Anthony Riches books in order

Ten acclaimed authors. Ten gripping stories.

Immerse yourself in Ancient Rome through a collection of thrilling narratives, featuring soldiers, statesmen and spies.

Read about some of your favorite characters from established series, or be introduced to new writers in the genre.

The stories in Rubicon are, like Rome, diverse and intriguing - involving savage battles, espionage, political intrigue and the lives of ordinary - and extraordinary - Romans, such as Ovid, Marcus Agrippa and a young Julius Caesar.

This brand new collection, brought to you by the Historical Writers' Association, also includes interviews with each author.

Find out more about their writing processes and what attracts them to the Roman world.

View Ancient Rome through fresh eyes.

Rubicon is a feast of moreish tales and a must read for all fans of historical fiction.

Marcus Valerius Aquila finds himself in a desperate fight for survival as soon as he arrives in Britannia, damned to a disgraceful death by the power-hungry Emperor Commodus.

In his quest for survival, Marcus takes up a new name and serves in an obscure regiment on Hadrian's Wall; keeping a low profile with the hope that justice will become his one day.

When a rebel army however attacks from the wastes north of the Wall, Marcus knows that it is his time to demonstrate that he has what it takes to command a century in the face of a vicious war.

Matters have gotten deadlier for Marcus Valerius Aquila, now Centurion Corvus of the 1st Tungrian cohort.

Although support is sent to Britannia, Marcus is surrounded by new officers who are not obliged to shield him from people loyal to the emperor.

One reckless utterance could result in death, just as easily as an enemy’s spear.

But as he trains two centuries of Syrian archers in preparation for a barbarian attack and gives their foes the fight of their lives, his secret is uncovered by the new prefect of the 2nd Tungrians.

What will now protect Marcus and his loyalists from a disgraceful demise?

Although the Romans quash the rebel coalition, leading to the capture of Calgus, Lord of the Northern Tribes, the new Roman leader devices a bold scheme to take over Dinpaladyr, the Selgovaes' fortress of spears, and place it under the control of a reliable ally.

Marcus Aquila, desperate for vengeance after an enemy army killed one of his closest friends, is a member of the infantry chosen to head north with the Petriana cavalry in an effort to beat the rebel army at taking over the fort.

Although he is still masquerading as Centurion Corvus of the 2nd Tungrians, two of the emperor's assassins know his secret.

And they are in Rome to execute him.

Now that the Roman assassins who were sent to capture Marcus have been defeated, the Centurion Corvus of the 2nd Tungrians must flee the province, which has been their temporary home, in order to protect his friends.

But upon leading his men to Germania Inferior, the real home of the Tungrians, Marcus is shocked to find a totally different place.

Tungrorum, once a thriving region, is now being threatened by vicious robbery incidents.

A mysterious bandit simply known as Obduro has ruthlessly terrorized the area.

Possessing a sword more powerful than any sword in the Roman army, threatening to unleash mayhem in the empire’s northern frontier, will Marcus manage to stop him?

Soon after their triumph in Germania, Marcus Aquila and the Tungrians are assigned on a mission to Dacia, the north-eastern region of the empire, with the sole purpose of protecting a huge source of imperial power.

With gold retrieved from the mines of Alburnus Major, the road to Rome could be one step closer.

It could be a great reward for the Sarmatae tribesmen, who have stricken horror in the region.

Troubled by both the Sarmatian horde and more indistinct threats emanating from people who should be their allies, the Tungrians are also threatened by an unforeseen foe.

Upon returning to Hadrian's Wall following their triumphant Dacian campaign, the Tungrians find Britannia in turmoil.

With the legions overworked as they struggle to protect the forts of the northern frontier against the barbarians, the Tungrians are the only ones who can be sent north past the deserted wall brought up by Antoninus, where a lost symbol of imperial power of the Sixth Victorious Legion awaits them.

Will Marcus and his men go behind enemy lines and reclaim the revered eagle of the Sixth legion?

Recovering the legion's sacred standard is just the first part. The real challenge lies in making an escape while being pursued by the barbarians.

Returning to his home in Rome, Marcus Valerius Aquila is on a determined quest to find the men who robbed him of his family.
Vengeance may however come at a huge cost, not just to him, but those closest to him.

Given his desperation to unleash his very own form of justice to the evil men who ruthlessly murdered his loved ones, Marcus must confront them on their own turf; endangering his own life in the process.

Waiting for him is a senator, a gang boss, a praetorian officer and, the most vicious of them all, decorated gladiator Mortiferum—the Death Bringer.

Blood will be shed…

When the safety of Marcus Aquila and the Tungrians is compromised in Rome, they are instructed to head east, to the deserted lands where the Romans and the Parthians have fought for control for hundreds of years.

However, with a monumental task on their hands, they seem destined for defeat, unless they swiftly convert the disgruntled Third Legion into a ruthless force efficient enough to withstand the frightening Parthian army.

On top of that, Marcus must head to the heart of the enemy in Ctesiphon and convince the King of Kings to end the war, lest it destroy his friends and annihilate the empire.

Upon returning to Rome, the Tungrians are sent on a precarious mission to barbarian Germany where they are to apprehend a tribal priestess who could very well be the deadliest person located on the northern border of the empire.

There is however nothing easy about their assignment, as an old foe is set on jeopardizing their plans.

Although their Roman enemy is counteracted, a greater challenge emerges.

