Read a Historical Fiction Novel Before Visiting Rome
by Pliny the Elder, Historian
Now what? You still have two weeks before you depart.
How about letting your mind wander back to Ancient Rome? Experience life in AD 79 and how Roman citizens went about their everyday life. Allow your mind to wander as you wear your finest toga to a dinner party hosted by a famous Roman philosopher. Shutter at the thought of being a gladiator awaiting your turn to enter the arena or envision yourself debating, before the Curia Julia, an issue as a senator. Better yet, imagine how you might wield power as Emperor of Rome.
The most effective way to go back in time as a Roman senator, a gladiator, or an emperor is
to read a historical fiction novel which is set in Ancient Rome. When you’re at Flavian Amphitheatre (better known today as The Colosseum), your imagination will take you back to the famous gladiatorial battle between Priscus and Versus and how, after hours of fierce combat, they fought to a draw.
Fancy yourself being present at an emperor’s banquet at the Imperial Palace mingling with Rome’s elite—senators, military generals, philosophers, and artists — dipping salted
bread in a cup of wine and eating figs.
Many of the characters in a historical novel are real. In Crystal King's Feast of Sorrow there Marcus Gavius Apicius, said to be Ancient Rome's first gourmet. And, of course, there’s me, Pliny the Elder (AD 23 – AD 79) in Reluctant Conspirator. My claim to fame is writing the encyclopedia Naturalis Historia, which has become the template for all future encyclopedias.
For certain, as you walk the streets of Ancient Rome the characters you read about in a historical fiction novel will come alive.
Here are three surefire novels that will stimulate your imagination and prepare you for your trip. But first, full disclosure: Heading the list of three is a novel about me written by Martin Diano. I’m biased, as you might expect, but the two other novels I’ve recommended are equally compelling.
Reluctant Conspirator: The Legacy of Pliny the Elder — by Martin Diano
In the first century AD, Rome was at the pinnacle of its power.
Mighty as the empire was, Rome spends much of the first century in tumult. Politics had become a blood sport. Assassinations, treachery, and despotism were the norm.
A time of particular turbulence was AD 14–69. Nero opts for suicide. Claudius had been poisoned by his wife. Four emperors were murdered: Caligula, Galba, Piso, and Vitellius. By year's end, Vespasian Flavius, an army general, marched his troops on Rome and seized power in AD 69, becoming the fourth emperor in twelve months.
The summer of AD 79 marked Vespasian's tenth year as emperor. He remained in power by purging his enemies and buying the support of the senate and praetorian guard. To consolidate his power and solidify the line of family succession, he named both of his sons to high military positions. The decision was met with disdain and enabled his enemies list to flourish.
His throne was imperiled.
One man in Rome can lay claim to having served all the emperors during this period. His name was Pliny the Elder. Is he the man who can save the Flavian Dynasty?
Pliny the Elder receives a secret dispatch from Emperor Vespasian. Bearing the official emperor's seal, the message says: Be in attendance at the Imperial Palace to meet with me on the morning of 3 Augustam. Say nothing of this to anyone. –Vespasian
You can sample read and purchase >> here <<
On a blistering day in the twenty-sixth year of Augustus Caesar’s reign, a young chef, Thrasius, is acquired for the exorbitant price of twenty thousand denarii. His purchaser is the infamous gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius, wealthy beyond measure, obsessed with a taste for fine meals from exotic places, and a singular ambition: to serve as culinary advisor to Caesar, an honor that will cement his legacy as Rome's leading epicure.
Apicius rightfully believes that Thrasius is the key to his culinary success, and with Thrasius’s help he soon becomes known for his lavish parties and fantastic meals. Thrasius finds a family in Apicius’s household, his daughter Apicata, his wife Aelia, and her handmaiden, Passia, with whom Thrasius quickly falls in love. But as Apicius draws closer to his ultimate goal, his reckless disregard for any who might get in his way takes a dangerous turn that threatens his young family and places his entire household at the mercy of the most powerful forces in Rome.
There you have it, three solid choices to help make your visit to Rome a memorable one.
How about letting your mind wander back to Ancient Rome? Experience life in AD 79 and how Roman citizens went about their everyday life. Allow your mind to wander as you wear your finest toga to a dinner party hosted by a famous Roman philosopher. Shutter at the thought of being a gladiator awaiting your turn to enter the arena or envision yourself debating, before the Curia Julia, an issue as a senator. Better yet, imagine how you might wield power as Emperor of Rome.
