by Seth Warburton

The last few years have seen the remarkable rise of a new genre.  Romantasy, of course, is the cross of the fantasy (or even sci-fi) genre with the culture of the Roman Empire.  As all men know, there is a singular manly appeal to Roman times: loose fitting clothing, playing with swords, greeting other dudes with “hail” as we pass on the street, orgies.  Here are a few Romantasy titles for you to try.

The Hierarchy, the Roman analog in James Islington’s “The Will of the Many,” has been devouring its neighbors for generations.  Vis, orphaned in one of these conquests, is pulled from poverty by a Senator who recognizes Vis’s intelligence.  Sent to the academy with the scions of the best and brightest, Vis fights to advance while also uncovering the mysteries of the academy and keeping his own past secret.  Turns out, Vis is the son of a king killed by his new masters, and his unresolved issues have made him really, really angry.  With its great houses inching toward civil war, this title perfectly captures the angsty ending of the Roman republic.

Like the Hierarchy, the Teixcalaan Empire in “A Memory Called Empire” has a habit of territorial expansion.  Protagonist Mahit fears her tiny nation is next.  Sent as ambassador to the empire, Mahit must try to maintain her station’s fragile independence and investigate her predecessor’s mysterious death. Author Arkady Martine, a Byzantine historian, ably creates a tangled bureaucracy for Mahit to navigate, along with a cultural richness which is alluring to Mahit even as it reminds her she is an outsider.

Sometimes fantasy-Rome even gets to be the good guys. In David Drake’s “The Legions of Fire” the city of Carce is the center of human civilization.  Four heroes set off to counter a magical threat to the world.  Their paths converge, and dangers multiply, in an adventure that should appeal to fans of Terry Goodkind or Terry Brooks.  The land of Alera, from Jim Butcher’s “Furies of Calderon,” faces ever-increasing pressure from barbarian hordes.  Alera’s legions beat them back with the help of elemental magic, but the key to permanent safety may lie with Tavi, a young man who possesses no magical talent at all. With it’s brilliant (though disadvantaged) young hero, this one should be a perfect fit for folks who love the Kingkiller Chronicles of Patrick Rothfuss.