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Rubicon: A HWA Short Story Collection
"Greater than the sum of its parts... Rubicon has something for everyone: action, humour and historical insight." Michael Arnold
Ten acclaimed authors. Ten gripping stories.
Immerse yourself in Ancient Rome through a collection of thrilling narratives, featuring soldiers, statesmen and spies.
Read about some of your favourite characters from established series, or be introduced to new writers in the genre.
The stories in Rubicon are, like Rome, diverse and intriguing - involving savage battles, espionage, political intrigue and the lives of ordinary - and extraordinary - Romans, such as Ovid, Marcus Agrippa and a young Julius Caesar.
This brand new collection, brought to you by the Historical Writers' Association, also includes interviews with each author.
Find out more about their writing processes and what attracts them to the Roman world.
View Ancient Rome through fresh eyes.
Rubicon is a feast of moreish tales and a must read for all fans of historical fiction.
Authors & Stories Featured in Rubicon:
Nick Brown - Maker of Gold
Gordon Doherty - Eagles in the Desert
Ruth Downie - Alter Ego
Richard Foreman - A Brief Affair
Alison Morton - Mystery of Victory
Anthony Riches - The Invitation
Antonia Senior - Exiles
Peter Tonkin - The Roman
L.J. Trafford - The Wedding
S.J. Turney - The Praetorian
Praise for Rubicon:
"Rubicon is a declaration of intent to intrigue, inspire and entertain. For me, this collection of stories extols the camaraderie that exists amongst the historical fiction bother and sisterhood. It perfectly encapsulates a shared passion for the subject of Rome in all its abundance and varied manifestations, taking the reader on a guided tour through the familiar and the strange. Leading us wide-eyed through a genre which has never lost its lustre.
This is the fiction equivalent of a box of chocolates, a celebration of diverse Rome stories drawing upon all the riches of that most extraordinary and enduring of civilisations. It is a treasure trove of tales, showcasing a wealth of talent.
I have been entertained by authors whose work I know and love, and I’ve discovered new voices too, writers whom I look forward to getting to know better. Indeed, if the purpose of this collection is to delight, distract and to whet the reader’s appetite, leaving us eager for more, it is a resounding success.
Rubicon is a rare treat which I thoroughly enjoyed. I don’t know what the official collective noun for Roman short stories is, but in this case I think it’s a triumph." Giles Kristian.
189 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2019
63 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Nick Brown
15 books117 followersA keen reader from a young age, Nick graduated from Enid Blyton to Douglas Hill and JRR Tolkien, and from there to Ian Fleming, Michael Crichton and C.J. Sansom. After three years studying in Brighton, he travelled to Nepal where he worked at an orphanage and trekked to Mount Everest. After qualifying as a history teacher in 2000, he worked for five years in England before taking up a post at an international school in Warsaw.
Nick had completed a few screenplays and a futuristic thriller before being inspired to try historical fiction after reading C.J. Sansom’s Dissolution: “Researching the Roman army and life in the third century was a fascinating but time-consuming project and the book went through many drafts before arriving at its final form. I had always intended Cassius to be a somewhat atypical protagonist and when I came across the research about the Roman ‘secret service’, I knew I’d found an ideal vocation for my reluctant hero.”
If he’s not writing he might be found at the cinema, in a pub or playing football.
Nick is represented by the David Grossman Literary Agency (general@dglal.co.uk)
Follow Nick on Twitter @randomrome or Agent of Rome on Facebook.
Nick had completed a few screenplays and a futuristic thriller before being inspired to try historical fiction after reading C.J. Sansom’s Dissolution: “Researching the Roman army and life in the third century was a fascinating but time-consuming project and the book went through many drafts before arriving at its final form. I had always intended Cassius to be a somewhat atypical protagonist and when I came across the research about the Roman ‘secret service’, I knew I’d found an ideal vocation for my reluctant hero.”
If he’s not writing he might be found at the cinema, in a pub or playing football.
Nick is represented by the David Grossman Literary Agency (general@dglal.co.uk)
Follow Nick on Twitter @randomrome or Agent of Rome on Facebook.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 22, 2019
Reviewed by Discovering Diamonds
shortlisted for Book of the Month
"Ten acclaimed authors. Ten gripping stories. Immerse yourself in Ancient Rome through a collection of thrilling narratives, featuring soldiers, statesmen and spies. Read about some of your favourite characters from established series, or be introduced to new writers in the genre. The stories in Rubicon are, like Rome, diverse and intriguing - involving savage battles, espionage, political intrigue and the lives of ordinary - and extraordinary - Romans, such as Ovid, Marcus Agrippa and a young Julius Caesar."
shortlisted for Book of the Month
"Ten acclaimed authors. Ten gripping stories. Immerse yourself in Ancient Rome through a collection of thrilling narratives, featuring soldiers, statesmen and spies. Read about some of your favourite characters from established series, or be introduced to new writers in the genre. The stories in Rubicon are, like Rome, diverse and intriguing - involving savage battles, espionage, political intrigue and the lives of ordinary - and extraordinary - Romans, such as Ovid, Marcus Agrippa and a young Julius Caesar."
August 3, 2019
I choose this book to find new authors who write about mysteries taking place in ancient Rome...and did discover one that I liked, in addition to an excellent Ruth Downie story.