The most effective way to go back in time as a Roman senator, a gladiator, or an emperor is
Fancy yourself being present at an emperor’s banquet at the Imperial Palace mingling with Rome’s elite—senators, military generals, philosophers, and artists — dipping salted
bread in a cup of wine and eating figs. Many of the characters in a historical novel are real. In Crystal King's Feast of Sorrow there Marcus Gavius Apicius, said to be Ancient Rome's first gourmet. And, of course, there’s me, Pliny the Elder (AD 23 – AD 79) in Reluctant Conspirator. My claim to fame is writing the encyclopedia Naturalis Historia, which has become the template for all future encyclopedias.
For certain, as you walk the streets of Ancient Rome the characters you read about in a historical fiction novel will come alive.
Here are three surefire novels that will stimulate your imagination and prepare you for your trip. But first, full disclosure: Heading the list of three is a novel about me written by Martin Diano. I’m biased, as you might expect, but the two other novels I’ve recommended are equally compelling.
Reluctant Conspirator: The Legacy of Pliny the Elder — by Martin Diano
In the first century AD, Rome was at the pinnacle of its power.
Mighty as the empire was, Rome spends much of the first century in tumult. Politics had become a blood sport. Assassinations, treachery, and despotism were the norm.
A time of particular turbulence was AD 14–69. Nero opts for suicide. Claudius had been poisoned by his wife. Four emperors were murdered: Caligula, Galba, Piso, and Vitellius. By year's end, Vespasian Flavius, an army general, marched his troops on Rome and seized power in AD 69, becoming the fourth emperor in twelve months.
The summer of AD 79 marked Vespasian's tenth year as emperor. He remained in power by purging his enemies and buying the support of the senate and praetorian guard. To consolidate his power and solidify the line of family succession, he named both of his sons to high military positions. The decision was met with disdain and enabled his enemies list to flourish.
His throne was imperiled.
One man in Rome can lay claim to having served all the emperors during this period. His name was Pliny the Elder. Is he the man who can save the Flavian Dynasty?
Pliny the Elder receives a secret dispatch from Emperor Vespasian. Bearing the official emperor's seal, the message says: Be in attendance at the Imperial Palace to meet with me on the morning of 3 Augustam. Say nothing of this to anyone. –Vespasian
You can sample read and purchase >> here <<
Call to Juno (A Tale of Ancient Rome Book 3) — by Elisabeth Storrs
Four unforgettable characters are tested during a war between Rome and Etruscan Veii.
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?
Semni, a servant, seeks forgiveness for a past betrayal. Will she redeem herself so she can marry the man she loves?
Marcus, a Roman tribune, is tormented by unrequited love for another soldier. Can he find strength to choose between his cousin Caecilia and his fidelity to Rome?
Who will overcome the treachery of mortals and gods?
Feast of Sorrow: A Novel of Ancient Rome — by Crystal King
Set amongst the scandal, wealth, and upstairs-downstairs politics of a Roman family, Crystal King’s seminal debut features the man who inspired the world’s oldest cookbook and the ambition that led to his destruction.
On a blistering day in the twenty-sixth year of Augustus Caesar’s reign, a young chef, Thrasius, is acquired for the exorbitant price of twenty thousand denarii. His purchaser is the infamous gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius, wealthy beyond measure, obsessed with a taste for fine meals from exotic places, and a singular ambition: to serve as culinary advisor to Caesar, an honor that will cement his legacy as Rome's leading epicure.
Apicius rightfully believes that Thrasius is the key to his culinary success, and with Thrasius’s help he soon becomes known for his lavish parties and fantastic meals. Thrasius finds a family in Apicius’s household, his daughter Apicata, his wife Aelia, and her handmaiden, Passia, with whom Thrasius quickly falls in love. But as Apicius draws closer to his ultimate goal, his reckless disregard for any who might get in his way takes a dangerous turn that threatens his young family and places his entire household at the mercy of the most powerful forces in Rome.
You can sample read and purchase >> here <<
There you have it, three solid choices to help make your visit to Rome a memorable one.
One final thought: If your plans call for a day trip to Pompeii, stop at my villa in the nearby seaside resort town of Misenum. Rest, enjoy a cup of wine, and take in the spectacular views.
About Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder is Magistrate of the Roman naval fleet in Port Julius in the Bay of Naples at Misenum. He’s a lawyer, historian, and author of the encyclopedia Naturalis Historia.
About Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder is Magistrate of the Roman naval fleet in Port Julius in the Bay of Naples at Misenum. He’s a lawyer, historian, and author of the encyclopedia Naturalis Historia.
