Rome Burning

‘A fast moving, compelling story, brilliantly imagined’

Conn Iggulden

‘A thoroughly good read … vividly imagined … elegant, lively writing’

Sunday Telegraph

‘Epic in undertaking,
Romanitas
creates a fascinating world that is both contemporary in tone, and yet about as far removed from the world we live in as it is possible to imagine. McDougall’s writing style is fresh and light and the involving story ensures you’ll gobble up the 400 pages in no time, staying eager to find out how the remainder of the trilogy unfolds’

Dreamwatch

‘An intriguing debut novel … the plot of
Romanitas
gripped me and kept the pages turning. McDougall’s setting is original … her alternate history feels well researched and believable’

Starburst

Romanitas

Rome Burning

Savage City

ROME BURNING

SOPHIA MCDOUGALL

For Maisie

This is the second of three books set in a Roman Empire which never fell but spread to take in half the world.

Praise for the Romanitas series

Also by Sophia McDougall from Gollancz:

THE MAP OF THE WORLD

CHARACTER LIST

THE NOVIAN DYNASTY

I YELLOW FIRE

II TOKOGANE

III AXE AND RODS

IV DELPHI

V POSSIBLE DEATHS

VI FURNACE

VII THE GHOST

VIII DUEL

IX ENDURANCE

X NORIKO

XI IN NOMINE MEI

XII CONQUERED GROUND

XIII THE LEVELLED FOREST

XIV MOON GATE

XV LADY WITHOUT SORROWS

XVI SALVAGE

XVII WORMWOOD

XVIII INEVITABILITY

XIX SANDSTORM

XX FLAMMEUM

XXI OMNES VIAE

XXII INNOCENCE

XXIII WARFARE

XXIV BEACONS

XXV THE KNIFE

XXVI FIRELIGHT

XXVII HOLZARTA

XXVIII ISLAND

XXIX COLOSSEUM

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE ROMAN
EMPIRE 933 AUC TO THE PRESENT FROM 933 AUC TO THE PRESENT

Copyright

(All characters named in the text. All dates are in A.U.C – e.g, 2757 = 2004 AD.)

A

ACCHAN
A slave in the palace longdictor exchange.

‘AMARYLLIS’
A name for a slave-girl owned by
DRUSUS
.

ANANIAS
A slave.

ANNA
A slave.

AOI
A senior concubine at the Nionian court.

ATRONIUS
A slave supervisor at Veii Imperial Arms factory, formerly a vigile officer.

AULUS
A doctor working at the slave clinic in Transtiberina.

B

BARO
A slave.

BUPE
A slave from Veii Imperial Arms factory.

C

CLEOMENES
A vigile commander.

CLODIA AURELIA
Mother of
MARCUS
, wife of
LEO
, supporter of the abolition of slavery. Murdered in
2757
along with her husband.

COSMAS
A slave.

D

DAMA
A slave, crucified for murder in
2753
, but taken down from the cross alive by
DELIR
. Instrumental in establishing the slave-refuge in the Pyrenees. Involved in the rescue of
MARCUS
from the Galenian Sanctuary in
2757
. Unaccounted for since.

DELIR
A former merchant from Persia, subsequently a fugitive. Established a slave refuge camp in the Holzarta gorge in the Pyrenees, after rescuing the slave
DAMA
from crucifixion. Roman citizenship revoked.

DRUSILLA TERENTIA
Divorced wife of
LUCIUS
, mother of
DRUSUS.

DRUSUS
see
NOVII.

E

EDDA
A slave owned by
EPIMACHUS
.

EPIMACHUS
Divorced husband of
TANCORIX
, living in Novomagius, Germany.

ERASTUS
A slave.

EUDOXIUS
A Senator.

F

FALX
A Roman intelligence specialist on Nionia.

FAUSTUS
See
NOVII
.

FENIUS
A member of the Praetorian Guard.

FLORENS
See
SING-JI

G

GABINIUS
A construction magnate, involved in the pro-slavery conspiracy that killed
LEO,
CLODIA
and
GEMELLA.
Illegally detained
VARIUS
at his house for some weeks after the disappearance of
MARCUS.
Killed attempting to flee by boat in
2757
.

GALLA
A gladiatrix in the same troop as
ZIYE
.

GEMELLA
Wife of
VARIUS
, poisoned in mistake for
MARCUS
by
TULLIOLA
in
2757
.

GENG
A peasant farmer in the Jiangsu region of Sina. Son of
MRS SU.

GLYCON
Faustus’
cubicularius,
or private secretary.

GO-NATOKU
Regnal name of the current Nionian Emperor.

H

HELENA
A fugitive slave, formerly resident at the Holzarta refuge camp

HUANG
A trader exporting Sinoan slaves into the Roman Empire.