Conn Iggulden writes big, fast, battle-filled historical epics about the people who built and broke empires. Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan, the Houses of Lancaster and York, Pericles of Athens and the emperor Nero have all had the Iggulden treatment, and his books have sold millions of copies around the world. He is also the co-author of The Dangerous Book for Boys, which once put him at the top of the UK fiction and non-fiction charts at the same time.
This guide covers every Conn Iggulden series in reading order, from the Emperor books that made his name to the Nero trilogy and his new Ink and Iron series. It also covers his standalone novels, his fantasy written as C.F. Iggulden, his children’s books and non-fiction, plus advice on where to start.
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Quick Facts
- Full name: Connor Iggulden
- Born: 24 February 1971, London, England
- Nationality: British
- Also writes as: C.F. Iggulden (fantasy)
- Best known for: Emperor, Conqueror, Wars of the Roses, the Nero trilogy, The Dangerous Book for Boys
- Number of novels: 27 full-length novels, plus novellas, children’s books and non-fiction
- Latest novel: Inferno (May 2026), the final book of the Nero trilogy
- Newest series: Ink and Iron, which began with Forged in Rome (November 2025)
- Lives: Hertfordshire, England
About Conn Iggulden
Early Life and Background
Conn Iggulden was born in London in 1971. His father flew with the RAF during the Second World War, and his mother was Irish. He went to Merchant Taylors’ School and studied English at the University of London.
Before writing full-time, Iggulden spent seven years as an English teacher and became head of English at Haydon School in north-west London. It shows in his fiction: few novelists are better at making a complicated period of history easy to follow.
Writing Career
His breakthrough came in 2003 with The Gates of Rome, the first book of the Emperor series about Julius Caesar. The series was an immediate bestseller and gave Iggulden the freedom to write full-time. He followed it with the Conqueror series about Genghis Khan and his heirs, one of the few major English-language fiction series about the Mongols.
In 2006, he and his brother Hal wrote The Dangerous Book for Boys, a celebration of old-fashioned childhood skills, from building a treehouse to knowing the rules of rugby. It became a publishing phenomenon. In 2007, it was named Book of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards, and Iggulden became the first writer to top the UK fiction and non-fiction lists simultaneously. The book later inspired an Amazon Prime Video series.
Since then, Iggulden has moved around history with remarkable range: the Wars of the Roses, Anglo-Saxon England, the Persian Wars, and the golden age of Athens, Xenophon’s march through Persia, and, most recently, Nero’s Rome. He has also written epic fantasy under the name C.F. Iggulden and children’s fiction. He is still writing at a steady pace, with Inferno published in May 2026 and the Ink and Iron series underway.
Writing Style
Iggulden’s books are built for momentum. Expect:
- Battle scenes that are vivid, tactical, and often brutal
- Big historical sweep, usually following one or two central figures from youth to power
- Political intrigue showing how empires are won through alliances and betrayals as much as swords
- Accessible history, explained through character and action rather than lectures
- Historical notes at the end of most novels, explaining what is known, what is guessed, and what he changed
He is open about taking liberties with the record when it serves the story. The Emperor series in particular compresses and rearranges Caesar’s early life. If you want strict accuracy, read the historical notes. If you want to feel what it might have been like to ride with Genghis Khan or stand in the line at Towton, few writers do it better.
Conn Iggulden Series in Reading Order
Each series is self-contained, so you can start with whichever period interests you most. Within a series, read the books in order.
Emperor Series (Julius Caesar)
- Setting: Rome, Gaul, Britain, and Egypt, first century BC
- Books: 5 (complete)
- Main characters: Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus
- Series guide: Emperor Series Reading Order
Iggulden’s first and still most famous series follows Gaius Julius Caesar from boyhood to the height of his power, alongside his closest friend Marcus Brutus. It is a story of friendship, ambition, and the slow collapse of the Roman Republic, and it is the series that made Iggulden a bestseller.
1. The Gates of Rome (2003)
Two boys grow up together on an estate outside Rome: Gaius, the son of a senator, and Marcus, a boy of uncertain birth. Trained by an old gladiator, they come of age just as Rome is torn apart by the rivalry between Marius and Sulla.
