Rome

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What to expect

'Highly recommend for anybody who loves Roman history, written by one of its true masters' PETER GIBBONS

'Epic in scope and intimate in historical detail' MATTHEW HARFFY

'Authentic, fast-paced and immersive' CHRISTIAN CAMERON

'A masterpiece of late Rome' S.J.A. TURNEY

'Historical settings and characters that leap into life straight off the page' SCOTT MARIANI

'A vivid page-turning epic' ANNE O'BRIEN



For an empress to rise, a city must fall...

Rome, 410 AD

Half-sister to Emperor Honorius, unmarried and powerless, twenty-year-old Galla Placidia watches from the shadows as imperial policies are made and unmade.

Her plans to gain power and influence are halted when the city is besieged and captured by a vast army led by Alaric the Visigoth. Taken hostage, travelling out of Italy, Galla Placidia falls in love and marries a barbarian king.

At a time when Rome's power is fast dwindling, its authority diminishing year upon year, she embarks on a dangerous and remarkable journey towards the imperial throne.

But what price must a woman pay for power?

This is the compelling story of a little-known, remarkable woman whose burning ambition saw her, against all odds, become empress of Rome.


What your favourite authors have to say about Ben Kane:

'A rip-roaring epic' PAUL FINCH
'A truly vibrant and gripping read' HELENA GUMLEY-MASON
'Historical fiction has never been more visceral' JAMES ROLLINS
'A tour de force on an epic scale' DOUGLAS JACKSON


Readers are loving Ben Kane:
'Powerful evocation of our history' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'An engaging and exciting read' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Gripped me from start to finish' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Epic tales, gorgeous prose, non-stop action' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Rich in period detail and lively in narrative' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Critics Review

Ben Kane returns triumphantly to Rome in this compelling account of an incredible woman's rise to power in a period of great upheaval. Epic in scope and intimate in historical detail, Rome has everything fans of the genre are looking for.
Matthew Harffy
A rich pageant of the end of the Roman Empire, Rome is a brilliant evocation of the end of the era by a writer who is THE master of the classical world. I particularly enjoyed Ben's treatment of Galla, the Emperor's sister, aspiring to rule and surviving against long odds. Authentic, fast-paced, and immersive; hits you like a thrown roof-tile, something at which the protagonist is very skilled!
Christian Cameron
Kane's new novel is a masterpiece of late Rome. The early life of one of Rome's most fascinating, important and powerful women is skilfully told, presenting a believable and sympathetic heroine against the backdrop of a world of change and decay, where Roman and barbarian as terms are becoming almost obsolete with the blurring of lines. Bravo.
S.J.A. Turney
Rome by Ben Kane is an engaging and immersive dive into the late Roman Empire. Ben clearly has a deep understanding of the period and that shows through in the writing, from descriptions of Rome itself, the army and its components, to the intricacies of the court Galla Placidia must negotiate to reach her goal. The story is thrilling and fast paced, and features brutal Visigoths, and the fearsome warriors fighting on Rome's side in what is a crucial period in the eternal city's history. Galla Placidia's journey is full of obstacles and danger as she battles to achieve the heights within a crumbling empire. Highly recommended for anybody who loves Roman history written by one of its true masters.
Peter Gibbons
What a vivid page-turning epic of a novel this is, when all was to play for in the final bloody and turbulent days of the fall of the Roman Empire. Galla Placidia proved to be a worthy heroine, fighting for her life and the power she considers should be hers. As with all Ben Kane's books it is a story thoroughly researched and magnificently well told.
Anne O'Brien
If you like dark, twisting intrigues filled with treachery and deception, gritty combat scenes that make you feel like you were right there in the thick of the action, historical settings and characters that leap into life straight off the page . . . then step into the world of Ben Kane.
Scott Mariani

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