August 4, 2019
An excellent compendium
An excellent taste of different authors in the Roman history genre helps the reader in finding new authors unknown to them to look up and discover and new characters for old known authors.
An excellent taste of different authors in the Roman history genre helps the reader in finding new authors unknown to them to look up and discover and new characters for old known authors.
September 18, 2019
Awesome, several times over
This is a fantastic collection of stories and every one of them is a winner. If you like historical fiction, you'll certainly find some great writers to try. If this is your introduction to historical fiction, there may not be a better sample of the genre.
The world building is far superior to a lot of science fiction. It's not just because the world is well documented but because the writers took the time to understand its foundations and its social mechanisms. In small descriptive paragraphs, they all deliver incredible glimpses of life in the empire. The stories range from the beginning of the empire in the West through the end of the second century.
The characters are so peninsular, that the stories feel like a documentary series. The best way that I can describe them is to refer you to the TV series, Rome and Britannia.
The scenes involving petty fraud, assassination or judicial murder are as perfect as those in the Brother Cadfael series of great medieval murder mysteries.
Lastly, each of these writers bring Rome to life. The interviews with each writer at the end of his/her story is as fun to read as the stories themselves. Warning! This book may make it impossible to enjoy the sketchy, implausible, inconsistent and downright silly cultures that seem to be the staple of science fiction. Hail, HWA.
This is a fantastic collection of stories and every one of them is a winner. If you like historical fiction, you'll certainly find some great writers to try. If this is your introduction to historical fiction, there may not be a better sample of the genre.
The world building is far superior to a lot of science fiction. It's not just because the world is well documented but because the writers took the time to understand its foundations and its social mechanisms. In small descriptive paragraphs, they all deliver incredible glimpses of life in the empire. The stories range from the beginning of the empire in the West through the end of the second century.
The characters are so peninsular, that the stories feel like a documentary series. The best way that I can describe them is to refer you to the TV series, Rome and Britannia.
The scenes involving petty fraud, assassination or judicial murder are as perfect as those in the Brother Cadfael series of great medieval murder mysteries.
Lastly, each of these writers bring Rome to life. The interviews with each writer at the end of his/her story is as fun to read as the stories themselves. Warning! This book may make it impossible to enjoy the sketchy, implausible, inconsistent and downright silly cultures that seem to be the staple of science fiction. Hail, HWA.
August 15, 2019
This was a fascinating, heartrending collection of tales from Ancient Rome. I loved them all, although my favorites would be Alison Morton's Victory and Peter Tonkin's intriguing account of Julius Caesar's capture by pirates.
August 19, 2019
Fair
A couple of the sites we good, but the bulk we mediocre with two being pointless. The only saving Grace was that if you didn't want to read the interviews, you could get through it pretty quickly.
A couple of the sites we good, but the bulk we mediocre with two being pointless. The only saving Grace was that if you didn't want to read the interviews, you could get through it pretty quickly.
September 25, 2020
Absolutely loved Peter Tonkin's Story The Roman and S.J Turney's, The Praetorian was incredible and has definitely made me want to read more about this era.
Each story is followed by an interview with the author where we find out why they're interested in the Roman Empire, what they're currently writing etc. I found this very useful to figure out books I need to add to my TBR list.
There wasn't a single story in this collection that I didn't enjoy. They're all very well written and have great characters. This is the third HWA short story collection I've read now and I can't recommend them enough for finding new authors or checking out a new era like me. If you only have a little reading time they're perfect or you can do what I do and binge read them all in one go!
Each story is followed by an interview with the author where we find out why they're interested in the Roman Empire, what they're currently writing etc. I found this very useful to figure out books I need to add to my TBR list.
There wasn't a single story in this collection that I didn't enjoy. They're all very well written and have great characters. This is the third HWA short story collection I've read now and I can't recommend them enough for finding new authors or checking out a new era like me. If you only have a little reading time they're perfect or you can do what I do and binge read them all in one go!
April 6, 2020
Uneven collection of short stories set in the ancient world.
My favorites:
Alter Ego: Ruso solves a mystery enroute to his new posting at Deva.
The Roman: Julius Caesar captured by pirates and his revenge later. The plan of a galley slave.
The Wedding: That of Nero to Statilia arouses Sporus' anger.
The Renegade: Rufinus' involvement in the death of one of Cleander's henchmen.
My favorites:
Alter Ego: Ruso solves a mystery enroute to his new posting at Deva.
The Roman: Julius Caesar captured by pirates and his revenge later. The plan of a galley slave.
The Wedding: That of Nero to Statilia arouses Sporus' anger.
The Renegade: Rufinus' involvement in the death of one of Cleander's henchmen.
September 21, 2021
My second time reading this one..Ruso was great!!
December 26, 2019
A great collection of historical short stories about Rome and Romans from some of my favorite authors. The stories span several centuries and take place in Britain, Rome, Egypt, the Persian frontier and other locales. Roman history has been a favorite of mine for years and this collection demonstrates its authors' deep love of that era.
If you love the stories from Roman history, then you'll love this fine collection.
If you love the stories from Roman history, then you'll love this fine collection.
October 29, 2019
A taste of Roman historical fiction... read my full review at: https://audreylinton.wixsite.com/revi...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews