Empire (Saylor novel)
Empire is a historical novel by American author Steven Saylor. It is the sequel to Roma, and follows the lives of five generations of the Pinarius family from the reign of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, to the height of Rome's empire under Hadrian.
Family members in different generations take very different attitudes to the current Emperor. Some of them are staunch courtiers, spending much of their time at the Imperial Court and willingly getting involved in various intrigues and power struggles. Others try to keep their distance from politics - which are often distasteful as well as dangerous - and still find themselves perilously entangled in one way or another.
It was first published by Corsair in 2010, and is now published by St Martin's Press.
The book ends with the fascinus, the family heirloom passed on by countless generations since before the foundation of Rome, being given to a young Pinarius who is the companion of the future Emperor Marcus Aurelius, hinting that the fascinus will continue to influence Roman history.
