Agent of Rome Books In Order

Publication Order of Agent of Rome Books

Publication Order of Agent of Rome Short Stories/Novellas

Agent of Rome series by Nick Brown

Author Nick Brown pens the “Agent of Rome” series of historical novels. The series began publication in the year 2011, when “The Siege” was released.

The series stars an intelligence officer named Cassius Corbulo that has just finished his officer training when he first appears. He is aided by Simo, his faithful servant and Indavara, a former gladiator bodyguard on different missions he goes off on.

The first book in the series is set in the year 270 AD and moves forward in time, although not much time elapses through the first four books.

Nick wanted Cassius to be rather atypical for a protagonist. He found out, during his research, about the Roman ‘secret service’, he just knew that he had happened upon an ideal vocation for this rather reluctant hero.

“The Siege” is the first novel in the “Agent of Rome” series, which was released in the year 2011. The year is 270 A.D. Rome has ruled over Syria for more than three centuries. Now the weakened empire faces a rather desperate threat: Queen Zenobia of Palmyra turns her Roman-trained army against each of her old masters and the formerly invincible legions have been destroyed. Egypt, Arabia, and Palestine have all fallen and now Syria’s capital, Antioch, is exposed.

Cassius Corbulo has been assigned a menial task of rounding up some wounded legionnaires but some new and urgent orders show up that supersede these first. He is the sole ranking Roman officer in line for the Palmyran advance. He has to take command of the fort of Alauran, which is the last stronghold that the Roman hands, and hold it against the enemy until reinforcements are able to help out.

Cassius sees things at Alauran that would daunt a seasoned veteran, let alone some nineteen year old kid that has no experience of war. Just a scattering of demoralized and divided legionnaires are left and are backed up by some fractious Syrian auxiliaries as well as the drunken Praetorian Guardsmen. The Palmyrans will arrive in only days, Cassius has to find a way to locate the courage, discipline, and resourcefulness in order to save Alauran, organize the garrison, and secure Rome’s eastern frontier.

Cassius grows over the course, starting out a scared witless and unsure about his career choices and maturing the more experience he gets. The author gets right into the story and the action without bothering to set the scene. The climactic and siege battles were very exciting, and the pacing of the entire novel is pretty remarkable.

“The Imperial Banner” is the second novel in the “Agent of Rome” series, which was released in the year 2012. The year is 272 A.D. The Roman Emperor Aurelian has beaten the Queen Zenobia and thwarted the Palmyran revolt, but now there are some dark forces threatening a rather fragile peace.

Fraidun’s Banner, which is the Persian Empire’s hallowed battle standard, has been taken into Roman possession and will be returned back to the Persians as a part of a vital peace treaty. The banner is stolen, however, on the eve of the treaty’s signing.

Cassius Corbulo, an imperial agent, gets recalled to Syria, and is charged with getting the flag back. Simo, his faithful servant and Indavara, a former gladiator bodyguard accompany him on the journey that will take them across the extremely dangerous Syrian desert to Antioch’s just as perilous streets. Both Corbulo and his companions have to face some mysterious cults, merciless assassins, intrigue all over the place, and ruthless brigands. The hunt has begun!

Fans enjoyed reading about the characters of Cassius, Simo, and Indavara as well as the interplay they had with each other throughout. Readers thoroughly enjoyed the novel and cannot wait to check out other books that star this character.

“The Far Shore” is the third novel in the “Agent of Rome” series, which was released in the year 2013. Treason is waiting at the most distant parts of the Empire. The deputy commander of Rome’s Imperial Security Service is killed on the island of Rhodes, Cassius quickly finds himself caught up in the investigation. Aided once again by Simo and Indavara, his hunt to find the truth becomes complicated by the involvement of Annia, a headstrong woman and the dead guy’s daughter.

Braving some hostile seas, Cassius and the rest of his allies follow the trail of the assassin south, while on a ship that is captained by a rogue Carthaginian smuggler. It is manned by his dangerous and disparate crew. The journey they go on leads them out the farthest reaches of the empire; off to a ruined city where the Roman civilization’s rules no longer apply, and a lethal battle of wits with a relentless and brutal foe.

The whodunit at the core of this novel is very engaging, and helped draw readers into this story. Developing further are the characters and the relationship that they with one another. Nick Brown does an excellent job of captivating the reader with suspenseful moments and action sequences yet keeps things easy to follow and to the point.

“The Black Stone” is the fourth novel in the “Agent of Rome” series, which was released in the year 2014. The year is 273 A.D. The emperor Aurelian, obsessed by the solar regions to the east, makes it his mission to obtain all the sacred objects in his realm. One, a mysterious rock that is said to channel the sun god’s power, is beyond his reach.

Ilaha, a warrior-priest, has gotten the legendary stone and uses it in order to raise an army against Rome. For Cassius and Indavara, stopping this threat is their greatest challenge to date.

Aided by a Saracen chieftain and a squad of undercover soldiers, and they move south through the deserts of Arabia. Along the way, the find sandstorms, a ruthless German mercenary, and murderous moneylenders. They are finally able to reach Ilaha’s mountain fortress, and they face off against thousands of warriors that are going to give their lives to protect him. As well as the black stone.

Some enjoyed the opinions that Cassius had on Christianity and felt they were appropriate for a Roman of the period and of his character.