The Complete Chronicle of the Emperors of Rome

by Roger Kean, Oliver Frey (Illustrator)

30 B.C. - 476 A.D. Includes bibliographical references and index. Few books before have ever explored the exploits, achievements, and notorious antics of ancient Rome's imperial dynasties in such readable detail. The book describes the lives of every man (and a few women) who aspired to the purple, from Augustus in 23 BC to Justinian I, who died in AD 565. Many may be familiar with the descendants of Julius Caesar—Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero—but how many know about Maximinus Thrax, Claudius II Gothicus, or the Gallic empire of Postumus? All 118 emperors and barbarian rulers of the period are brought vividly to life, illustrated by a mixture of drawings of their busts and coinage, and complemented by specially commissioned maps that clearly outline imperial ambitions and failures.

The Complete Chronicle of the Emperors of Rome is a record of the political, social, military, and economic strategies of the world's most powerful ancient empire. A unique book and an essential companion to anyone interested in, or studying, the ancient Romans.

Hardcover

First published October 1, 2005

About the author

Also: http//www.cityboiz.com

Film maker, journalist, magazine and book publisher, Roger M. Kean settled down to pen gay fiction. To date he has written Felixitations, Thunderbolt:Torn Enemy of Rome, and the “Empire Trilogy” of late Victorian action-adventure novels A Life Apart, Gregory's Story, and Harry's Great Trek. In between battling through the deserts of Sudan, he wrote the 30,000-word novella about British Premier League football (soccer) What's A Boy Supposed to Do.

Both Felixitations and A Life Apart have been M/M Romance Group Books of the Month.

Writing under the pen name of his lifelong partner, internationally renowned gay artist Zack (a.k.a Oliver Frey), Kean’s “Boys of…” series extends to five full-length novels, graphically illustrated by Zack. The Adventures of Gil Graham and Mike Smith are set in the early 1980s: Boys of Vice City, Boys of Disco City, Boys of Two Cities, Boys of the Fast Lane, and Boy of the West End. After the demise of publisher Bruno Gmümder, these titles and some others under the ZACK pen name are either out of print or only available at ludicrous prices, but selected titles will be republished in due course during 2020.

Due to the same circumstances the BOYS OF IMPERIAL ROME series written under the name of Zack are also out of print in the original illustrated editions, but are now available under Roger M. Kean and Reckless Books imprint (not illustrated due to KDP print restrictions on graphic content):
Deadly Circus of Desire
The Satyr of Capri
The Wrath of Seth
The Wrath of Seth

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A majestic overview of the entire Roman imperial period (from Augustus up to and including Justinian) divided by each emperor, does what it says on the cover. Also has extra bits thrown in such as the Gothic kings of Italy, to give a good epilogue.

Problems: because of the scope of the book some details are overlooked. Mostly understandable but one or two omissions were quite glaring. Also the Kindle version that I read (split into two volumes) contains a shocking amount of typos!

[Ria]

The Complete Chronicle of the Emperors of Rome by Roger Michael Kean (2005)