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Forged in Rome
Brought to you by Penguin.
THE EPIC NEW ADVENTURE FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTELLER CONN IGGULDEN
Can a slave . . . become a master?
AD 37. The Roman Republic has become a true empire, stretching from Egypt to the seacoast of Gaul. Sixty million people live under its rule.
A scribe in a noble household on the outskirts of the empire’s greatest city, a young man who has no memory of his past or his family. Where freedom exists for the privileged few, he has only ever known a life of slavery. His name is Cormac.
When Cormac’s master dies suddenly under suspicious circumstances, he finds himself furnished with documents freeing him from bondage. Surviving somewhere between slave and citizen, he quickly discovers the dangers that come with freedom. The city is a pitiless place for those without allies.
But the winds of fate are shifting. Cormac’s talents – his treasured ability to read and write – will soon take him from city slums to the mines of Gaul, to the island of Britannia and back to the hills of Rome.
Slave, scribe, soldier – Cormac will have to play Rome’s most dangerous game if he’s to secure wealth and power. For in this city, with skill, ambition and luck, perhaps such things can be won . . .
Conn Iggulden 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
THE EPIC NEW ADVENTURE FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTELLER CONN IGGULDEN
Can a slave . . . become a master?
AD 37. The Roman Republic has become a true empire, stretching from Egypt to the seacoast of Gaul. Sixty million people live under its rule.
A scribe in a noble household on the outskirts of the empire’s greatest city, a young man who has no memory of his past or his family. Where freedom exists for the privileged few, he has only ever known a life of slavery. His name is Cormac.
When Cormac’s master dies suddenly under suspicious circumstances, he finds himself furnished with documents freeing him from bondage. Surviving somewhere between slave and citizen, he quickly discovers the dangers that come with freedom. The city is a pitiless place for those without allies.
But the winds of fate are shifting. Cormac’s talents – his treasured ability to read and write – will soon take him from city slums to the mines of Gaul, to the island of Britannia and back to the hills of Rome.
Slave, scribe, soldier – Cormac will have to play Rome’s most dangerous game if he’s to secure wealth and power. For in this city, with skill, ambition and luck, perhaps such things can be won . . .
Conn Iggulden 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025
Audible Audio
Published November 20, 2025
5 people are currently reading
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About the author
Conn Iggulden
144 books6,030 followersAlso publishes under author name C.F. Iggulden.
I was born in the normal way in 1971, and vaguely remember half-pennies and sixpences. I have written for as long as I can remember: poetry, short stories and novels. It’s what I always wanted to do and read English at London University with writing in mind. I taught English for seven years and was Head of English at St. Gregory’s RC High School in London by the end of that period. I have enormous respect for those who still labour at the chalk-face. In truth, I can’t find it in me to miss the grind of paperwork and initiatives. I do miss the camaraderie of the smokers’ room, as well as the lessons where their faces lit up as they understood what I was wittering on about.
My mother is Irish and from an early age she told me history as an exciting series of stories – with dates. My great-grandfather was a Seannachie, so I suppose story-telling is in the genes somewhere. My father flew in Bomber Command in WWII, then taught maths and science. Perhaps crucially, he also loved poetry and cracking good tales. Though it seems a dated idea now, I began teaching when boys were told only girls were good at English, despite the great names that must spring to mind after that statement. My father loved working with wood and equations, but he also recited ‘Vitai Lampada’ with a gleam in his eye and that matters, frankly.
I’ve always loved historical fiction as a genre and cut my teeth on Hornblower and Tai-Pan, Flashman, Sharpe and Jack Aubrey. I still remember the sheer joy of reading my first Patrick O’Brian book and discovering there were nineteen more in the series. I love just about anything by David Gemmell, or Peter F. Hamilton or Wilbur Smith. I suppose the one thing that links all those is the love of a good tale.
That’s about it for the moment. If you’d like to get in touch with me leave a comment in the forum or you can tweet me @Conn_Iggulden. I’ll leave it there for the moment. If you’ve read my books, you know an awful lot about the way I think already. There’s no point overdoing it.
Conn Iggulden
I was born in the normal way in 1971, and vaguely remember half-pennies and sixpences. I have written for as long as I can remember: poetry, short stories and novels. It’s what I always wanted to do and read English at London University with writing in mind. I taught English for seven years and was Head of English at St. Gregory’s RC High School in London by the end of that period. I have enormous respect for those who still labour at the chalk-face. In truth, I can’t find it in me to miss the grind of paperwork and initiatives. I do miss the camaraderie of the smokers’ room, as well as the lessons where their faces lit up as they understood what I was wittering on about.
My mother is Irish and from an early age she told me history as an exciting series of stories – with dates. My great-grandfather was a Seannachie, so I suppose story-telling is in the genes somewhere. My father flew in Bomber Command in WWII, then taught maths and science. Perhaps crucially, he also loved poetry and cracking good tales. Though it seems a dated idea now, I began teaching when boys were told only girls were good at English, despite the great names that must spring to mind after that statement. My father loved working with wood and equations, but he also recited ‘Vitai Lampada’ with a gleam in his eye and that matters, frankly.
I’ve always loved historical fiction as a genre and cut my teeth on Hornblower and Tai-Pan, Flashman, Sharpe and Jack Aubrey. I still remember the sheer joy of reading my first Patrick O’Brian book and discovering there were nineteen more in the series. I love just about anything by David Gemmell, or Peter F. Hamilton or Wilbur Smith. I suppose the one thing that links all those is the love of a good tale.
That’s about it for the moment. If you’d like to get in touch with me leave a comment in the forum or you can tweet me @Conn_Iggulden. I’ll leave it there for the moment. If you’ve read my books, you know an awful lot about the way I think already. There’s no point overdoing it.
Conn Iggulden
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 25, 2025
This is my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. It was an easy fast paced and historically informative read. The Roman Empire through the eyes of an ambitious slave whose adventures will continue in the next instalment. Can’t wait.
Displaying 1 of 1 review