SPINTRIAE BOOK ONE - DOMINION

Book One: DominionThe shadow of Rome is vast and terrible, and you will die beneath it.On the fringes of the Roman empire, Sura, a daughter of Thracian mule-breeder and Nubar, a daughter of Sudanese cattle-raiders, are seized and sold into slavery by the Roman army and its allies. Their families and peoples are slaughtered, their goods and lands are plundered, and they are traded up through the brutal slave markets and brothels of the empire to serve the whims of the great men at the centre of Roman power. At the heart of the empire, Tiberius is born in defeat, the son of one of Augustus’ bitter enemies in the Civil War. In a remarkable twist of fate, his mother seduces and marries the new Emperor, but for nearly fifty years he is kept on the periphery of the imperial family, snubbed, disparaged, exploited, forced into a loveless marriage, and for a while exiled and disinherited. For a while he tries to walk away from power into private life. It is only when Augustus loses four successive chosen heirs through wars and epidemics, that Tiberius becomes the ’fifth choice’ heir, the last man standing. Tiberius has become the most powerful man in the world, and he ruthlessly eliminates all threats and rivals. But when he tires of the burdens of office in the fractious capital city, he decides to withdraw to the idyllic island of Capri to exercise his power by remote command. He envisages a life of leisure and culture, but, hidden from the eyes of the world, he and his closest followers turn to dissipation and sexual debauchery. Into this hothouse, Sura and Nubar are recruited to join the ranks of Tiberius’ notorious sex slaves, the spintriae.