Rome's Lost Son

Vespasian as Consul of Rome is at odds with the Empress Agrippina.  He is oddly enough, working with Pallas, her lover and disassociated with Narcissus who works with Emperor Claudius.  However, Narcissus knows that he must gain the confidence of Vespasian to the cost of Pallas.

Vespasian is surprised when Agrippina and her son, Nero, plead for clemency for Caratacus.  Claudius accepts their pleas.

Now Vespasian has to play politics with Narcissus, Pallas and Agrippina.  Can he, with the help of his lover Caenis, manage to play one against the other and still survive?  Pallas sends Vespasian to Armenia to bring it back under control, but he goes without an army.  Agrippina is hoping that he won’t be coming back.

By early 52 AD, Vespasian was in Philippi, meeting with his brother, who was governor of the area.  He and his uncle, Gaius, hope to gather information against Agrippina.  They find that Sabinus is busy trying to find a certain Paulus, who is promoting the teachings of Yeshua who Sabinus had executed on the orders of Pontius Pilate.

It doesn’t take long for Vespasian to discover that political intrigue in the east is just as dangerous as the intrigue in Rome.  His next task is to provoke Parthia into war.  Fortunately, his manipulations draws Parthia into starting the war.  Then the retreat begins with the intention of drawing the Parthians into a war away from their country.  However, treachery results in Vespasian being turned over to the Parthians as a hostage.

What will become of Vespasian now that he is incarcerated in a dungeon?  How will Nero come to power?  Author Robert Fabbri has the answers in the last section of the book.  Based on the writings of Tacitus and Seneca, Fabbri’s fiction has a ring of truth to it.  This was another thoroughly enjoyable read.