Aurelian

Set in the twilight of the Roman Empire, this epistolary historical novel unfolds in the reign of the emperor Aurelian, dramatizing the clash between pagan Rome and the rising Christian faith, and the fall of the fabled desert queen Zenobia of Palmyra. William Ware brings scholarly detail and moral earnestness to a vivid portrait of the ancient world in crisis. Rich in historical color and dramatic incident, it reflects the nineteenth century’s fascination with the grandeur and decline of Rome. An ambitious work of early American historical fiction, Aurelian offers an absorbing journey into the struggles of empire, faith, and love in the ancient Mediterranean world.