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The Nero Trilogy

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

TAKE THEM ON A TRIP TO VISIT ANCIENT ROME THIS CHRISTMAS AND JOIN NERO IN A BATTE FOR SURVIVAL 
 
'Deft and robust storytelling, that whips through the history with plenty of blood, guts and plot-twists' The Times 
'Epic and in a class of his own' Daily Mirror 
---- 
 
ANCIENT ROME, AD 37 
It begins with a man’s hand curled around another’s throat. 
 
Emperor Tiberius first dispatches a traitor. 
 
Then his whole family. 
 
Next all his friends. It is as if he never existed. 
 
THIS IS ROMAN JUSTICE. 
 
Into this fevered forum, a child is born. 
 
His mother is Agrippina, granddaughter of Emperor Augustus. But their imperial blood is no protection. The closer you are to the heart of the empire, the closer you are to power, intrigue, and danger. 
 
She faces soldiers, senators, rivals, silver-tongued pretenders, each vying for position. One mistake risks exile, incarceration, execution. Or, worst of all, the loss of her infant son. 
 
For Agrippina knows that opportunity waits, even in your darkest moments. Her son is everything. She can make this boy, shape him into Rome itself – the one all must kneel before. 
 
BUT FIRST, THEY MUST SURVIVE . . . 
 
This then is the story of Nero's birth and raising under the watchful and scheming eye of his mother Agrippina – a woman every man crossed at his peril. 
 
---- 
 
PRAISE FOR CONN IGGULDEN 
'Breakthtakingly good’ Bernard Cornwell 
 
‘Magnificent’ 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 
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 
 
 
Conn Iggulden, Sunday Times bestseller, June 2023

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

It’s another stonking read from one of the world’s leading authors of historical fiction, Iggulden’s flair for bringing the past to life and passion for historical sparkling like a polished legionary's gladius . . . Conn Igguden remains a hero to history . . . [A] Blockbuster historical novel

With merciless power and back-stabbing violence, this is an enticing trilogy

Iggulden, a master of the historical novel, again turns his attention to ancient Rome [. . .] He is uncommonly adept at summoning appearance and personality, at building exhilarating action scenes [. . .] Lydia Leonard narrates the novel [. . .] her strong voice carries the ring of the notorious woman's forceful will but softens into tenderness when she addresses her horrid little son, Lucius. Leonard modulates her tones to capture the many other characters, including the subtly stammering Claudius, and does it so deftly that there is no confusion about who is speaking when

Washington Post, audiobooks to get you through the summer heat

Ancient Rome, AD 37 
 
True Roman justice begins and ends with one man's hand around another's throat . . . 
 
The fate of a dynasty hangs in the balance. 
 
Into this fevered forum, Agrippina, granddaughter of Emperor Augustus, gives birth to a son: Nero. Imperial blood courses through their veins but will offer no protection. If they are to survive amongst tyrants, they must learn to walk a razor's edge. 
 
Agrippina knows all too well that darkness and power plays of Machiavellian proportions lie at the empire's shadowy heart. She faces soldiers, senators, rivals, silver-tongued pretenders, each vying for position. One mistake risks exile, incarceration, execution. Or, worst of all, the loss of her infant son. 
 
But even in her darkest moments, Agrippina sees the glint of opportunity. Her son is everything. She is a kingmaker. She will shape this boy into Rome itself - the one all must kneel before. 
 
But first, mother and son must survive . . .

Nero

Travel to the heart of a Roman dynasty beset by power struggles and betrayal in this latest chapter of the tale of Nero 
 
AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW 
__________ 
 
THE NEXT INSTALLMENT IN THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES CHRONICLING THE LIFE OF EMPEROR NERO 
__________ 
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

CONN IGGULDEN is one of the most successful authors of historical fiction writing today, with bestselling series on Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan and the Wars of the Roses, as well as two stand-alone novels: Dunstan, set in the red-blooded world of tenth-century England, and The Falcon of Sparta, in which Iggulden returns to the Ancient World. Both instalments of his Athenian series, ­The Gates of Athens and Protector, and his recent Golden Age series, Lion and Empire, are Sunday Times bestsellers.

The Nero Trilogy

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