The Fantasy Review‘s list of 7 Historical Fiction Books Set in Roman Britain (c. 43-410).
The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
From the blurb:
The Ninth Legion marched into the mists of Northern Britain―and they were never seen again. Four thousand men disappeared and their eagle standard was lost. It’s a mystery that’s never been solved, until now . . .
Marcus Aquila has to find out what happened to his father, who led the legion. So he sets out into the unknown, on a quest so dangerous that nobody expects him to return.
Medicus (Gaius Petreius Ruso, #1) by Ruth Downie
From the blurb:
Divorced and down on his luck, Gaius Petreius Ruso has made the rash decision to seek his fortune in an inclement outpost of the Roman Empire, namely Britannia. In a moment of weakness, after a straight thirtysix-hour shift at the army hospital, he succumbs to compassion and rescues an injured slave girl, Tilla, from the hands of her abusive owner.…
Dreaming the Eagle (Boudica, #1) by Manda Scott
From the blurb:
In AD 60, Boudica, war leader of the Eceni, led her people in a final bloody revolt against the occupying armies of Rome. It was the culmination of nearly twenty years of resistance against an occupying force that sought to crush a vibrant, complex civilization and replace it with the laws, taxes and slavery of the Roman Empire.…
Vindolanda (Vindolanda, #1) by Adrian Goldsworthy
From the blurb:
AD 98: The bustling army base at Vindolanda lies on the northern frontier of Britannia and the entire Roman world. In just over 20 years time, the Emperor Hadrian will build his famous wall. But for now defenxes are weak as tribes rebel against Rome, and local druids preach the fiery destruction of the invaders. It falls to Flavius Ferox, Briton and Roman centurion, to keep the peace. But it will take more than just a soldier’s courage to survive life in Roman Britain.
The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge
From the blurb:
Spanning three generations, this historical novel tells the tale of Boudicca, the most famous warrior of ancient Britain, and Caradoc, the son of a Celtic king, who sets out to unite the people of the Raven and lead them against Rome. Caradoc’s objective is not easily accomplished as the Roman army advances into Britain, raping Celtic women and burning villages to the ground.…
Wounds of Honour (Empire, #1) by Anthony Riches
From the blurb:
Marcus Valerius Aquila has scarcely landed in Britannia when he has to run for his life – condemned to dishonorable death by power-crazed emperor Commodus. The plan is to take a new name, serve in an obscure regiment on Hadrian’s Wall and lie low until he can hope for justice. Then a rebel army sweeps down from the wastes north of the Wall, and Marcus has to prove he’s hard enough to lead a century in the front line of a brutal, violent war.…
The Germanicus Mosaic (Libertus Mystery of Roman Britain, #1) by Rosemary Rowe
From the blurb:
It is the 2nd century A.D., and Libertus, a freedman and pavement-maker, has a reputation for solving crime. When his influential patron asks for his help in a politically-sensitive murder case, Libertus is in no position to refuse. When the main suspect is also found murdered, the truth seems elusive.…
