Simon S J A Turney Books in Order

Twenty years of civil war have shattered the Empire and reduced former soldiers to mercenaries. Captain Kiva encounters a young survivor of the imperial line, forcing him to confront his own role in the Empire's downfall.

In 58 BC, Marcus Falerius Fronto commands Caesar's Tenth Legion as preparations begin for an invasion of Gaul. The career soldier finds himself entangled in political maneuvering, discovering that proximity to Caesar brings dangers beyond the battlefield.

Wounded in battle, Captain Varro of the Fourth Army uncovers a conspiracy rooted in the Empire's past. Joined by an engineer and his commander's daughter, he investigates treachery and murder while an incurable poison threatens his life.

In 57 BC, the Belgae assemble a formidable army against Rome, drawing Fronto and Caesar's legions into a fierce northern campaign. Political conspiracies deepen both in Rome and within the army, complicating the struggle against the tribes.

As imperial protection retreats from the desert city of M'Dahz, invasion looms over its inhabitants. Brothers Samir and Ghassan and their friend Asima follow diverging paths through naval service, piracy, and courtly life, encountering betrayal and unexpected alliances.

Rebellion spreads through Armorica in 56 BC while Fronto and his companions winter in Rome. Caesar's commanders face resistance across Gaul, and conspiracies in the capital draw Fronto into violence and intrigue that threaten his personal world.

Thirteen stories explore different lives across ancient Rome, from a gladiator’s final fight to scouts stationed near Hadrian’s Wall. Soldiers and civilians face danger, duty and uncertain loyalties, including an early adventure involving the legionary Fronto.

Caesar prepares campaigns against Germanic invaders and Britannia in 55 BC, while Fronto faces difficulties within the army. His developing relationship with Lucilia, unrest in Rome, and suspicious deaths make the year's dangers increasingly personal.

In 54 BC, Priscus prepares Caesar's forces for another invasion of Britannia while unrest grows in Gaul. Fronto attempts life as a married Roman nobleman, but political connections and dangerous enemies pull him toward renewed conflict.

Leaving Venetian-controlled Crete in 1492, Skiouros pursues the conspirator responsible for his brother's death. An encounter with a violent Ottoman commander diverts his journey, forcing him through Mediterranean dangers and uncomfortable revelations about his past.

Greek brothers Skiouros and Lykaion are conscripted into Ottoman service but follow different paths in Istanbul. One becomes a thief, the other a palace guard, until a stolen purse exposes a conspiracy threatening the Sultan.

As revolt intensifies in Gaul, Fronto returns to Caesar's army and is sent to hunt the rebel king Ambiorix. Caesar's determination to avenge Roman losses drives the mission into a dangerous sacred forest amid widening political divisions.

Three connected tales follow Roman figures during the winter of 53–52 BC, as Gaul approaches open rebellion. Quartermaster Cita, former prefect Paetus, and Priscus encounter supply problems, personal vengeance, and political upheaval preceding the next campaign.

In Italy in 1493, Skiouros renews his pursuit of the usurper prince Cem, seeking revenge for his brother's death. His journey through religious intolerance and political corruption tests whether he can commit murder to settle the past.

Vercingetorix launches a coordinated revolt that separates Caesar from much of his army in Gaul. A desperate message brings Fronto back into action, as Roman forces struggle to regain the initiative and face the siege of Alesia.

After Alesia, surviving Gallic rebels work to rebuild resistance under Lucterius while Caesar continues pacifying the region. Fronto attempts a quieter life as a wine merchant in Massilia, unaware that the renewed conflict is approaching his door.

Newly promoted Praetorian Rufinus is ordered to uncover a plot against Emperor Commodus. His mission leads from the Danube frontier into Rome's imperial intrigues, where competing commanders and clandestine agents challenge everything he trusts.

Returning east after years pursuing revenge, Skiouros accepts rescue from a Romani sailor whose help carries obligations. In Istanbul, festivities bringing together the Sultan's sons provide the setting for a coup that he must try to prevent.

Rufinus attempts to move beyond his violent past as rivalry between Praetorian prefect Perennis and chamberlain Cleander intensifies. A mission to protect the prefect's family uncovers evidence of a deeper conspiracy, forcing him into another dangerous imperial struggle.

Orphans Marcus and Callie accompany their uncle and the Twenty-Second Legion up the Nile in search of Pharaoh Amenemhat's gold. Their expedition through Roman Egypt brings tombs, mazes, curses, and crocodile dangers in this illustrated children's adventure.

Young Tenzhin loses his father when his nomadic tribe attacks the Jin Empire and is adopted by the Jade Emperor. Entering a brutal courtly world, he must abandon familiar ways and prepare for the trials of princely life.

Decades of imperial peace are threatened when a forbidden love drives Marshal Quintillian into the eastern deserts. His discovery of a growing danger coincides with Empress Jala's kidnapping, forcing Emperor Kiva to defend his family and realm.

