The most recommended books on ancient Rome

Who picked these books? Meet our 196 experts.

196 authors created a book list connected to ancient Rome, and here are their favorite ancient Rome books.
When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

What type of ancient Rome book?

Loading...

Book cover of Warrior of Rome Falling Sky

Simon Elliott Author Of Great Battles of the Early Roman Empire

From Simon's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Engaging Positive Supportive Passionate Speedy

Simon's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Simon Elliott Why did Simon love this book?

Harry Sidebottom always brings real academic rigor to his amazing historical fiction books.

His research is second to none, allowing the reader to really immerse themselves in the Roman Empire. His characters are also highly engaging, allowing the reader to experience their world from the very beginning of the book.   

By Harry Sidebottom,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Warrior of Rome Falling Sky as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The thrilling new historical adventure in the Warrior of Rome series from Sunday Times bestseller Harry Sidebottom.

*** 'What Bernard Cornwell is to the Napoleonic Wars, Harry Sidebottom is to Roman legions: unassailable' - THE TIMES ***
_________________________________

AD 265, Gaul - The Roman Empire is on the brink.

Emperor Gallienus has amassed a huge army across the Alps to seize back the mountains from the usurper Postumus.

War has come.

Ballista and his cavalry are on the frontline, battling in the most brutal of conditions. But if he is to survive the campaign and finally retire to his beloved…


Book cover of Someone Is Always Watching

Mads Rafferty Author Of Deadly Occupants

From my list on spooky books for the season.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated with the paranormal since I was a little girl and used to talk to the old lady on the edge of my bed. That old lady turned out to be my grandma, who had passed when I was in my mother’s womb. My entire family is touched by the curiosity and love that comes with the paranormal, so much so my mother is a working psychic medium. For years, I have spent every birthday attending haunted houses with a paranormal team to “investigate.” For some strange reason, I love to be terrified, and I fear I will never stop chasing the thrill. 

Mads' book list on spooky books for the season

Mads Rafferty Why did Mads love this book?

I felt like I was on the Truman Show reading this book. With every page turned I knew something was wrong, that something odd was happening but I couldn’t have ever thought in my wildest dreams that what was occurring was the plot twist.

As I found out what was happening along with the main characters, I was shocked.

This book truly made me feel like I was reading a YA version of Don’t Worry Darling, the movie. 

By Kelley Armstrong,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Someone Is Always Watching as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Their lives are a lie. Their memories may not be real. A new young adult psychological thriller by #1 NYT bestselling author, Kelley Armstrong.

Blythe and her friends — Gabrielle, and brother and sister Tucker and Tanya — have always been a tight friend group, attending a local high school and falling in and out of love with each other. But an act of violence has caused a rift between Blythe and Tucker . . . and unexpected bursts of aggression and disturbing nightmares have started to become more frequent in their lives. 

The strange happenings culminate in a shocking…


Book cover of The Cicero Trilogy

Damian Dibben Author Of The Colour Storm

From my list on that bring history to life.

Why am I passionate about this?

The mission I have set myself as a novelist is to bring the past alive in the most engaging way; to try to tell some of the great tales of history as current, prescient stories. I want to open a reader’s mind, but also offer an escape, to fantastical places. My first novel for adults, Tomorrow, is told through the eyes of a dog who doesn’t die, whose quest for his similarly immortal master takes him through the wars of the 17th and 18th Centuries, and through every tottering court of Europe. My second, The Colour Storm, out in June 2022, is set in the art world of the Renaissance and is about the search for a new colour. The pigment has arrived in Venice and every artist of the day, from Leonardo to Michelangelo, is in fierce - perhaps murderous - competition to find it first.

Damian's book list on that bring history to life

Damian Dibben Why did Damian love this book?

Imperium, Lustrum, and Dictator chart the disintegration of Rome’s republic and the inexorable rise, then sudden fall, of Julius Caesar. Told from the vantage point of Cicero, the most persuasive speaker of the age, it’s thrilling from the outset, an epic political thriller that seems to foreshadow the beginning of the modern world. The events are so incredible, so momentous, you have to keep reminding yourself they’re true.