2. The Death of Kings (2004)
Julius begins his career, is captured by pirates, and returns to a Rome shaken by the Spartacus slave revolt. Brutus, meanwhile, is building his own military reputation.
3. The Field of Swords (2005)
Caesar’s great campaigns in Gaul and Britain, and the growing rivalry with Pompey back in Rome. The book builds towards the moment Caesar must decide whether to cross the Rubicon.
4. The Gods of War (2006)
Civil war. Caesar pursues Pompey across the Mediterranean and into Egypt, where he meets Cleopatra, while the friendship at the heart of the series comes under strain.
5. The Blood of Gods (2013)
Published seven years after The Gods of War, the final book follows the young Octavian and Mark Antony in the turbulent aftermath of the Ides of March.
Conqueror Series (Genghis Khan and his heirs)
- Setting: The Mongol steppe, China, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe, 12th and 13th centuries
- Books: 5 (complete)
- Main characters: Temujin (Genghis Khan), his brothers, sons, and grandsons
- Series guide: Conqueror Series Reading Order
The Conqueror series tells the story of the Mongol Empire across three generations, from a boy abandoned on the steppe to the largest land empire in history. It is epic in scale, and many readers consider it Iggulden’s best work.
1. Wolf of the Plains (2007)
After his father is killed, young Temujin and his family are cast out by their tribe to survive alone on the frozen steppe. From that desperate beginning grows the man who will unite the Mongol tribes. Published in the US as Genghis: Birth of an Empire.
2. Lords of the Bow (2008)
Now, Genghis Khan, Temujin, leads the united tribes against the walled cities of the Chin empire in northern China, a war that forces his horsemen to learn a completely new kind of warfare.
3. Bones of the Hills (2008)
The Mongols turn west, into the Khwarezmian empire of Central Asia, while questions about who will inherit Genghis’s empire begin to divide his family.
4. Empire of Silver (2010)
The next generation takes control, and Mongol armies push deep into Russia and Eastern Europe while rivalries simmer at home.
5. Conqueror (2011)
The final book follows Genghis’s grandsons, including Kublai, as the struggle for the empire’s future plays out from China to the Middle East.
Wars of the Roses Series
- Setting: England and France, 1443 to 1485
- Books: 4 (complete)
- Main characters: Henry VI, Margaret of Anjou, Richard of York, the Earl of Warwick, Edward IV, and the Tudors
- Series guide: Wars of the Roses Reading Order
Iggulden’s retelling of the thirty-year struggle between the Houses of Lancaster and York, a conflict George R.R. Martin has named as an influence on A Song of Ice and Fire. The series moves between the royal court, the battlefields, and the spies and ordinary soldiers caught between them.
1. Stormbird (2013)
England’s gentle King Henry VI is failing, the French lands are slipping away, and a young French bride, Margaret of Anjou, is sent to England as part of a secret bargain. Rebellion is brewing in Kent, and powerful lords are watching the throne.
2. Trinity (2014)
Three great lords, York, Salisbury, and Warwick, move against the Lancastrian court, and England slides towards open war. The book includes the Battle of Towton, the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. Published in the US as Margaret of Anjou.
3. Bloodline (2015)
A new king sits on the throne, but the alliances that put him there are fragile, and loyalties shift with every season.
4. Ravenspur (2016)
The final book, subtitled Rise of the Tudors, follows the conflict’s last and most dangerous years and the rise of an unlikely claimant.
Athenian Series
- Setting: Athens and the Greek world, 490 to 479 BC
- Books: 2
- Main characters: Xanthippus, Themistocles, Aristides and the young Pericles
Iggulden’s take on the Persian Wars is told through the rival Athenians who led their city against the greatest empire in the world.
1. The Gates of Athens (2020)
Athens is a young democracy with enemies inside and out. When Darius of Persia sends an army to Greece, its leaders must set their rivalries aside at Marathon.
2. Protector (2021)
Ten years later, Xerxes brings the full might of Persia against Greece. Athens faces the invasion at sea and on land, in the campaign of Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataea.
