Rome book series in reading order

by Jack Ludlow

Ancient Rome is Lindsey Davis's setting, worked as hard-boiled detective fiction. The Silver Pigs (1989) introduces the informer Marcus Didius Falco, and the series keeps a metal in most titles: Shadows in Bronze, Venus in Copper, The Iron Hand of Mars and Poseidon's Gold. Flavia Albia takes over the later books, reaching Murder in Purple and Gold in 2026. Forty-four titles make up the catalogue, at a median of 349 pages.

Steven Saylor

25 books• 7 series

Gordianus the Finder investigates murders in Rome across Steven Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series. Roman Blood (1991) opens the run, followed by Arms of Nemesis (1992), Catilina's Riddle (1993), The Venus Throw (1995), A Murder on the Appian Way (1996) and Rubicon (1999). Saylor also wrote the Ancient World novels, the last of them Dominus in 2021. Twenty-five titles are catalogued, at 320 pages on median.

Imperial Rome is Douglas Jackson's territory. The Gaius Valerius Verrens novels run through the catalogue, with Rufus, Marcus Flavius Victor, the Warsaw Quartet and the Glen Savage Mystery alongside. Twenty catalogued books open with Caligula (2008) and Claudius (2009), continue through Hero of Rome (2010), Defender of Rome (2011), Avenger of Rome (2012), Sword of Rome (2013) and Enemy of Rome (2014), and reach Blood Enemy (2026). Gladiators, soldiers and Roman history fill the subject list.

Harry Sidebottom writes historical fiction and history set in ancient Rome, with 22 books catalogued from Ancient Warfare (2004) to Those Who Are About to Die (2026). Warrior of Rome and Throne of the Caesars are the named series, and the character Ballista appears in the subjects. Fire in the East (2008), King of Kings (2009), Lion of the Sun (2010), The Caspian Gates (2011) and The Wolves of the North (2012) are among the novels. Iron And Rust (2014) and Blood and Steel (2015) follow.

Ben Kane is an Irish historical novelist, born in Kenya in 1970 and trained in veterinary medicine at University College Dublin before he turned to fiction. Rome supplies most of his material: the Forgotten Legion Chronicles, Spartacus, Hannibal, Eagles of Rome and Clash of Empires work through soldiers, slaves and imperial war, while Richard the Lionheart moves to a later period. Kane's 29 catalogued books run from The Forgotten Legion (2008) to A Land Aflame (2026) at a median of 480 pages. His novels have been translated into 14 languages and have sold over a million and a half copies.

Imperial Rome is Robert Fabbri's subject. The Vespasian novels follow the future emperor through the reigns of Tiberius and Claudius, and Alexander's Legacy and the Crossroads Brotherhood stories sit alongside them. Twenty-five catalogued books run from 2011, the year of Tribune of Rome, Rome's Executioner and The Crossroads Brotherhood, to Beyond the Grave (2026). Fabbri continues to publish.

Simon Scarrow

65 books• 11 series

Simon Scarrow writes historical fiction, most of it Roman. Quintus Licinius Cato and Lucius Cornelius Macro lead the Eagle series, which opens with Under the Eagle (2000). The Roman Arena, Gladiator and Pirata lines share that setting, while the Revolution Quartet and the Berlin wartime thrillers featuring CI Schenke move elsewhere. Sixty-six catalogued books reach The Sword of Rome, and Sons of the Reich is scheduled for 2027.

Colleen McCullough

24 books• 2 series

Colleen McCullough was an Australian novelist, born in 1937 and died in 2015, who trained as a neurophysiologist before publishing fiction. Her 24 catalogued books span 1974 to 2013, opening with Tim, written while McCullough worked as a research assistant at the Yale School of Medicine, and closing with Bittersweet. The Thorn Birds (1977) sold more than 30 million copies worldwide and was adapted as a television miniseries. Masters of Rome is her Roman historical sequence, from The First Man in Rome (1990); Carmine Delmonico is her detective. The catalogue is likely complete.

Anthony Riches writes historical fiction set in the Roman world. Catalogue subjects name Marcus Valerius Aquila and Gaius Julius Civilis, and place the books in the Roman Empire and in Britain of the Roman period, with action and adventure and war and military among the tags. The listing holds 21 books published between 2009 and 2026, opening with Wounds of Honour (2009) and reaching Field of Blood (2026). Empire, Swords of Troy and Michael Bale are the groupings recorded against the name. Riches holds the sole credit on all 21 titles.

Historical fiction is Kate Quinn's field, and the 17 catalogued books run from Mistress of Rome (2010) to The Astral Library (2026). Rome, gladiators, the Borgia family, nobility, both World Wars and espionage all appear among the subjects. Quinn's series are Empress of Rome and the Borgia Chronicles, and The Alice Network (2017) and The Huntress (2019) are among the later titles. Quinn is an American writer and still publishing.

Gaius Petreius Ruso, a reluctant sleuth in the Roman world, is the figure Ruth Downie's mysteries follow. Downie, an English author born in 1955, has 10 catalogued books in the Medicus Investigation series, opening with Medicus (2006) and closing with Prima Facie (2019). Several titles carry a second name: Terra Incognita also appears as Ruso and the Demented Doctor, and Caveat Emptor as Ruso and the River of Darkness. Physicians, Rome, Britain and historical crime make up the subjects.