By Robert Harris,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Cicero Trilogy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

______________________________
'One of the great triumphs of contemporary historical literature.' The Times

______________________________
WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY THE AUTHOR

'Laws are silent in times of war.' Cicero

One of the great epics of political and historical fiction, The Cicero Trilogy charts the career of the Roman statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero from his mid-twenties as an ambitious young lawyer to his dramatic death more than thirty years later, pursued by an assassination squad on a cliff-top path.

The extraordinary life that unfolds between these two episodes is recounted by Cicero's private secretary, Tiro: the law cases and the speeches that…


Book cover of Imperium

Mark Knowles Author Of Argo

From my list on realistic historical fiction set in ancient Greece, Rome or Egypt.

Why am I passionate about this?

We all read (or write) fiction for a bit of escapism, don’t we? To come face-to-face with the good, the bad, and the ugly of bygone days… The ancient Mediterranean is the place I would most love to visit in a time machine (albeit fully armed and in a hazmat suit), and these writers are – for me – the best at transporting readers there from the comfort of a sofa. I’ve tried plenty of historical fiction set in other times and places - much of it very good, but the smell of olive groves, the chirruping of cicadas, and the Aegean sun always call me back!

Mark's book list on realistic historical fiction set in ancient Greece, Rome or Egypt

Mark Knowles Why did Mark love this book?

The fact that this trilogy was turned into a stage show is a measure of its fantastic popularity! On the face of it, a set of novels about the machinations of late Republican politics might not hold broad appeal, but it is the genius of Robert Harris to bring the crime and corruption-riddled streets of 1st century BC Rome bursting to life.

Apparently, he spent several years immersing himself in contemporary literature before putting pen to paper, and it really shows. I admired how his research paints vivid background colour without ever stepping upon the toes of the brilliantly drawn characters. I loved his Cicero (and Caesar and Pompey and Antony) and, despite some tough competition, cannot think of any historical figures so authentically portrayed in any other Roman historical fiction.

And yet, for me, it's Cicero's humble secretary, Tiro, who steals the show. I think it was a masterstroke…

By Robert Harris,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Imperium as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When Tiro, the confidential secretary of a Roman senator, opens the door to a terrified stranger on a cold November morning, he sets in motion a chain of events which will eventually propel his master into one of the most famous courtroom dramas in history.

The stranger is a Sicilian, a victim of the island's corrupt Roman governor, Verres. The senator is Cicero, a brilliant young lawyer and spellbinding orator, determined to attain imperium - supreme power in the state.

This is the starting-point of Robert Harris's most accomplished novel to date. Compellingly written in Tiro's voice, it takes us…


Book cover of Legionary

Robert J. Ristino Author Of The Barbarian Princess

From my list on Roman legions and the barbarians they fought.

Why am I passionate about this?

While I hold a Ph.D. in mass communication, my second love has always been history, especially Roman history. Perhaps it is because I’m of Italian heritage. In fact, my grandfather’s hometown, Chiusano di San Domenico, is the site of an early Roman conquest when the Latin states were developing into a power in central Italy. I genuinely admire the Roman genius in engineering, military, political, and social organization. I have traveled extensively throughout Europe and have visited many Roman historical sites in Italy, France, Hungary, and Great Britain. The Romans continue to fascinate me and always will.

Robert's book list on Roman legions and the barbarians they fought

Robert J. Ristino Why did Robert love this book?

Another rip-roaring Roman adventure in Britannia with more bodies piling up than at a supermarket check-out line. Good fun, exciting characters, and a good look at the early years of Rome as it morphed from a Republic to an Empire. Julius Quintus Quirinius is a young man caught in Rome's civil war. With both parents recently deceased, he has few options. He must either serve under the eagles or face a life of slavery.

Following six months of arduous training, his cohort is sent south, where it suffers a humiliating defeat and is punished with decimation—the execution of one of every tenth man in each unit. The man chosen from his unit for execution asks Quintus to take care of his family back in Rome. With the remaining legionaries of his cohort, he heads south to defeat the tribesmen that had inflicted such a devastating defeat upon them. He shows…

By Neil Denby,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Legionary as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The first book in a thrilling series of adventures set in Ancient Rome! For fans of Ben Kane, Conn Iggulden, Bernard Cornwell and Simon Scarrow.

