Publisher: Corvus

Australian Publication Date – 1 February 2018

World Publication Date – 24 January 2018

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Explore the dark side of Roman history in the new novel from veteran historical fiction author Robert Fabbri.

In Rome, 63 AD, Nero reigns as Emperor.  Meanwhile, Vespasian has been given the lucrative appointment of Governor of Africa, exploiting the rewards of his previous adventures.  Before Vespasian can settle into the role of governor, he must first travel to the remote desert kingdom of Garama to negotiate the release of hundreds of Roman citizens held as slaves.  He and his companions, Magnus and Hormus, arrive on the eve of a slave revolt that threatens the entire kingdom.  Forced to flee across the desert with hundreds of freed slaves and few provisions, the Romans must avoid the chaos of Garama while also dealing with traitors in their midst and harsh desert conditions.

However, even revolting slaves and desperate conditions hold little danger compared to the problems brewing within Rome.  Nero’s reign has reached new peaks of insanity and chaos.  Like his predecessors, Nero is depraved and deranged, humiliating the citizens of Rome while destroying all who displease him. When he returns to Rome, Vespasian soon discovers that all the previous Emperors he had survived were nowhere near as dangerous as Nero.  Vespasian determines that it is time for the reign of Nero and the unstable Julio-Claudian bloodline to end.

However, Vespasian has made many enemies over the years, and all are plotting to use the unstable Emperor as a deadly weapon to destroy him and his family.  Vespasian must use all his skill and daring to survive while also trying to turn the chaos to his own advantage.  With conspiracies and danger all around, few will survive, especially with the Great Fire of Rome about to engulf the city.

Fabbri is a prominent and prolific author of Roman historical fiction whose distinctive books have one of the most entertaining examinations of Roman history.  Rome’s Sacred Flame is the eighth book in Fabbri’s Vespasian series, not including Arminius: The Limits of Empire, a recent standalone novel which runs parallel to the events of earlier books in the series.

This is an engaging series exploring the exploits of the future Emperor of Rome, Vespasian, during the earlier days of his life as he rose to power.  Fabbri makes use of what little is known about Vespasian’s early political career by including all the moments of his life recorded in the surviving Roman histories.  Fabbri also works the character of Vespasian into a number of key historical events that happened during his lifetime, such as famous deaths, ascensions, wars and other more infamous incidents.  All of the books in the Vespasian series describe a wide range of memorable episodes in Roman history, even though it is unlikely, but not impossible, that Vespasian, who was a prominent senator during these times, would have been involved.

Rome’s Sacred Flame continues this trend by inserting Vespasian right into the middle of some of the more interesting events of the Emperor Nero’s reign.  Through Vespasian’s eyes we see some of Nero’s infamous parties, one of the more significant plots against the Emperor’s life, the brewing persecution of the Christians, and, most importantly, the Great Fire of Rome, during which, some sources indicate, the Emperor played the lyre as the city burned.  Many fans of history will love the detail that Fabbri goes into when he examines all the events surrounding the fire: the politics of the time, the initial outbreak of the fire, the attempts to fight it, Nero’s supposed response, the fire’s conclusion and the eventual rebuilding of the city.

Readers will also be intrigued by Fabbri’s inclusion and interpretation of the Garmantes and their capital city of Garama.  The Garamantes were the people of a small kingdom that historians and archaeologists believe existed in south-western Libya around the same time as the Roman Empire was at its peak.  Many historical fiction writers have neglected the Garamantes in their works, instead favouring the more impressive enemies of Rome, so Fabbri’s use of the limited historical and archaeological facts available to create a unique society and civilization for his story is particularly interesting.

Like the other books in Fabbri’s Vespasian series, Rome’s Sacred Flame contains a large number of scenes that focus on the supposed depravity of Rome, especially during the reigns of last Julio-Claudian emperors.  This results in a compelling and engaging narrative, especially as Fabbri takes pains to describe these scenes in great detail, building a terrific story on what little historical evidence is available.  It is also offers something different to many of the other current Roman historical fiction series, which recently have tended to shy away from exploring these events to the same degree.

Once again, Fabbri has produced a highly exciting and thoroughly entertaining addition to his best-selling series.  Fans of Roman historical fiction will love the unique viewpoints and historical conclusions Fabbri explores in Rome’s Sacred Flame, as well as the exploration of Rome’s supposed dark side.

My Rating:

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