Harry Sidebottom

ONE OF THE ECONOMIST'S BEST BOOKS OF 2025 See ancient Rome through the eyes of a gladiator—from the evening before the games at the Colosseum to the evening after "A grippingly original way of making the alien world of the Roman Amphitheatre both accessible and comprehensible." —Tom...

AD 262: The Roman Imperium is in turmoil after the struggle for the throne that brought Gallienus to power....

Dressed in armour and clutching a bloody sword, the Roman gladiator is the most iconic figure of the ancient world. Both fascinating and repulsive to us now, he was in his own time a deeply controversial character, by turns hated and idealized – and always at the heart of Roman culture.

In A.D. 256, the specter of treachery hangs ominously over the Roman Empire....

A.D. 255. The Roman imperium is stretched to the breaking point, its authority and might challenged throughout the territories and along every border....

In the fifth novel in Harry Sidebottom’s acclaimed and best selling Warrior of Rome historical fiction series, Ballista returns to undertake yet another epic mission - while the Roman Empire reels in chaos around him....

On 8 June 218 AD, a fourteen-year-old Syrian boy, egged on by his grandmother, led an army to battle in a Roman civil war. Against all expectations, he was victorious....

Greek and Roman warfare was unlike that of any other culture before or since. The key difference is often held to be that the Greeks and Romans practiced a "Western Way of War", in which the aim is an open, decisive battle - won by courage instilled, in part, by discipline....

In AD 264, the Roman Empire has been torn in two. The western provinces - Gaul, Spain, and Britain - have been seized by Postumus, the pretender to the throne....

Alone, Ballista is called to muster the forces and the courage to stand first and to stand hard against the greatest enemy ever to confront the Imperium....

AD 260 - Betrayed by his most trusted adviser, the Roman Emperor Valerian has been captured by the Sassanid barbarians....

Treachery hangs ominously over the Roman Empire and sparks of Christian fervour have spread through the empire like wildfire....

He must run, bluff, hide and fight his way across the Seven Hills. He must reach the Colosseum and the Emperor. He must make it to the last hour....

AD262 - the Imperium is in turmoil after the struggle for the throne. Furthermore, Ephesus, Asia's metropolis, lies in ruins, shattered by a mighty earthquake....

When Valens, a junior officer in the Roman Army, joins a crack squad of soldiers on a dangerous mission, little does he know what's in store for him....

AD 264 - The Roman Empire is torn in two. The latest blazing novel in the Warrior of Rome series....

AD 263 - the Roman Empire is in turmoil, with violent uprising threatening the balance of power....

AD265 - In the shadow of Mount Etna, slaves are rising up. As the rebel leader declares Sicily the new land of the free, men and women are slaughtered and cities across the island are sacked and burned....

AD 265, Gaul—The Roman Empire is on the brink. Emperor Gallienus has amassed a huge army across the Alps to seize back the mountains from the usurper Posthumus. War has come. Ballista and his cavalry are on the frontline, battling in the most brutal of conditions....

From the bestselling author of WARRIOR OF ROME comes the first book in a new series set in third century Rome....