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Caradoc
Joined: 10 Jan 2008
Posts: 12
Location: Sussex, England
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 Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:37 pm Post subject: Novels set during the Roman Empire |
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To all members of this forum I can recommend the Eagle series by Simon Scarrow. The series is set during and just after the Roman Invasion of Britain.
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Tarqiunius Titus Gracchus
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MMCDHoward
Joined: 10 Jan 2008
Posts: 11
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| Posted: Mon Feb 25, 2008 12:28 am Post subject: |
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Conn Iggulden's excellent Empire series.
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Currently Legate Aelianus Julius Vitellius
Was Cicero Julianus in a past life
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Pkh42987
Joined: 10 Jan 2008
Posts: 34
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| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:51 pm Post subject: |
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Conn's series is great, but COMPLETELY un-historical. But the guy can write and tells an excellent story.
I'd recommend "Legion" by Altimari.
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Hadrianus Sylivios
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Wra7hofAchilles
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Joined: 03 Jan 2008
Posts: 142
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:56 pm Post subject: |
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You mean... Con ImakeitupasIgoalong!....
Oh yeah! REALLY AWESOME!!! 
Hate'em...
With a passion...
Haven't read Sparrow yet...
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Neos Dionysos - Phil
Senior GM
Military, Barbarian Affairs, and Cultural Specialist GM
"John," (GMJOM), "keeps me around cause I amuse him with stories..."
aka "The Fun/Nice GM" or "The Asshole GM"
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MMCDHoward
Joined: 10 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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Oh Phil, sometimes a good story is worth having Caesar's legions armed with machine guns, historical accuracy be damned!
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Was Cicero Julianus in a past life
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Wra7hofAchilles
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Joined: 03 Jan 2008
Posts: 142
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:30 am Post subject: |
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| MMCDHoward wrote: |
| Oh Phil, sometimes a good story is worth having Caesar's legions armed with machine guns, historical accuracy be damned! |
This is what happens to me when I am confronted with such "historical writing"!
(instead of grammar it's history... so I think I'd be clutching Gibbon)...
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/02/04
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Neos Dionysos - Phil
Senior GM
Military, Barbarian Affairs, and Cultural Specialist GM
"John," (GMJOM), "keeps me around cause I amuse him with stories..."
aka "The Fun/Nice GM" or "The Asshole GM"
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EeeThree
Joined: 10 Jan 2008
Posts: 108
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| Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 5:39 am Post subject: |
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I hate the bastardization of the english language that the net has caused, personally.
I mean the USA butchered it bad enough, and now the net is just de-evolving it into grunts, half coherant sounds, and poor excuases for creative writing that only helps furhter human stupidity.
I mean a LOL, at least is still proper grammer when you say it out fully. but what in the nine hells is a LULZ that seems to be everywhere on the net now?
SO.. we made slang to fit our new existence... and now we are making slang for our slang?
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Email: eee.three@gmail.com ICQ: 357147825
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Pkh42987
Joined: 10 Jan 2008
Posts: 34
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| Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 7:23 pm Post subject: |
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Phil, you've never read a word of Conn's writing. So GET OVER IT!
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Hadrianus Sylivios
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Wra7hofAchilles
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Joined: 03 Jan 2008
Posts: 142
Location: Chicago, IL
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| Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Pkh42987 wrote: |
| Phil, you've never read a word of Conn's writing. So GET OVER IT! |
I read your mother last night... yea... that bitch now won't stop calling me. Tell her it was a night stand and to GET OVER IT!
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Neos Dionysos - Phil
Senior GM
Military, Barbarian Affairs, and Cultural Specialist GM
"John," (GMJOM), "keeps me around cause I amuse him with stories..."
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RaeusVitellius
Joined: 03 Jan 2008
Posts: 62
Location: Charleston, SC
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 8:37 am Post subject: |
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I would recommend Robert Harris' Imperium. It's pre-Empire (actually follows the life of Cicero, who many may know from HBO's Rome) Quite historically accurate by all accounts as well!
Other good ones are Ross Leckie's Hannibal, Scipio and Carthage trilogy (those are the name of the books as well). Artistic, unrealistic, but awesome!
Conn Igulden I find overrated to be honest - not a big fan, but quite good fun.
Finally, not Roman, but the Troy trilogy by David Gemmell is brilliant - the Trojan war saga told as if it could be real, featuring many of the ancient heroes (with a strong focus on Agaememnon and Odysseus...) Amongst the best books I've ever read!
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Calidus Raeus Vitellius
Rich (OOC)
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Wra7hofAchilles
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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| RaeusVitellius wrote: |
| I would recommend Robert Harris' Imperium. It's pre-Empire (actually follows the life of Cicero, who many may know from HBO's Rome) Quite historically accurate by all accounts as well! |
I find it insulting that you insinuate that we would not know who the great Marcus Tullius Cicero was, and that only a recent TV show would bring him to our attention. He was one of Rome's greatest orators, why would we not know the name along with others like Caesar, Marc Antony, Pompey, Sulla, Marius, Scipio Africanus or Octavian?
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Neos Dionysos - Phil
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RaeusVitellius
Joined: 03 Jan 2008
Posts: 62
Location: Charleston, SC
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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But I do condescending so well Phil...
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Calidus Raeus Vitellius
Rich (OOC)
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EeeThree
Joined: 10 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:32 pm Post subject: |
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Um. I never saw the show.. and dont know the name....
dont know Cicero, Marius.. or Octavian.
I know there was a lot of Caesars, although a few specificly were famous.
I know of Marc Antony, duh. Pompey and Sulla I know of in name alone.
Um.. Scipio Africanus was the general who defeated carthage right?
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RaeusVitellius
Joined: 03 Jan 2008
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Location: Charleston, SC
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 8:29 pm Post subject: |
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We have a Phil history lecture incoming! Duck and cover people! I'll try to field some of these myself:-
Cicero was one of the Republics foremost advocates in legal matters, coming from a relatively obscure background to become one of Rome's leading political figures and a Consul. He was a major player in the last days of the republic.
You probably do know Octavian as well, though under the name of Augustus.
Scipio Africanus was the general who finally brought about Carthage's defeat in the Second Punic War by not actually confronting Hannibal directly till he had an overwhelming advantage, attacking Carthage whereever Hannibal was not - Africa and Hispania mainly. One of Rome's finest (if not the finest) generals.
And Phil - I think it's highly possible that many people would be unaware of characters like Cicero before the show. His like are the kind of fascinating characters who don't make it into overall public consciousness - if you asked most people on the street to name Romans, I'm not sure many could even name Pompey or Sulla off the top of their heads...
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Calidus Raeus Vitellius
Rich (OOC)
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bovine
Joined: 08 Jan 2008
Posts: 19
Location: Seattle, Washington
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| Posted: Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:08 pm Post subject: |
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Don't forget the Catos! Boy, both of those guys were fun! Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder, who was almost a role model later for Roman strictness, and who also wrote a famous book on farming, and is sometime considered the father of Latin writing. And his great-grandson, Cato the Younger, who went around telling people they should be more like his ancestor like good Romans should (not to mention annoying people like C. Julius Caesar).
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On the subject of novels, if you can stand to read mysteries, I rather liked several series -
the Falco series by Lindsey Davis - set in the mid firsth century AD; main character is sort of a proto-private eye; rather tongue in cheek.
the Gordinius series, but Steven Sayler - set in the mid-first century BC; main character works looking into things for people like Cicero and the like - all the main Romans of the day pass through the stories at some point.
The SPQR series, by Jonh Maddox Roberts - also set in the mid-first century BC; the main character is from a major family and it in line for the senate, and would be the same background as a number of our RL characters I'd say.
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Andy
- Tacitus Gaius Probus
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