Forged in Rome - Conn Iggulden

Ancient Rome, AD 37

A scribe in a noble household, all Cormac has ever known is a life of slavery. When his master suddenly relieves him of his post, along with a hundred other men and women, Cormac is furnished with documents to free him from bondage but given no means to survive.

Somewhere between slave and citizen, the freedom to live is the freedom to starve too. All that was once orderly, structured and routine is now chaos, and Cormac must learn life anew.

His writing skills have afforded him flickers of opportunity in a world far wealthier than his, but will he resist the pull of the city''s underbelly? Can he untangle himself from its crimes?

Conn Iggulden''s next novel will take readers on an epic journey to discover what one man - fighting against all the odds - will make of his freedom.

***PRE-ORDER THE EPIC NEW ADVENTURE FROM SUNDAY TIMES BESTELLER CONN IGGULDEN***

Can a slave . . . become a master?

AD 37. The Roman Republic has become a true empire, stretching from Egypt to the seacoast of Gaul. Sixty million people live under its rule.

A scribe in a noble household on the outskirts of the empire s greatest city, a young man who has no memory of his past or his family. Where freedom exists for the privileged few, he has only ever known a life of slavery. His name is Cormac.

When Cormac s master dies suddenly under suspicious circumstances, he finds himself furnished with documents freeing him from bondage. Surviving somewhere between slave and citizen, he quickly discovers the dangers that come with freedom. The city is a pitiless place for those without allies.

But the winds of fate are shifting. Cormac s talents his treasured ability to read and write will soon take him from city slums to the mines of Gaul, to the island of Britannia and back to the hills of Rome.

Slave, scribe, soldier Cormac will have to play Rome s most dangerous game if he s to secure wealth and power. For in this city, with skill, ambition and luck, perhaps such things can be won . . .