With Gaul conquered but Caesar barred from a safe return to Rome, unrest rises in Aquitania. Exiled Fronto commands an unusual legion sent to restore order, confronting mountain tribes and enemies connected to his troubled past.

Eleven linked stories bring together a centurion, a gladiator, a merchant and other inhabitants of Roman Deva in AD 89. Their intersecting lives reveal a developing plot that threatens the security of the province and the people living within it.

Cleander sends Rufinus to Dacia to investigate two legion commanders for treason. Accompanied by Senova and his hound, the Praetorian encounters hostile soldiers, hidden attackers, and political machinations that could threaten the wider empire.

Caesar's confrontation with the Senate draws Rome toward civil war after the conquest of Gaul. Fronto and Galronus remain bound to his service, facing campaigns against fellow Romans that threaten their friends, families, and former loyalties.

The Empire returns to the island of Alba twenty years after a disastrous defeat. Three young tribunes accompany generals seeking revenge, but advancing inland exposes treachery and resistance that challenge the limits of imperial ambition.

Aram and his sons are scattered when the Jade Empire overruns the lands of the Inda. With another imperial power to the west and forces gathering in the mountains, they become caught between rival empires competing for territory.

Marcus and Callie travel with the Twenty-Second Legion to Crete, seeking the criminal collector known as the Minoan. Pirates threaten the expedition, while Callie hopes the island will offer answers about the shipwreck that claimed their parents.

Caligula's youngest sister Livilla recounts her brother's rise as the dying Tiberius leaves Rome facing a struggle for succession. This historical novel explores how power, murder, and betrayal transform a caring young man into an infamous emperor.

After his lord is killed through treachery, young knight Arnau of Vallbona promises to protect the lord's daughter. Amid the Reconquista's shifting conflicts, his obligation draws them into the world of the Knights Templar and dangerous combat.

Templar sergeant Arnau de Vallbona undertakes a covert mission to Majorca to recover Saint Stephen's bones and save his priory. Hostile Almohad forces complicate the raid, leaving Arnau and veteran companion Balthesar struggling to escape.

In 48 BC, Fronto and Galronus prepare to accompany Caesar across the sea against Pompey's larger forces. Naval supremacy, formidable opposing commanders, and hostile Balkan terrain turn the campaign toward a decisive confrontation on the plains of Pharsalus.

Arnau de Vallbona and Brother Ramon are delayed en route to the Holy Land and discover the Crusade has changed course. Racing to Constantinople, they become caught between Christian armies, conflicting obligations, and an impending siege.

Believed dead in Dacia, Rufinus secretly returns west with Septimius Severus and joins a conspiracy against chamberlain Cleander. Working under assumed identities, the former Praetorian navigates Rome's political factions while seeking opportunities to settle old scores.

Caesar's support for Cleopatra leaves his small army trapped in Alexandria while Egyptian forces approach. Fronto and his companions must defend an unfamiliar city under siege, hoping reinforcements arrive before the dynastic struggle overwhelms them.

Templar Arnau travels to a mountain castle to return a deceased brother's papers and settle a family dispute. A mysterious nobleman's death traps him in an icebound fortress, where deception and whispered threats demand more than swordsmanship.

Caesar's campaign in Africa begins with storms, scattered legions, and inadequate preparations. Fronto faces an army led by Rome's remaining republican commanders as the civil war places soldiers, loyalties, and the future of the republic under mounting strain.

As war and sickness threaten Rome's apparent prosperity, Commodus struggles to preserve the Empire while his own stability deteriorates. This historical novel centers on his relationship with Marcia, the woman whose influence helps sustain him.

Returning to the Praetorian Guard, Rufinus targets the criminal network surviving Cleander's fall. As Commodus's reign weakens and ambitious men prepare to seek imperial power, his pursuit of justice becomes entangled with Rome's spreading political chaos.

As a papal crusade gathers against the Almohads, a Castilian fortress falls and a knight disappears. Arnau takes a new squire on a dangerous rescue mission behind enemy lines, where concealed dangers complicate the approaching Iberian war.

Aelius Valens is sent to a remote, snowbound fort in Britannia, where a makeshift garrison and an unusual civilian caretaker await him. The isolated posting conceals a revenge plot that threatens the people trying to survive there.

This biography examines Agricola's military career and governorship of Roman Britain, from Boudicca's revolt to his northern campaigns. Turney compares Tacitus's account with archaeology and other contemporary evidence to assess the general's achievements and historical reputation.

During Septimius Severus's eastern civil war, an imperial agent disappears in Arabia with a list of secret-service personnel. Rufinus travels toward the empire's edge with a knowledgeable slave, hoping to recover the document before enemies exploit it.