Now possessing two of the greatest riches of the Bructeri tribe, they must make their way to Roman region—a challenging task.

A brutal sacrificial death must be offered following the capturing of Bructeri's vindictive chieftain and his warband.

Marcus Aquila, who is still after vengeance, plunges into the centre of the mayhem that has heavily disrupted the Roman Empire.

Having survived the treachery in the German woods, Marcus and the Tungrians are sent to Gaul, where a fugitive named Maturnus is causing devastation.

An uprising is quietly gaining momentum, with deserters and freedmen joining his cause.

Although Marcus is relieved to have safely made it out of Rome, trouble is never too far behind, as the young centurion soon finds himself in even bigger danger in Gaul.

The Praetorians, who he detests, lead the expedition.

Will they uncover his secret?

Following their exploits in Rome where they rescued the emperor, Marcus Aquila and his friends are sent on a mission to Aegyptus, Alexandria, which is run by the Greek.

A mysterious foe has murdered the forces of the Empire's final outpost before its border with the kingdom of Kush.

As such, wealth from the East can no longer make their way to Rome due to the inability of caravans to reach the pivotal port of Berenike on the Red Sea.

The Emperor's most trusted and most dishonorable adviser has instructed Marcus's commander Scaurus and his loyal officers to head south.

Will they triumph on this deadly mission?

After saving the emperor's life in Rome, Marcus and his comrades have been sent across the sea to the wealthy, corrupt Greek metropolis of Aegyptus, Alexandria.

An unknown enemy has slaughtered the garrison of the Empire's last outpost before its border with the mysterious kingdom of Kush. Caravans can no longer reach the crucial Red Sea port of Berenike, from which the riches of the East flow towards Rome.

The Emperor's most trusted and most devious adviser has ordered Marcus's commander Scaurus and his trusted officers to the south. With orders that are tantamount to a suicide mission, and with only one slim hope of success.

Can a small force of highly trained legionaries restore the Empire's power in this remote desert no-man's-land, when faced by the fanatical army of Kush's iron-fisted ruler?

Marcus Aquila and his allies spearhead a daring attack into enemy territory, as three generals claim to be the true Roman Emperor.

A new civil war has begun: with the emperor Pertinax's murder Marcus and his protector Scaurus have escaped Rome, seeking sanctuary for their familia in the East.

But they are soon pressed back into service by Septimus Severus, the ruthless commander who has seized the imperial capital and who holds the military balance of power over his two rivals.

Niger, the would-be emperor in the East, is on the march with six legions, and Scaurus's legion is ordered to Thrace as a sacrificial advance guard, tasked with delaying them. Whatever the cost . . .

They killed his sister. Now he'll kill them all.

Mickey Bale is an elite close protection officer. That's why the Met police has given him the toughest job of all: guarding the Minister of Defense at a moment when Chinese-British relations have hit a deadly boiling point.

And when Mickey's life isn't on the line for his work, he's taking his chances waging war on a powerful London gang family. Their dealer supplied a lethal ecstasy pill to his sister, and Mickey is determined to take them down, one at a time.

But will he get away with it – or will his colleagues in the force realize that the man on an underworld killing spree is one of their own?

Former close protection officer Mickey Bale has a dangerous skillset. One that many men, good and bad, want to make use of. That's why a powerful oligarch wants to hire Mickey to protect him. And with his wife gone and his track record with the Met in tatters, Mickey doesn't have a choice.

But when a terrorist attack kills a police firearms team, MI5 suspect that Mickey's new client and the Russian GRU are involved. The bomb was a military-grade Sunburn missile warhead. And there are more warheads out there.

Blackmailed by MI5 into spying on the client he was hired to protect, Mickey is pushed to his limits by his new double-agent status. If he doesn't locate the other warheads, thousands of civilians will die – and time is running out...

The year is AD 69.

A vicious war has erupted in the Rhine frontier.

Four centurions who at one time served in the same army are now on opposite ends of a battlefield.

Kivilaz, the head of the insurgents, and his Batavi rebels have defeated the Romans in what is an embarrassing outcome.

As such, the legions have no other option but to protect their northern stronghold, the Old Camp, from ruthless German tribes until the end of the civil war raging to the south.

Outnumbered, will they successfully defend the fortress against a barbarian horde brainwashed by the vision of a charming priestess?

A vicious war took place on the Rhine frontier.

The Batavi rebels, once loyal soldiers of Rome, have returned home upon the orders of their leader Kivilaz.

Humiliated by the cohorts in battle, the Romans head back to the Old Camp, their northern stronghold, to regroup.

Though outnumbered, the 5th and 15th Legions prepare for an onslaught on the fortress; one to be unleashed by both the Batavi and a horde of barbarians.

Four centurions, who at one time served in the same army, will find themselves on opposite ends of the battle field.

Should they be victorious, the Batavi will free themselves from Roman governance.

Will Rome suffer its greatest defeat yet?

Victory is on the horizon for Kivilaz and his Batavi insurgents.

Outnumbered, the Roman army precariously protects the remaining fortresses along the Rhine.

At one point loyal soldiers of the empire, the Batavi rebels won’t rest until they are free from the Romans, who have ruled them since the days of Caesar.

Four centurions, two Batavi and two Romans, who at one time served in the same army, must choose their fates.

Rome won’t give up control of the region without a fight.

The new emperor will crush anyone threatening his dominance.

How long before Vespasian commands his legions north to unleash vengeance on behalf of the empire?