Harry Sidebottom


Harry Sidebottom is a British author and historian, best known for his two series of historical novels the Warrior of Rome, and Throne of the Caesars. He will publish The Last Hour a new stand alone novel featuring Ballista, the hero of the Warrior of Rome series, in March 2018. He is Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History at St. Benet's Hall, Oxford, and lecturer at Lincoln College.

Early life

Sidebottom was born in Cambridge and brought up in Newmarket, Suffolk, where his father worked as a racehorse trainer. He attended Fairstead House School, Newmarket, and The King's School, Ely.
Sidebottom read Ancient History for his first degree, at Lancaster University. He was awarded an MPhil in 1982 from the University of Manchester and later a DPhil from the University of Oxford. He studied at Corpus Christi College, where he is a member of the senior common room. He has appeared as a presenter on the History Channel's Ancient Discoveries.

Books

''Warrior of Rome''

From the beginning Sidebottom intended the Warrior of Rome to be a series structured in trilogies. The first three volumes take place in the Middle East and subsequent arcs are set around the Black Sea, the Baltic, Sicily, North Africa, and Italy. Sidebottom stated he drew inspiration for the series from historical writer Tacitus and commented that he had based several of the series' elements on real people and events from history. The series has sold well, with Fire in the East selling over 100,000 copies and spending five weeks in the UK top 10 upon its release. Worldwide the series has sold over half a million copies.
The series centres on the Anglo-Roman soldier Marcus Clodius Ballista as he must live through and survive the machinations of the Roman Empire and several of the crises of the second half of the third century AD.

''Throne of the Caesars''

Sidebottom has written another series set in ancient Rome and its empire called Throne of the Caesars. The new trilogy is set 30 years before the first Warrior of Rome book in the reigns of Severus Alexander and Maximinus Thrax,, beginning with the assassination of Alexander and the deaths of Pupienus and Balbinus.
The Last Hour
A thriller set in the City of Rome. The hero has until sunset the next day to get across the eternal city, and save the Emperor. If he fails, his family will die. The Watch have orders to arrest him, while other sinister forces want him dead.
The Last Hour was shortlisted for the Historical Writers Association Gold Crown for the outstanding historical novel of 2018

Fiction

''Warrior of Rome''

  1. Fire in the East
  2. King of Kings
  3. Lion of the Sun
  4. The Caspian Gates
  5. The Wolves of the North
  6. The Amber Road

    ''Throne of the Caesars''

  7. Iron & Rust
  8. Blood & Steel
  9. Fire & Sword
The Last Hour

Nonfiction