New author: Robert M Kidd, author of The Histories of Sphax series

We've added Robert M Kidd to our list of authors writing in the Ancient Rome genre. Robert has just published his third novel in his The Histories of Sphax series, called The Hostage of Rome. The series follows Sphax who rises within Hannibal's army in the 3rd century BC.

Robert's fiction is available in paperback and kindle format. If you want to read more about Robert and his work, his website is robertmkidd.com and he posts on twitter as @robertmkidd1.

1. The Walls of Rome (The Histories of Sphax: book 1 of 3)

218 BC. Sphax is seventeen and haunted by the brutal murder of his parents at the hands of Rome. After ten years of miserable slavery he will make his last bid for freedom and go in search of Hannibal’s army and his birthright. He will have his revenge on the stinking cesspit that is Rome!Destiny will see him taken under the wing of Maharbal, Hannibal’s brilliant general, and groomed to lead the finest horsemen in the world – the feared Numidian cavalry that would become the scourge of Rome. From the crossing of the great Rhodanus River, Sphax’s epic journey takes him through the lands of the Gaul to the highest pass in the Alps.

This is the story of the most famous march in history. A march against impossible odds, against savage mountain Gauls, a brutal winter and Sphax’s own demons. This is more than a struggle for empire. This is the last great war to save the beauty of the old world, the civilized world of Carthage, Greece and Gaul. The world of art and philosophy – before it is ground into dust by the upstart barbarity of Rome.

Paperback: Latest edition: 2020 Publisher: Independently published ISBN: 978-1838272029 Pages: 419 Availability & latest prices:

Kindle: Latest edition: 2020 Publisher: Independently published Availability & latest prices:

2. The Winter of Winters (The Histories of Sphax: book 2 of 3)

218 BC. Hannibal’s exhausted army staggers down from the last Alpine pass like a rabble of half-starved savages, the remnants of a once magnificent army that had set out from the Rhodanus with such hope. Now there is no way back. With the legions of Consul Publius Scipio closing fast, Carthage needs its Gaulish allies like never before. But where are the Insubres? Where are the Boii? Where are the thousands of warriors pledged by solemn oath?In the maelstrom of battle, Sphax, nephew of Hannibal, forges a reputation as the scourge of Rome. But will his ingrained recklessness and quest for honour set him at odds with the forbidding genius of his uncle? Only one thing is certain in this winter of winters, a great battle is coming that will decide the fates of Rome and Carthage.

Paperback: Latest edition: 2021 Publisher: Independently published ISBN: 978-1838272050 Pages: 354 Availability & latest prices:

Kindle: Latest edition: 2021 Publisher: Independently published Availability & latest prices:

3. The Hostage of Rome (The Histories of Sphax: book 3 of 3)

217 BC. Rome has been savaged, beaten and is in retreat. Yet, in that winter of winters, her garrisons cling on behind the walls of Placentia and Cremona, thanks to her sea-born supplies. If he could be freed, a hostage of Rome may yet hold the key to launching a fleet of pirates that could sweep Rome from the seas. For that hostage is none other than Corinna’s son Cleon, rival heir to the throne of Illyria, held in Brundisium, four hundred miles south of the Rubicon.

But Hannibal is set on a greater prize! Macedon is the great power in Greece, feared even by Rome. Its young king, Philip, is being compared with his illustrious ancestor, Alexander the Great. An alliance with Macedon would surely sound the death knell for Rome. Given Hannibal’s blessing, Sphax, Idwal and Corinna face an epic journey against impossible odds. Navigating the length of the Padus, past legionary garrisons and hostile Gauls, they must then risk the perils of the storm-torn Adria in the depths of the winter. If the gods favour them and they reach the lands of the pirate queen, only then will their real trials begin.

Paperback: Latest edition: 2022 Publisher: Independently published ISBN: 978-1838272081 Pages: 376 Availability & latest prices:

Kindle: Latest edition: 2022 Publisher: Independently published Availability & latest prices:

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