The Golden Age Series (Pericles)
- Setting: Athens, fifth century BC, after the Persian Wars
- Books: 2 so far
- Main character: Pericles
A follow-on series that picks up the story of Pericles, the son of Xanthippus, as Athens becomes the richest and most powerful city in Greece.
1. Lion (2022)
With Persia driven out, Athens builds an empire of allies and fleets, and a young Pericles begins to make his name in its politics and its wars.
2. Empire (2023)
Pericles rises to lead Athens at the height of its golden age, while rivalry with Sparta grows ever more dangerous.
The Nero Trilogy
- Setting: Rome and its empire, first century AD
- Books: 3 (complete)
- Main character: Nero
- Series guide: Nero Trilogy Reading Order
Iggulden returns to Rome to tell the life of its most notorious emperor, asking how a boy became a tyrant. It is his most recent completed series and one of his darkest.
1. Nero (2024)
The story begins long before Nero takes the throne, in the dangerous Rome of Caligula and Claudius, where his ambitious mother Agrippina is prepared to do anything to put her son in power.
2. Tyrant (2025)
Nero becomes emperor while still a teenager, and learns what it costs to rule Rome with his mother, his advisers and the Senate all pulling at the reins.
3. Inferno (2026)
The final book opens around AD 60. Boudicca’s revolt is sweeping Britain, trouble is building in Gaul, and in Rome itself, Nero’s hold on power is never secure.
Ink and Iron Series
- Setting: The Roman Empire, AD 37 onwards
- Books: 1 so far
Iggulden’s newest series moves away from emperors to follow an ordinary man as he tries to rise in Rome.
1. Forged in Rome (2025)
Cormac is a slave in Rome who can read and write. When his master dies suddenly, he is given his freedom and must find a way to survive and prosper, a journey that takes him from the streets of Rome to the mines of Gaul and the edge of the empire in Britain.
Standalone Novels
Dunstan (2017)
The life of Dunstan, the tenth-century monk, schemer, and royal adviser who served a string of Anglo-Saxon kings and became Archbishop of Canterbury. Told in Dunstan’s own sharp, unrepentant voice, it is one of Iggulden’s most distinctive books. Published in the US as The Abbot’s Tale.
The Falcon of Sparta (2018)
In 401 BC, the Persian prince Cyrus hired ten thousand Greek mercenaries to help him seize his brother’s throne. When the campaign goes wrong, the Greeks find themselves stranded deep in enemy territory. Based on Xenophon’s Anabasis, the most famous march in ancient history.
Fantasy as C.F. Iggulden: Empire of Salt
Iggulden’s fantasy trilogy, published under the name C.F. Iggulden, is set in an invented world and has nothing to do with Rome, although fans of his battle writing will feel at home.
- Darien (2017)
- Shiang (2018)
- The Sword Saint (2019)
Novellas and Short Fiction
- Blackwater (2006): a short crime novel written for the Quick Reads adult literacy programme
- Quantum of Tweed: The Man with the Nissan Micra (2012): a comic Quick Reads novella
- Fig Tree (2014): a short story
Children’s Books
Tollins
Tollins are tiny winged people who are definitely not fairies. These funny, illustrated stories are set in the English village of Chorleywood.
Non-Fiction
- The Dangerous Book for Boys (2006, with Hal Iggulden): the bestselling guide to knots, codes, treehouses, famous battles, and everything else a curious child might want to know
- The Pocket Dangerous Book for Boys: Things to Do and Things to Know (2007 and 2008): pocket spin-offs, followed by further pocket editions
- The Dangerous Book of Heroes (2009, with David Iggulden): short, stirring accounts of real-life heroes and explorers
- The Double Dangerous Book for Boys (2019, with Arthur and Cameron Iggulden): a new collection written with his sons
Where to Start with Conn Iggulden
Start with The Gates of Rome if you want the classic Iggulden experience. Caesar is a figure everyone knows, and the Emperor series shows his strengths from the first page.
Start with Wolf of the Plains if you want his best work. Many readers rate the Conqueror series as his finest, and the first book is a gripping survival story even for readers who know nothing about the Mongols.
Start with Stormbird if you love medieval England, royal intrigue or Game of Thrones. For more books set in the period, see our best medieval historical fiction.
