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TYRANTS AREN'T BORN. THEY'RE RAISED.

Travel to the heart of a Roman dynasty drenched in danger and intrigue in master storyteller Conn Iggulden's bold and brilliant return to Rome as he tells the story of Nero – last of the the Julio-Claudian emperors . . .


'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

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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.

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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 2024