Death by your comrades’ hands…

17 BC

Julius Quintus Quirinius, like many citizens in the years after Rome’s civil wars, must volunteer with the Roman army or be sold into slavery.

Keen to prove his worth, he becomes a member of the IXth Legion, but after only six months his cohort suffer a brutal defeat, the result of stupidity and cowardice.

Cowardice in a legionary carries a heavy punishment: the sentence of decimation - to…


Book cover of I Should Have Stayed Home

Stephen Rebello Author Of Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!: Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls, the Most Beloved Bad Book and Movie of All Time

From my list on the down-and-dirtiest showbusiness Romans à clef.

Why am I passionate about this?

A Southern California-based author and screenwriter whose adventures in and around the film business have led to hundreds of feature stories for such magazines as Vibe, Playboy, Entertainment Weekly, American Film, Smithsonian, and Movieline. My books include three dedicated to Disney animated classics and a volume on the art of American movie posters. The lovingly satirical book Bad Movies We Love, co-written with Edward Margulies, inspired a Turner Network movie marathon series. My next non-fiction book will be published in 2024.

Stephen's book list on the down-and-dirtiest showbusiness Romans à clef

Stephen Rebello Why did Stephen love this book?

Hardboiled specialist Horace McCoy made his mark as an unsparing chronicler of Depression-era despair with his 1935 masterpiece They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?. His 1938 novel isn't nearly as good, but it feels so lived-in and sordid that it tells major truths about the dreamers, users, and big talents who populated '30s Hollywood. In it, Ralph and Mona, two modestly talented beautiful losers, hit Tinseltown hungering for stardom. But Ralph, 18 years before the doomed screenwriter hero of Sunset Boulevard, winds up providing stud service to a wealthy older woman and Mona finds her own private hell. The novel is a bleak meditation on exploitation, failure, and corruption in a town where, as one character observes, “Morality never crosses the city limits.”

By Horace McCoy,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked I Should Have Stayed Home as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

TEMPTATION and DESIRE in Hollywood! Ralph Carston, a handsome young man from Georgia, and roommate Mona Matthews work as extras and dream of Hollywood stardom when a courtroom fracas by Mona gives them a flash of notoriety. This leads to a swank Hollywood party and an introduction to Ethel Smithers, a rich older woman with a less than pure interest in Carston.


Book cover of Under the Eagle

Duncan Lay Author Of Bridge of Swords

From my list on rampaging Romans bathed in barbarian blood.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have a fascination for Roman history, having been born in the UK, and visiting Hadrian’s Wall. I have read many, many works of both history and historical fiction about Rome. To me, these five are the most memorable. Obviously the story has to be fantastic but it's important to be accurate. The opening battle in Gladiator annoyed me because the Romans never broke lines to fight man to man with barbarians. The concept of the Celts living among the rubble of the Empire, of being surrounded by things they cannot understand helped inspire my Empire Of Bones series. I even have a gladius sword and use it to inspire my own battle scenes. 

Duncan's book list on rampaging Romans bathed in barbarian blood

Duncan Lay Why did Duncan love this book?

This is the first of the fantastic Macro and Cato series, this sees the bookish Cato drafted into the army under the gruff and tough Macro. Against all odds, this unlikely pair become both friends and an unstoppable team. There’s plenty of humour mixed in with the battles and you identify easily with Cato’s attempts to fit in and become a soldier. 

By Simon Scarrow,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Under the Eagle as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

IF YOU DON'T KNOW SIMON SCARROW, YOU DON'T KNOW ROME!

UNDER THE EAGLE is the gripping first novel in Simon Scarrow's bestselling EAGLES OF THE EMPIRE series. A must read for fans of Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden. Praise for Simon Scarrow's compelling novels: 'Gripping and moving' The Times

AD 42, Germany. Tough, brutal and unforgiving. That's how new recruit Cato is finding life in the Roman Second Legion. He may have contacts in high places, but he could really use a friend amongst his fellow soldiers right now.

Cato has been promoted above his comrades at the order of…


Book cover of Warrior of Rome Falling Sky
Book cover of Someone Is Always Watching
Book cover of The Cicero Trilogy

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,724

readers submitted
so far, will you?