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A MARRIAGE BLESSED IN BLOOD . . .

On the wedding day of Emperor Claudius to Agrippina, a senator lies dying in his own home. Yesterday, this senator was betrothed to Octavia, Claudius’s daughter.

Now blood gushes from his slit wrists.

Agrippina’s elevation to empress changes so many things. Claudius is convinced to adopt her thirteen-year-old son Nero, naming him his new heir.

And those angered by his wife’s presumption? They face dashed hopes, endure terrible accusations, or suffer a merciless death.

Yet Nero – still a boy – is vulnerable. Tutored by Seneca, he vies with his brother and fellow heir Britannicus for their father’s favour. He learns to fight. He learns to love. So what if his mother wants him to marry his sister-cousin Octavia? Rome has been scandalised before.

But those who have survived Agrippina, and the families of those who didn’t, have long memories and short knives. They seek chances to get close – to taste the blood of this ruthless plotter and her son.

Rome has always been dangerous.

To rise there, as Nero is to discover, others must fall – even emperors . . .

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PRAISE FOR CONN IGGULDEN

'Breathtakingly good’ Bernard Cornwell

‘Deft and robust storytelling, that whips through the history with plenty of blood, guts and plot-twists’ The Times

'Pacy and propulsive, cracking with energy, violence and stirring speeches, Iggulden chronicles power struggles, political machinations and the bloodthirsty ravages of up-close combat' Daily Mail

‘A master of the historical novel’ Washington Post

Readers love Nero

'Iggulden draws you into Rome, its brutality and its glory, and brings it back to life with such seamless ease' ***** Reader Review

'Absolute quality from first to last page, atmospheric with a real feel for time and place' ***** Reader Review

'It was fascinating to see the seeds being planted that will lead to the Nero becoming the tyrant we know through the ancient historians, but told in such a contemporary and accessible way' ***** Reader Review

'An absolutely immersive experience throughout that throws you into the politics of Ancient Rome' ***** Reader Review

‘Another gripping page turner from the peerless master of historical fiction’ ***** Reader Review

Conn Iggulden, Sunday Times bestseller, June 2024