Rome Fiction

An asylum is a prison, a state of isolation of the mind and the body. It is where one goes to think; to be incarcerated. An asylum is a place to forget and to be forgotten. It is a haven as well as a nightmare, both physical and mental. James Callaway found himself in just this kind of place. He has no idea who put him here, or why. All he knows for certain is that he needs to escape if he wants to see his family again.

The ancient story and legend of the fall of Troy.

Shattered by a defeat that costs him his wife, his son, his city, and his army, Syagrius, King of the Romans, wanders through the collapsing world of a dying empire to find refuge with a procurator broken by his past, a centurion haunted by betrayal, and a priestess desperate for love, all too proud and too honorable to compromise with the corruption that threatens to destroy them. Together they will make their final stand...

Caecilia has long been torn between her birthplace of Rome and her adopted city of Veii. Yet faced with mounting danger to her husband, children, and Etruscan freedoms, will her call to destroy Rome succeed? Pinna has clawed her way from prostitute to the concubine of the Roman general Camillus. Deeply in love, can she exert her own power to survive the threat of exposure by those who know her sordid past?

In this decadent, deeply evocative novel, a young artist travels to Rome to heal a broken heart, where she confronts loneliness and intimacy, rage and desire: “Sensorial as hell . . . A stunningly cool and stylish debut" (Paul Beatty, Man Booker Prize-winning author of The Sellout). Emilia...

In the greatest, foulest city in the world, love, mayhem and betrayal await the slave Alexandros. Given as a gift to the richest man in Rome, he soon discovers that intrigue and murder stalk the house of his master. Alexandros can solve the crime, but if he does, the worst punishment may prove to be his own. Alexandros is astute, well-educated and brimming with caustic wit, but he can't seem to remember the golden rule of slavery: Keep your head down and your mouth shut. No wonder more than one person in the house of Marcus Crassus wants to see this former Greek philosophy student dead.

Welcome to 263 B.C. Between clashes of the Qart Hadasht Empire and the upstart Republic, men died. Whether from sharp blades held by strong arms or stones and bolts launched by ancient artillery, the hand of death grabbed souls from both sides of the battle line. Alerio Sisera will need more than an iron constitution, sharp steel, and a sturdy shield. To survive, he'll need his wits, luck, and infinite courage.

AD 381. Five years have gone by since a Roman governor ordered the deaths of a Gothic king and his attendants at a feast in their honor. This disastrous act led to warfare in the Roman Empire and the death of the Emperor Valens. The Empire is now at peace, but the powerful brother of the murdered king has sworn revenge on the regicides, and will not rest until they are hunted down. For the eight legionaries who carried out the killings, the bloodshed is only just beginning.

Welcome to January 263 B.C. Attacking a pair of long spears with his short dagger was going to hurt and add to Alerio's collection of combat scars. And only leave him injured, if Fortuna smiled on him. If not? That's why he prayed to the other Goddess. This should have been the easiest, most luxurious duty a heavy infantryman could ever imagine. It didn't turn out that way and, at the moment, he regretted throwing the spear. These are the adventures of Alerio Sisera, Corporal of the Republic's Legions, Weapons Instructor, experienced Raider, Combat Rower, and protege of a Roman Senator.

Rome, 1965: Aspiring actress Silvia Whitford arrives at Rome's famed Cinecittà Studios from Los Angeles, ready for her big break and a taste of la dolce vita. Instead, she learns that the movie in which she was cast has been canceled. Desperate for money, Silvia has only one choice: seek out the Italian aunt she has never met. Gabriella Conti lives in a crumbling castello on the edge of a volcanic lake. Silvia's mother refuses to explain the rift that drove the sisters apart, but Silvia is fascinated by Gabriella.

In the crippling heat of August in Rome, a flat goes up in flames, the doors sealed from the outside. Five illegal immigrants are trapped and burnt alive—their charred bodies barely distinguishable amidst the debris. When Detective Inspectors Rossi and Carrara begin to investigate, a terror organisation shakes the city to its foundations. Then a priest is found murdered and mutilated post-mortem—his injuries almost satanic in their ferocity.

It's AD 37. In this story of secrecy and betrayal, Caligula Caesar has just become Rome's new master. Senator Titus Carinna, who helped him succeed to the throne, knows the inexperienced young ruler needs a companion he can trust. It's a shame the Senator's older son - Caligula's closest friend - committed suicide after being charged with treason. But that still leaves Marcus, his second son. Headstrong and hot-tempered, Marcus would rather prove his courage by leading legions against Rome's enemies.

Hraban the Marcomanni has been cast out of his tribe by his treacherous father Maroboodus. He has lost his tribe, his mother and both grandfathers, and his fame and honor with the ones he loved. He has been lied to, he has been used to further his father's plots and in the end discarded, and his lot was to linger in slavery to Odo, a priest to Lok until he would die, having fulfilled the needs of a deadly prophecy.

In 406 BC, to seal a tenuous truce, the young Roman Caecilia is wedded to Vel Mastarna, an Etruscan nobleman from Veii. Leaving her militaristic homeland, Caecilia is determined to remain true to Roman virtues while living among the sinful Etruscans. But, despite her best intentions, she is seduced by a culture that offers women education, independence, sexual freedom, and an empowering religion.

Hraban the Marcomanni has never met his father Maroboodus, exiled in far-away Rome, but this is about to change. In the age of early Roman Empire, Augustus is creating his legacy with gladius as the legions begin the arduous work of subjecting the troublesome and divided Germani tribes. Such great, distant issues do not concern Hraban, a young man bent on becoming a spear lord, giver of rings, a warrior praised in the dark halls of his kin. He is the Raven, and son of great lords.

Studies have shown that developing an “atomic habit”—just doing a few minutes a day of whatever skill or habit you want to take on—can be more than enough to engrain it into our lives. Therefore, we have transformed timeless, legendary stories into 10-minute bite-size chunks long enough to entertain, enthrall, and even educate the listener but short enough to be enjoyed quickly at bedtime or any other point in our busy modern days.

Enjoy this lesser-known story by the great Russian master of the short story Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852). "Rome", a departure from Gogol's typical satiric style, is not included in most collections of his short fiction. It isn't easy to find in print, but you can listen to it here.

150 AD. Alaric, once lord of the Ravensworn is no longer feared nor revered. It has been six long years since his great defeat. He now lives life in the shadows. All hopes of glory and eternal rest in the Heroes Hall are gone. Alaric is alone. An outlaw to his land. When a band of horsemen appear on the horizon, eager to recruit the man they still believe to be a lord of war. And so Alaric is pulled back to a life he thought had forsaken him. For in the far north of Germania lies a tribe in desperate need of aid.

Estamos en el año 576 y Roma acaba de caer, pero hay un grupo de hombres que están dispuestos a intentar recuperar el poder del Imperio. Basilisco, funcionario imperial viaja hacia el norte de Hispania con la caballería pesada al mando de Mayorio en busca del apoyo de los terratenientes de la zona. Ambos sueñan con la restauración de Roma.

It was with her stories that Mary Morris first won attention and acclaim: her first collection, Vanishing Animals, received the prestigious Rome Prize, and her second, The Bus of Dreams, was widely hailed. In this new collection, Mary Morris once again shows her great sensitivity to men and women at moments of turbulence, uncertainty and crisis in their lives—and how they can reach for the unexpected and the spiritual at such times.