Ben Kane

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A gripping three-part series based on real historical events. Three Roman legions massacred. Three Imperial Eagles lost. One man vies for revenge.

Eagles in the Storm

Hunting the Eagles

Eagles at War

The Shrine (A gripping short story in the bestselling Eagles of Rome series)

Hannibal: Clouds of War

Hannibal: Fields of Blood

He marches to freedom - or to bloody war. The epic story of Spartacus, the gladiator slave who took on the might of Rome.

(Spartacus 2)

Spartacus: Rebellion

(Short Story)

Hannibal: The Patrol

(Spartacus 1)

Spartacus: The Gladiator

Hannibal: Enemy of Rome

The Sea-Hawk

(The Forgotten Legion Chronicles No. 3)

The Road to Rome

A brilliant, fast-paced Roman epic that follows the story of three men and one woman bound in servitude to the Republic but bent on survival at all costs

(The Forgotten Legion Chronicles No. 1)

The Forgotten Legion

(The Forgotten Legion Chronicles No. 2)

The Silver Eagle

The Arena (A gripping short story in the bestselling Eagles of Rome series)

It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide

An exclusive digital short from Ben Kane, ‘the rising star of historical fiction’ (Wilbur Smith). 
 
A day out with comrades, brutal gladiator fights, a bet with disastrous consequences. A Roman soldier’s much anticipated payday plays out in very different ways to those he expected. 
 
The German frontier, AD 12. Legionary Marcus Piso is set to enjoy a four monthly payday with his comrades. Wine, food and gladiatorial entertainment are on offer, and his purse is full. 
 
But thanks to a dishonest bet maker, events take on a very dangerous life of their own... 
 
 
The Arena is a prequel to Ben Kane's upcoming novel, Hunting the Eagles, the second in the new gripping three-part series, Eagles of Rome. It also includes a sample chapter from the new book.

An exclusive digital short from Ben Kane, ‘the rising star of historical fiction’ (Wilbur Smith). The prequel to Hunting the Eagles, the second in the new gripping three-part series, Eagles of Rome, based on real historical events.

Last year I wrote ‘The Shrine’, a short story and prequel to Eagles at War, the first book in the Eagles of Rome trilogy. A fun thing to do, it seemed to go down well with my readers, so I decided to repeat the process and write another story. This one is set between the end of Eagles at War and the start of its sequel, Hunting the Eagles, which comes out in March 2016. 
 
I decided to make the central character of this story someone other than Tullus, the main star of the Eagles books. Piso, one of Tullus’ men, is a somewhat hapless soul. As with Degmar, the enigmatic German warrior, I’ve grown to like Piso as the series has continued, and I feel that his adventure at the arena outside the fort at Vetera might have happened to a real legionary. The remains of the arena are still visible near the town of Xanten, and are in use today as an outdoor theatre. It’s very atmospheric to walk to the ruins in the dark, through the fields, as I did in August 2014 with Anthony Riches, a fellow Roman author and friend. 
 
‘The Arena’ came about partly because of that late-night stroll. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

The Arena (A gripping short story in the bestselling Eagles of Rome series)

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Ben Kane

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