In eleventh-century Scandinavia, Halfdan swears revenge after Christian forces burn his village and kill his father. Gathering unlikely companions, the young Norse warrior pursues the powerful jarl Yngvar across distant lands while religious conflict transforms his homeland.

Constantine and Maxentius struggle to hold their portions of the Roman Empire amid political intrigue, religious tensions and external attacks. As their childhood friendship breaks under ambition and misunderstanding, competition for the imperial throne threatens to become open war.

Emperor Diocletian's plan to divide Roman power among four rulers brings two young men together at the imperial court. Constantine and Maxentius grow toward political prominence as upheaval, ambition and personal loss test their friendship and shape their futures.

With the African rebels defeated, Caesar turns toward Spain and the armies of Labienus and Pompey's sons. Fronto must answer the call to another campaign while troubling events closer to home demand an investigation of their own.

Returning from battle, Arnau and his fellow Templars learn that Rourell has a new preceptor. Suspecting trouble within their own order, they confront enemies old and new in a struggle reaching from palace libraries to besieged strongholds.

In AD 312, Constantine advances into Italy against Maxentius, but exhaustion and religious divisions threaten his army. With Rome's population restless and neither ruler able to sustain a long conflict, their rivalry approaches a decisive confrontation.

Halfdan’s Wolves serve Byzantine interests in Italy in 1043, facing Norman opponents and secret imperial orders. A missing ship, Gunnhild’s lost prophetic powers and Ketil’s resentment complicate their mission, forcing the mercenaries to question where their loyalties belong.

Halfdan and the Sea Wolf crew join Harald Hardrada's warriors in Constantinople, entering the Byzantine emperor's Varangian Guard. As an ailing ruler's court divides into rival factions, their seer Gunnhild begins a separate life amid the city's gathering intrigue.

Former surgeon Titus Cervianus serves as a combat medic with Rome's unconventional Twenty Second Legion in Egypt. Sent to confront uprisings, he must find allies among hostile soldiers while surviving desert marches, hidden assassins and an unfamiliar enemy.

In Egypt in 25 BC, combat medic Titus Cervianus marches with the Twenty Second Legion against the warrior queen of Kush. Egyptian and Kushite resistance challenges the soldiers as they prepare for an enemy determined to expel Rome.

In AD 381, the brother of a slain Gothic king seeks revenge against eight Roman legionaries responsible for the killing five years earlier. Flavius Focalis must warn his former comrades while the prospect of another war approaches.

As war in Gaul ends and the rebels fall, the struggle shifts to Rome. Veteran Marcus Falerius Fronto faces the unfamiliar obligations of life as a senator while Caesar's allies navigate the demands and tensions of the capital.

In 1044, the Wolves escort Beatrix de Hautville to her wedding in Normandy, where Duke William’s fragile authority fuels political rivalries. A marriage intended to settle a feud instead draws Halfdan’s company into the dangers surrounding competing families.

Escaping France, the Wolves arrive in Jorvik in 1044 and encounter Earl Sigurd’s suspicion. His demand that they remove the rebel warlord Arkil sends Halfdan and his companions into the dales, where another dangerous struggle awaits them.

In AD 61, Nero sends Roman soldiers to trace the Nile to its source and extend his power. Beyond Egypt's borders, hostile kingdoms, desert, and dangerous wildlife threaten an expedition whose failure could bring an equally deadly imperial punishment.

During Trajan’s invasion of Dacia in AD 101, cavalryman Tiberius Claudius Maximus confronts both the enemy and his own troubled past. The advance toward Tapae places him against Decebalus’ resistance as the campaign tests his courage and loyalties.

Praetorian tribune Rufinus remains in Rome while Severus campaigns in the east. A letter sends him toward the empire’s northern fringes, drawing him into a secretive and dangerous world beyond the duties of guarding the imperial capital.

Halfdan returns home seeking Hjalmvigi, the man who killed his father, and encounters his stolen ship, Sea Wolf. Harald Hardrada’s ambition to gain the Norwegian throne complicates the hunt, drawing the Wolves into a struggle for royal power.

In 69 BC, Fronto leaves his family troubles behind to accompany Caesar to Spain. Serving with the Ninth Legion, he encounters unresolved conflicts from the civil war and the lingering influence of Sertorius among soldiers and local communities.

Rufinus returns from Germania grieving his brother and finds his household shattered by crime and flight. With the emperor absent, he relies on trusted companions to investigate dangers reaching beyond Rome while searching for his missing wife.

Mutiny and a vicious new commander threaten the Ninth Legion in Spain. Fronto seeks refuge among soldiers, local people, and veterans, but a mountain rebel chief draws him toward another confrontation in the troubled province.

In 1428, Constantine faces the dangers surrounding a Byzantine prince as his empire loses territory and power. His bodyguard Gabriel must protect him from political enemies while Ottoman pressure threatens the future of the remaining Roman state.