Robert Harris

23 books• 3 series

Robert Harris writes historical thrillers and political non-fiction. Non-fiction opens the catalogue: A Higher Form of Killing (1982) on chemical warfare, Gotcha! (1983) on the press and the Falklands, later joined by Selling Hitler (1996). The novels run from Fatherland (1991) through Enigma (1995), Archangel (1998), Pompeii (2003) and Imperium (2006), with a Cicero series among the named sequences. Harris's 23 catalogued books reach Agrippa in 2026.

Conn Iggulden writes historical fiction about empires and wars: the Emperor books on Rome, the Conqueror series around Genghis Khan, the Wars of the Roses, the Athenian novels and a Nero trilogy. The Gates of Rome (2002) opens a catalogue of 42 books reaching Inferno in 2026, and The Dangerous Book for Boys (2006) heads the non-fiction. The Empire of Salt fantasy appeared under the name C.F. Iggulden.

Harry Turtledove

141 books• 28 series

Harry Turtledove, born June 14, 1949, is an American historian and novelist of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction and mystery, based in Southern California. The catalogue counts 142 books, starting with Wereblood and Werenight (1979), published as Eric G. Iverson, and listing The Succulent Succubus for 2027. Other pen names are H. N. Turteltaub, Dan Chernenko and Mark Gordian. The Videssos Cycle, Southern Victory / Timeline-191, Worldwar, Colonization, Crosstime Traffic, The War That Came Early and Gerin the Fox are among the series. World War II and the American Civil War are frequent subjects.

Stephanie Dray writes historical fiction about women close to power. Cleopatra's Daughter, Lily of the Nile (2011), Song of the Nile (2011), Daughters of the Nile (2013), opens the catalogue, and the later books turn to American history: America's First Daughter (2016), My Dear Hamilton (2018), The Women of Chateau Lafayette (2021) and Becoming Madam Secretary (2024). Nine titles are catalogued, long at a median 487 pages.

Margaret George

9 books• 1 series

Margaret George, born in 1943, is an American historical novelist who writes epic fictional biographies, researched in detail and long in the telling, the median catalogued book runs to 630 pages. Rulers and figures out of history and scripture are the subjects: Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scots, Mary Magdalene, Helen of Troy, Cleopatra, Elizabeth I and Nero. Nine books are catalogued, from The Autobiography of Henry VIII (1986) to Emperor Nero: The Splendour Before The Dark (2019). Several reached the New York Times bestseller list, the Cleopatra novel became an Emmy-nominated ABC miniseries in 1999, and the novels have been published in 21 languages.

Paul Doherty writes historical mysteries set largely in England, with 127 books catalogued from The Death of a King (1985) to The Meadows of Murder (2026). Recurring detectives include Hugh Corbett, Brother Athelstan, Kathryn Swinbrooke and Amerotke. Other series cover the Canterbury Tales Mysteries, Ancient Rome, Egyptian Mysteries, Nicholas Segalla, Mathilde of Westminster, Margaret Beaufort and Vlad Drakulya. Satan in St Mary's (1986) and Spy in Chancery (1988) are among the early titles.

Marine archaeologist Jack Howard is the figure David Gibbins built his fiction on. Gibbins, born in 1962, is an underwater archaeologist as well as a novelist, and the 14 catalogued books mix archaeological expeditions, treasure troves and antiquities with action and suspense. The catalogue opens with Atlantis (2005) and reaches Daughter of Attila (2025); Total War Rome is a second series beside Jack Howard. Gibbins remains actively publishing.

Sigmund Brouwer, born in 1959, is a Canadian author writing for children, young adults and adults, with more than 100 titles and four million books in print. Dead Man's Switch won the 2015 Arthur Ellis Award for best Canadian young adult mystery, and Shock Wave won the same award in 2025. Thief of Glory, a novel for adults, was named Book of the Year at the Christy Awards and also won an Alberta Readers Choice Award. The Last Disciple, co-authored with Hank Hanegraaff, was featured in Time magazine. The catalogue holds 162 books from Lost Beneath Manhattan (1990) to A Dangerous Game (2026), across series such as Accidental Detectives, Mars Diaries, Winds of Light, Lightning on Ice, Cyberquest and Robot Wars.

S.J.A. Turney writes historical fiction. The catalogue lists 71 books, from Interregnum (2009) to King of the Mountains (2026). Named series include Praetorian, Tales of the Empire, Damned Emperors, Rise of Emperors, Legion XXII, Rider of Rome, Agricola, Knights Templar, Wolves of Odin and the Ottoman Cycle, and Marius' Mules is listed as a recurring line. Rome, druids and the Belgae appear among the subject headings.

Robert Graves

68 books• 4 series

Robert Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 - 7 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist and critic. Graves's father was the Irish poet Alfred Perceval Graves, a figure in the Gaelic revival, and father and son both studied Irish mythology. Graves produced more than 140 works, among them the First World War memoir Good-Bye to All That and The White Goddess (1948), a study of poetic inspiration. The catalogue lists 68 books, including I, Claudius (1934), Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (1934) and Count Belisarius (1938). Graves's two series in the catalogue are Claudius and Sergeant Lamb.

Allan Massie (16 October 1938 to 3 February 2026) was a Scottish journalist, columnist and sports writer for newspapers in England and Scotland. Massie wrote 40 books, over 25 of them novels. The catalogue lists 47 titles from 1978 to 2015, among them Muriel Spark (1979), The Caesars (1983), A Portrait of Scottish Rugby (1984) and Augustus (1986). Massie's series include Bordeaux, Question Of Loyalties and Dark Ages, and End Games in Bordeaux (2015) is the last listed title.