Rome Fiction

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.

Drückende Hitze lastet auf ganz Rom–und doch hat der Polizist Nic Costa das Gefühl, sein Blut müsse gefrieren: In einer Kirche ist die Leiche eines Mannes gefunden worden, gehäutet wie der Märtyrer Bartholomäus. Der vermeintliche Täter ist mit seiner blutigen Trophäe in die Vatikanbibliothek geflohen und wird dort erschossen–vor den Augen seiner ehemaligen Freundin. War dies eine zufällige Begegnung, oder ist die Dozentin Sara Farnese tiefer in den Fall verwickelt?

Lucius Falerius is dead, and Rome in its entirety mourns the passing of its most powerful senator. It falls to his son Marcellus to carry out his father's legacy and restore the rights promised to the defeated Sicilian slaves, yet there are those who will not see the honour of Rome compromised and the slaves assuaged. On the Roman border provinces there is trouble, and the legions move north to neutralise the threat posed by the Celts.

London, 1883: Maryanne hat endlich ihren Traum verwirklicht. Unter ihrer Leitung ist das Kensington Crown zu der beliebtesten Teestube Londons geworden und die finanziellen Sorgen gehören der Vergangenheit an. Allein die Nachricht von Edwards Vermählung trifft sie schwer. Ablenkung findet Maryanne zum Glück in ihrer Arbeit, die ihr Leben maßgeblich prägt. Doch nicht nur die Teestube, sondern auch die Freundschaft zu Robert geben ihr Halt. Als sie den Wert dieser Verbindung erkennt, scheint sich ihr auch das private Glück endlich zuzuwenden.

Elisabeth hat sich auf Korfu ein neues Leben aufgebaut: ein eigenes Café, Sonne im Gesicht, Mops Barnabas an ihrer Seite - und Ilias, den verschlossenen Griechen, der ihr Herz längst erobert hat. Als ihre Eltern sie nach Capri einladen, sieht Elisabeth darin die Chance auf eine Auszeit und hofft, dass Ilias sie begleitet. Doch kurz vor der Abreise verschwindet er spurlos. In Italien angekommen, kämpft sie mit Enttäuschung, Zweifeln - und ihrer eigenen Unsicherheit.

Für Elisabeth bricht eine Welt zusammen. Am Boden zerstört, aber nicht bereit, sich unterkriegen zu lassen, fasst Elisabeth einen mutigen Entschluss: Sie verlässt ihr altes Leben und reist mit ihrer chaotischen Schwester Bina und Mops Barnabas im Gepäck auf die griechische Insel Korfu. Dort will sie sich endlich einen lange vergessenen Traum erfüllen: ein eigenes kleines Café am Meer.

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.

Ancient Rome has been in a state of turmoil as the rival gangs of Publius Clodius, a high-born, populist politician, and his arch-enemy, Titus Milo, have fought to control the consular elections. When Clodius is murdered on the famed Appian Way and Milo is accused of the crime, the city explodes with riots and arson, and even the near sacrosanct Senate House is burned to the ground.

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.

Returning to Rome from a forced sabbatical, a newly appointed Jesuit cardinal discovers a dark force that has ruled a single family for over 700 years has been unleashed against the world. With the clock ticking, he joins with a dedicated group of Israeli and Spanish scientists who are thrust into an endgame scenario as they race across the globe in an effort to stop the greatest threat mankind has ever faced, only to discover that they may already be too late.

AD 273. Obsessed by the solar religions of the east, the emperor Aurelian sets out to obtain every sacred object within his realm. But one - a mysterious rock said to channel the power of the sun god - lies beyond his reach. Warrior-priest Ilaha has captured the legendary stone and is using it to raise an army against Rome. For imperial agent Cassius Corbulo and ex-gladiator bodyguard Indavara, stopping him constitutes their greatest challenge yet.

A case of missing noble women and a determined young warrior who sets out to bring them home in this new and exciting ancient historical set just before the founding of Rome, for fans of The Song of Achilles, Circe, and A Thousand Ships. Safinia is fine to focus on her training as a warrior...

454 AD. Northern Italy. Dux Ambrosius Aurelianus has served the Roman Empire with distinction. His bucellarii, a small band of irregular soldiers, have helped to bring a fragile peace to the beleaguered empire in the west. But, with the empire now at peace, his master, Flavius Aetius, decides to chain up his dogs of war. Ambrosius and his men are left to idle away their days in a rural backwater, but Ambrosius’ boredom is brutally swept aside when old rivals seize the opportunity to destroy him.

""Only Katy Simpson Smith could have written a novel of such elegance, emotional power, and grace. The Everlasting, a quadruple love story spanning two millennia, is no less than the story of love itself—its frustrations and thrills, its blunders and transcendent glories. Meraviglioso...

A captivating novel of Renaissance Italy detailing the mysterious life of Bartolomeo Scappi, the legendary chef to several popes and author of one of the bestselling cookbooks of all time, and the nephew who sets out to discover his late uncle’s secrets—including the identity of the...

When Andrew - a second-hand-book dealer - comes across a pile of photographs from police archives, he decides to exhibit them. But then the gallery is raided the day before the opening, and the photos seized with surprising violence. It soon becomes clear that someone, somewhere, wants to keep the images hidden. Who? Why? And who - in a world where kidnap, subterfuge and even murder are the norm, and where no one is safe or above suspicion - can Andrew turn to for help?

Jason Thanou has fought for the continued existence of humanity across the centuries. As a special operations officer of the Temporal Regulatory Authority, he's traveled though time to thwart the Transhumanists - genetically and mechanically enhanced beings that seek to destroy humanity - and their alien allies, the Teloi. But for all his work, the Transhumanist Underground has never been defeated. In possession of the same time travel technology as the Temporal Regulatory Authority, the Transhumanists have been busy planting "time bombs" throughout recorded history.

Caecilia, Roman born but Etruscan wed, forsakes Rome to return to her husband, Vel Mastarna, exposing herself to the enmity of his people while knowing the Romans will give her a traitor's death if Veii falls. Semni, a reckless Etruscan servant in the House of Mastarna, embroils herself in schemes that threaten Caecilia's son and Semni's own chance for love. Pinna, a destitute Roman prostitute, uses coercion to gain the attention of Rome's greatest general at the risk of betraying Caecilia's cousin.