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Author

Ben Kane

1970

18 fiction

Ben Kane writes Roman military fiction with a focus on soldiers, campaigns, frontier danger and the hard mechanics of ancient warfare.

Ben Kane was born in Kenya in 1970 to Irish parents while his father was working there as a veterinarian. The family returned to Ireland when Kane was seven, and he later studied veterinary medicine at University College Dublin. After qualifying, he worked as a veterinarian in Britain, but travel became equally important to his development. Extended journeys through Asia and other parts of the world brought him into direct contact with ancient sites, including the remains of Merv in Turkmenistan, and strengthened an existing interest in Roman and classical history.

Kane continued veterinary work while beginning to write historical fiction, drawing inspiration from the adventure stories and historical novels he had read since childhood. His first published novel, The Forgotten Legion, appeared in 2008 and began a trilogy set during the final decades of the Roman Republic. He subsequently wrote the Spartacus, Hannibal and Eagles of Rome series, combining large military events with the experiences of soldiers, slaves and civilians. Kane’s research includes visiting landscapes, studying equipment and taking part in long-distance historical and charitable walks. His fiction is best suited to readers interested in Roman campaigning, legionary life, Carthage, rebellion and the physical demands of warfare in the ancient Mediterranean.

Periods and events

Ancient Rome753 BCE–476 CE Angevin Empire1154–1214 CE Assassination of Julius Caesar44 BCE Caesar’s Civil War49–45 BCE Gallic Wars58–50 BCE Late Roman Empire284–476 CE Roman Republic509–27 BCE Second Punic War218–201 BCE Third Crusade1189–1192 CE

Historical fiction

Historical fiction series by Ben Kane (5 series)

Eagles of Rome in Order

by Ben Kane 4 books 4.5(10,397)

Lucius Cominius Tullus begins as a newly promoted centurion on Rome’s German frontier, where a wager on a foot race draws him into a deadly dispute. Years later, he marches east with Governor Varus and three legions, unaware that Arminius has united German tribes and prepared an ambush…

Lionheart Series in Order

by Ben Kane 3 books 4.5(7,047)

Ferdia, a young Irish noble held hostage after the English invasion of Ireland, saves the life of Henry II’s son Richard and enters his service. He accompanies Richard through rebellion against his father, warfare in Aquitaine and the struggle for the English crown. When Richard becomes king, Ferdia…

The Forgotten Legion Chronicles in Order

by Ben Kane 3 books 4.4(6,878)

The enslaved twins Romulus and Fabiola are separated when Romulus is sold to a gladiator school and Fabiola to a brothel. Romulus comes under the protection of the Gallic gladiator Brennus and meets Tarquinius, an Etruscan warrior and seer. The three men are forced into Crassus’s army and…

Hannibal in Order

by Ben Kane 4 books 4.4(4,435)

As Hannibal prepares for war with Rome, the Carthaginian friends Hanno and Suni are swept out to sea, captured by pirates and sold into slavery in Italy. Suni is sent to a gladiator school, while Hanno becomes a field slave in the household of the Roman siblings Quintus…

Clash of Empires in Order

by Ben Kane 2 books 4.2(3,013)

After Hannibal’s defeat at Zama, the brothers Felix and Antonius remain in the Roman army as the Republic turns from Carthage towards Macedon and Greece. The ambitious Titus Quinctius Flamininus seeks the command that will make his name, while King Philip V prepares to defend and enlarge his…

Historical fiction

Standalone historical fiction by Ben Kane (2 books)

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