Start with The Gates of Athens if you want ancient Greece, Marathon and Salamis.
Start with Nero if you want his most recent complete series, a dark and gripping portrait of power and family.
Start with Dunstan if you want a single book with no series commitment. It is also the best showcase of Iggulden’s voice.
Which Conn Iggulden Series Is Right for You?
| Series | Period | Books | Best for readers who want |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emperor | Late Roman Republic | 5 | Caesar, Roman politics, legion battles |
| Conqueror | Mongol Empire | 5 | Epic scale, cavalry warfare, survival |
| Wars of the Roses | 15th-century England | 4 | Royal intrigue, dynastic war, Game of Thrones fans |
| Athenian | Persian Wars | 2 | Marathon, Salamis, rival statesmen |
| Golden Age | Athens under Pericles | 2 | Politics, democracy, the rise of an empire |
| Nero | Early Roman Empire | 3 | Dark court drama, a villain’s origin story |
| Ink and Iron | Early Roman Empire | 1 so far | An ordinary hero rising from slavery |
Themes Across Iggulden’s Work
Read a few of his series, and the same questions keep coming back.
How power is won. Nearly every Iggulden series follows someone climbing from nothing, or from a weak position, to supreme power: Caesar from a minor patrician family, Temujin from exile on the steppe, Pericles from the shadow of his father, Nero from a childhood surrounded by murder. The books are fascinated by what that climb costs and who gets left behind.
Friendship and betrayal. Iggulden likes to build a story around a pair: Caesar and Brutus, Genghis and his brothers, Xanthippus and his rivals. The emotional force of the Emperor series in particular comes from a friendship the reader knows is doomed.
Families and succession. The Conqueror and Wars of the Roses series are as much about inheritance as conquest. Who will take the throne next, and will the family tear itself apart deciding? It is the same question at the heart of the Nero trilogy, where Agrippina’s ambition shapes everything.
Ordinary people in extraordinary times. Alongside the kings and emperors, Iggulden gives space to soldiers, servants, spies, and archers. His newest series, Ink and Iron, puts one of these ordinary lives, a freed slave, at the center for the first time.
Conn Iggulden Books by Historical Period
If you like to read through history in order, this is how his historical fiction lines up:
- The Athenian series (490 to 479 BC)
- The Golden Age series (after 479 BC)
- The Falcon of Sparta (401 BC)
- The Emperor series (first century BC)
- Ink and Iron (from AD 37)
- The Nero trilogy (first century AD)
- Dunstan (tenth century)
- The Conqueror series (12th and 13th centuries)
- The Wars of the Roses (1443 to 1485)
For more novels set in ancient Rome, see our guide to the best Ancient Rome historical fiction, and for the wider ancient world, our Ancient World time period guide.
Conn Iggulden Books in Publication Order
- The Gates of Rome (2003)
- The Death of Kings (2004)
- The Field of Swords (2005)
- The Gods of War (2006)
- Blackwater (2006)
- Wolf of the Plains (2007)
- Lords of the Bow (2008)
- Bones of the Hills (2008)
- Empire of Silver (2010)
- Conqueror (2011)
- Quantum of Tweed (2012)
- Stormbird (2013)
- The Blood of Gods (2013)
- Trinity (2014)
- Bloodline (2015)
- Ravenspur (2016)
- Dunstan (2017)
- Darien (2017, as C.F. Iggulden)
- The Falcon of Sparta (2018)
- Shiang (2018, as C.F. Iggulden)
- The Sword Saint (2019, as C.F. Iggulden)
- The Gates of Athens (2020)
- Protector (2021)
- Lion (2022)
- Empire (2023)
- Nero (2024)
- Tyrant (2025)
- Forged in Rome (2025)
- Inferno (2026)
Awards and Recognition
- Galaxy British Book Awards, Book of the Year (2007) for The Dangerous Book for Boys
- First author to top the UK fiction and non-fiction bestseller lists at the same time (2007)
- Bestseller status for the Emperor, Conqueror, and Wars of the Roses series in the UK and internationally
- Television: The Dangerous Book for Boys was adapted as an Amazon Prime Video series in 2018
Is Conn Iggulden Historically Accurate?
