Off Topic - Recommended reading?

[Ye Olde Fahrt]

I thought I'd visit Amazon for a book or two...

Looking for a good novel, even a series maybe.

A history book if particularly well written will not be scorned upon either.

Recommendations, anyone?

Edit: Sorry... Roman era, of course!

[Diamat]

the Aeneid

[General Brittanicus]

It depends on which books you have already read. But here are a few novels that might interest you:

Ship of Rome series by John Stack
Simon Scarrows Eagle Series
Colleen Mccullough masters of rome series
Conn Igguldens Rome books
THe Boudica Books and the Emperors spy by Manda Scott
Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem
Roma by Steven Saylor and i also believe he has a lot of other books based in ancient rome.

[Ye Olde Fahrt]

Cheers guys! +rep is surely in order

I was considering Simon Scarrows, but alas, there's so much to choose from!

Need to start somewhere however... Which one?

[Jedi1]

I recently finished one of Scarrows Eagle books (Legion), was the first book about the Roman era I've read and I've quite enjoyed it, even you it was the 4th or 5th in series, so I would chime in on reading Scarrows books.

[MorganH.]

@The OP:
You should also get Robert Graves' Count Belisarius and the I Claudius books.

Also Julius Ceasars Bella Gallico and Suetonius's The Lives Of The Twelve Caesars.

Awesome Books!

[rory o'kane]

Yeah, read Scarrow's books. They're excellent reads, and sufficiently historically accurate to not hurt my brain when I read them.
They are, in order (list taken from wikipedia):
Under the Eagle (2000)
The Eagle's Conquest (2001)
When the Eagle Hunts (2002)
The Eagle and the Wolves (2003)
The Eagle's Prey (2004)
The Eagle's Prophecy (2005)
The Eagle in the Sand (2006)
Centurion (2007)
The Gladiator (August 2009)
The Legion (November 2010)
Praetorian (Late 2011)(not out yet)
I think I've read up to and including The Eagle in the Sand. Haven't read the last three yet, even though I've got them, and I have Praetorian on Pre-order.

[Grimbold]

How come no one has mentioned Cicero's "De re publica"

[Warmaker]

"Roman Warfare" by Adrian Goldsworthy - It's a read on how Rome conducts war over the course of its history, Republic and the era of the Principate. It goes over certain key military events, a bit into the politics, major characters as well as what they were doing in their campaigns, and a bit into politics that lead into these events. It's not a "tome" at 240 pages. It's broad enough to see how Rome conducted war over its history yet diving into good enough details. It's also written in a way that makes things interesting. Finished it in 2 days.

"Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization" by Lars Brownworth - Kinda ties into this mod since the Byzantine Empire was the remnant of the overall Roman Empire. Anyways, if you've tried any strategy game set in the late classical era or medieval era (MTW, M2TW), then you know of the Byzantines. But IMO, not many players know much about them at all. This book is a very nice, well paced, nicely written work that shows the general history of the Eastern Roman Empire / Byzantine Empire. They teetered on the brink of regaining greatness from the glory days of the larger Roman Empire, or on the verge of total collapse, but someway, somehow, was able to survive until 1453. You'll see just how important the Byzantines were as the bulwark against Muslim expansion into Europe. The book doesn't bury you in details, it felt like I was reading a story but it just happened to be history.

[Ellsid]

Hannibal's Legacy Vo.1 and Vol.2 Toynbee...old and rare find, found it at the local library.

[Ye Olde Fahrt]

Thanks guys! Scarrow's Under the Eagle and Goldworthy's Roman Warfare are heading my way. A bit of fact, a bit of fiction. Now, let us hope for some rainy autumn days

[Lt.Speirs]

Ab urbe condita? Tacitus if I recall correctly?

[General Brittanicus]

Ab urbe condita? Tacitus if I recall correctly?

Livy i think, its the series of books that has large parts of it missing isn't it? The bits that survive are still good though.

[Lt.Speirs]

My mistake indeed. Titus Livius is the one. I'd recommend that one

[Ye Olde Fahrt]

Added I, Claudius to the list. I think I'm all stocked up now for the coming month or three

But a fine discussion, please go on. Happy to learn of other books as well!

[Ybbon]

Vespasian: Tribune of Rome (Vespasian 1) by Robert Fabbri, enjoyed it on Kindle, I would say that I haven't read any Simon Scarrow or Conn Igulden so others may thing it better/worse.

[rory o'kane]

Anything by Adrian Goldsworthy, if it's factual reading about the Roman military and the politics behind it you want. His "In The Name Of Rome: The Men Who Won The Roman Empire" is particularly good.

[Ye Olde Fahrt]

Anything by Adrian Goldsworthy, if it's factual reading about the Roman military and the politics behind it you want. His "In The Name Of Rome: The Men Who Won The Roman Empire" is particularly good.

I toyed with that and the Roman Warfare, and picked the warfare one first. But yes, I do like my history and will propably pick up the other as the next one.

[Warmaker]

Anything by Adrian Goldsworthy, if it's factual reading about the Roman military and the politics behind it you want. His "In The Name Of Rome: The Men Who Won The Roman Empire" is particularly good.

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that one. It was the first of his books that I read. A very good read.

[century x]

Edward Gibbon's The decline and fall of the roman empire. ALL 7 Volumes

The most amazing read