Sword in hand, fire in their souls, love in their hearts

Suppose a last remnant of the old Roman Empire had struggled through to the 21st century – a tough little country surviving through history because of its tough, resourceful people?

Roma Nova has seen them all: the brave, the noble, the traitors, the chancers, the duty-bound, the grasping, the happy but above all pursuing their lives faithful to the Roman way.

Except... they're ruled by women.

Eight stories – four historical and four present day, and a little beyond – but they're all about the people of Roma Nova.

Apulius, a young tribune sent to a backwater in 370 AD for having the wrong religion, encounters the fiery Julia.

What does his lonely descendant, Silvia, labouring in the 1980s to rebuild her country, make of the Italian architect supervising the reconstruction?

Can imperial councillor Galla stop the Norman invasion of England in 1066?

And will Allegra, her 21st century Praetorian descendant fighting her emotions, find her way to her own happy ending?

Readers of INCEPTIO, PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO, AURELIA, INSURRECTIO, RETALIO, CARINA and NEXUS will be familiar with many of the characters in these short stories. But if you are new to Roma Nova, enjoy these eight ‘behind the scenes’ short stories and perhaps feel curious about exploring the longer novels…