle, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course. Now it's up to Dak, Sera, and teenage Hystorian-in-training Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks . . . and to save Dak's missing parents while they're at it.

Indulge yourself with the charming and whimsical From Machu Picchu to El Dorado by Lino Omoboni. This is a voyage into the ancient past of the Incas as seen through the eyes of Melissa, a teenage girl who becomes central to their cause as both warrior and advocate, transported to a distant time many years into the past by the properties of a magical stone which she discovers whilst on a family holiday to the New Forest.

401 AD: Artaxerxes, der König Persiens, herrscht über ein Reich, das sich von der Ägäis bis nach Nordindien erstreckt. Er bestimmt über Leben und Tod. Sein Befehl kennt keinen Widerspruch. 50 Millionen Menschen sind ihm Untertan. Doch sein Bruder Kyros lehnt sich auf. Mit einem Heer von griechischen Söldnern und Spartanern zieht er gegen das Reich des Artaxerxes. Die Schlacht zwischen Sparta und Persien beginnt.

This is the saga of the Hittite King Suppiluliumas, and rings with authenticity and the passion of a world that existed 1400 years before the birth of Christ. They called him Great King, Favorite of the Storm God, the Valiant. He conquered more than forty nations and brought fear and war to the very doorstep of 18th Dynasty Egypt, but he could not conquer the one woman he truly loved.

With the beautiful and cunning Poppaea at his side, Nero commands the Roman empire, ushering in an unprecedented era of artistic and cultural splendor. Although he has yet to produce an heir, his power is unquestioned. But in the 10th year of his reign, a terrifying prophecy comes to pass and a fire engulfs Rome, reducing entire swaths of the city to rubble. Rumors of Nero’s complicity in the blaze start to sow unrest among the populace - and the politicians.... For better or worse, Nero knows that his fate is now tied to Rome’s.

Though Gavin McShane is happy for his sister and her new life, his own has foundered. As he tries to recover from his lover’s betrayal, he finds solace in the work of being a fisherman in the Orkneys. On his tiny island he finds relief in seclusion - until he meets the ghostly Blue Lady of Marr.

When a modern-day archaeologist lands in medieval Scotland, she leaves behind the one thing that might truly help: her memory. But Jema McShane doesn’t make the trip alone. Her twin brother Gavin falls through time with her. Separated immediately, Gavin must fend for himself. But Jema lands in the powerful arms of the only Viking member of the McDonnel clan, Tormod.

Disciple Matthew, a former tax collector, is invited to work with Peter, James, and John in Jerusalem. He dreams of preaching and performing miracles like his fellow apostles, but he finds his dreams postponed because of a request from Yeshua's mother. Well aware of the passing years, Mary asks Matthew to help her record the stories of Yeshua while the eyewitnesses are still alive. Reluctantly, he agrees, though the longer he and Mary work together, the more difficult their task becomes.

The new Pharaoh, Ramses, aspires to greatness of a magnitude undreamed of by mortal men. But to thwart his dreams, a gaggle of fiends, including a sorcerer, invaders, and his own brother awaits him. Now he will learn whether the friends of his youth - people such as Moses and the aging Greek poet, Homer - can truly be trusted.

Lavinia never asked to be fought over. But now her childhood sweetheart has waged a war that threatens to destroy everything she holds dear, all because Lavinia's father has promised her to somebody else–Aeneas. Aeneas, rumored to be the son of Venus, is famed for his bravery, cunning, and his vision for a new great Empire. He is also secretive, slippery—and Lavinia wonders why he will never discuss the past he left behind. So when a stranger arrives in the camp with stories about Aeneas that suggest he is not what he seems, Lavinia realizes she has to take her future into her own hands.

Lazio, Terre dei Trenta. VIII secolo a. C. Un popolo sperduto vaga senza meta per le Terre dei Trenta. Tutto ciò che possedeva è arso tra le fiamme che hanno divorato il bosco sacro alla Dea Rumia. Spezzati e annientati nello spirito, i Ruminales hanno un'unica scelta davanti a loro: vivere o morire. Wiros è riuscito a condurre con sé un drappello di disperati. Sono stanchi e affamati, e ancora non sanno cosa fare di quella vita. Tornare a nascondersi nei boschi o lottare per il futuro? Yemos, invece, separato dal resto del branco, è trascinato in catene a Velia assieme alla Lupa.