Iggulden researches carefully and gets the big picture right: the campaigns, the politics, and the shape of each period. But he is a storyteller first, and he says so. The Emperor series is the clearest example. It changes Caesar’s early life considerably, including the invention of a boyhood friendship with Brutus, and Iggulden explains his choices in the historical notes.
The later books, particularly the Wars of the Roses, the Athenian series, and Nero, stay closer to the record, although he still fills gaps with invention. Our guide to what makes historical fiction accurate examines how novelists balance fact and fiction.
Similar Authors You Will Enjoy
- Bernard Cornwell: the benchmark for battle writing, from Saxon England to the Napoleonic Wars. Start with the Sharpe series or The Last Kingdom.
- Simon Scarrow: Roman legionaries on campaign in the Eagles of the Empire series, full of action and camaraderie.
- Ben Kane: Rome and its enemies, from Hannibal to the Teutoburg Forest.
- Robert Harris: the fall of the Roman Republic from the inside in the Cicero trilogy, a perfect companion to the Emperor series.
- Colleen McCullough: the Masters of Rome series covers Caesar’s world in enormous, meticulous detail.
- Steven Pressfield: ancient Greek warfare, including Gates of Fire, the classic novel of Thermopylae.
- Philippa Gregory and Sharon Kay Penman: the Wars of the Roses from very different angles, for readers who loved Stormbird.
- Giles Kristian: Viking-age adventure with the same mix of brutal combat and loyal companions.
For more long-running sagas, see our best historical fiction series.
Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I read Conn Iggulden’s books in?
Each of Conn Iggulden’s series stands alone, so you can start with any of them, but read the books within a series in order. Most readers begin with the Emperor series (The Gates of Rome) or the Conqueror series (Wolf of the Plains). The Wars of the Roses starts with Stormbird, the Athenian series with The Gates of Athens and the Nero trilogy with Nero.
How many books has Conn Iggulden written?
Conn Iggulden has written 27 full-length novels, including three fantasy novels as C.F. Iggulden. He has also written novellas, the Tollins children’s books and several non-fiction books, including The Dangerous Book for Boys, bringing his total to more than 40 books.
What is Conn Iggulden’s latest book?
His latest novel is Inferno, published in May 2026, which completes the Nero trilogy. His newest series, Ink and Iron, began with Forged in Rome in November 2025.
How many books are in the Nero trilogy?
There are three: Nero (2024), Tyrant (2025) and Inferno (2026). The trilogy is complete.
What is Conn Iggulden’s best book?
Many readers name Wolf of the Plains, the first Conqueror novel, or The Gates of Rome, the first Emperor novel. Dunstan is often singled out as his most distinctive standalone.
Is Conn Iggulden’s Emperor series historically accurate?
The Emperor series follows the broad course of Julius Caesar’s life, but Iggulden changes a lot, especially in the early books, including inventing a childhood friendship between Caesar and Brutus. He explains his changes in the historical notes at the end of each book.
How many books are in the Wars of the Roses series?
There are four: Stormbird, Trinity, Bloodline and Ravenspur. In the US, Trinity was published as Margaret of Anjou. The series is complete.
Does Conn Iggulden write fantasy?
Yes. As C.F. Iggulden he wrote the Empire of Salt trilogy, Darien, Shiang and The Sword Saint, set in an invented world. He also wrote the Tollins children’s books.
Is Conn Iggulden the author of The Dangerous Book for Boys?
Yes. He co-wrote The Dangerous Book for Boys with his brother Hal Iggulden in 2006. It was named Book of the Year at the 2007 Galaxy British Book Awards and later became an Amazon Prime Video series.
Conclusion
Conn Iggulden has spent more than twenty years turning the great turning points of history into page-turners. His range is remarkable: Caesar’s Rome, the Mongol steppe, the fields of Towton, the ships at Salamis, the court of Nero. Wherever he goes, he brings the same gifts, pace, clarity, and battle scenes that put you in the middle of the fighting.
If you are new to him, start with The Gates of Rome or Wolf of the Plains and see which world pulls you in. If you already know the classics, the Nero trilogy shows him at his darkest and most assured, and Forged in Rome suggests the next chapter is only just beginning.