Circus Maximus: An unforgettable Roman odyssey of rivalry and power (Paperback) - A.D. O'Neill

A tale of vicious rivalry, corruption and power in the greatest sporting arena in history - the Circus Maximus - that will ultimately decide the fate of the Roman Empire itself.

The charioteer in his purest form. The supreme master of destiny and the elements. A man who made a circus out of life, and life out of a circus.

'A.D. O'Neill peels back the veil of time and shines a light on the intrigue and excitement of chariot racing in ancient Rome. With exquisite attention to detail and an authentic and engaging voice, Circus Maximus is endlessly and effortlessly entertaining.' MATTHEW HARFFY, author of The Bernicia Chronicles series

THE CHAOTIC A.D. 69
When the tyrannical Aulus Vitellius seizes the reins of power in Rome, the empire is already in the grip of a fierce civil war. But the new emperor's first priority is both personal and deeply symbolic: he plans to crush the Green chariot racing faction - the mortal enemies of his beloved Blues - at the Plebeian Games in the Circus Maximus.

To save the Greens from certain extinction, two former charioteers - the stoical and determined Corax and the flamboyant and cocksure Alector (once the firmest of friends, now the bitterest of rivals) - have just twenty-six days to transport four champion chariot horses across the breadth of Europe to Rome. Braving blizzards, bandits, floods and wild storms at sea, theirs is an unforgettable odyssey and race-against-time adventure.

A.D. O'Neill steers a thundering epic around historical events and real-life characters to a breathtaking climax in the greatest sporting arena of all time - the Circus Maximus.

About the Author

A.D. O'Neill is the author of seven novels that altogether have been published in seventeen languages: Scheherazade (a revisionist Arabian Nights epic); The Lamplighter (a tale of the macabre set in 1886 Edinburgh); The Empire of Eternity (a history-mystery featuring Napoleon Bonaparte and the early years of archaeology); The Unscratchables (a Swiftian satire featuring anthropomorphic dog and cat detectives); The Dark Side (a lunar detective story); Dr Jekyll & Mr Seek (a sequel to Stevenson's classic tale); and The Devil Upstairs (a satanic mystery set in modernday Edinburgh). Three of his books have been optioned by Hollywood. He was born in Melbourne and lives in Edinburgh.