Ben Kane

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Wed. 18th August: The Road to Rome becomes a bestseller!

by 66 Comments

I’m proudly able to announce that The Road to Rome has reached the Sunday Times Top Ten in its first part week of publication! From Thursday 12th to Sunday 15th August, it sold over 3,500 copies, allowing it to storm up to number 4! Hurrah! Thanks to all the Roman gods, and to every one at Random House, who have worked so hard to help this happen. Most of all, thanks to you, my cool readers who have gone out and stumped up the cash for a copy of The Road to Rome. I’ve hardly stopped grinning since I heard the news yesterday.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Hi Ben,

    congratulations and well deserved success, I haven’t managed to read the book yet but it’s next on my to read pile.

    Mark

  4. Harry – thanks! It feels pretty good to be up there with you and Anthony Riches now!

  6. @Mark
    Thanks very much! It’s an amazing feeling. I hope you enjoy the book as much as you have the previous two!

  7. Wonderful, thrilling news, Ben! I shall raise an ale to you this evening. A worthy triumph for a top man.
    All the best,
    Giles

  8. I have to wait patiently until after your signing at toppings….{sigh}….LOL

    Really the utmost congrats Ben truly well deserved, for prev books, and im sure this books is a well deserving of that Top 5 spot. Im looking forward to reading it.

  9. BTW: what is David Gibbins like? i saw he was at a mutual event. I find his books great fn between Historical fiction reads, they bridge that gap between historical fiction and Thrillers really well. Im reading Mask of Troy just now…great fun.

  10. Only able to get to bookshop yesterday. Don’t worry about being confused regarding anything I say or do…that’s the plan! Have the book now and saved £2 at Waterstones. How will I spend that great saving. Off to under the local aqueduct arches to see one of the ladies there. Well, best to keep in the spirit of the books LOL.

  11. Hi Ben,
    Many congratulations on the release and best selling success of the third book. I can’t wait to read it…waiting for my copy to come through the post 🙂
    Wishing you continued success…and roll on Soldier of Carthage!
    Cheers,
    Matt

  12. Matt – thanks a lot! I hope that you enjoy The Road to Rome as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  13. Leslie – I’ve been asked for photos of Fabiola already, so others feel the same way as you do! LOL.

  14. Parmenion – David Gibbins is a really interesting guy – I chatted loads to him about marine archaeology, writing while trying to see as much of your kids as possible, and Rome. If you get a chance to hear him speak, I’d go in a shot!

  15. Parmenion – thanks so much – it’s still a bit surreal, even with the grubby bit of paper cut out of the Sunday Times!

  16. Giles – thanks a lot, and I look forward a) to similar success for you with Odin’s Wolves, and b) sharing many ales with you the next time we meet. Cheers!

  17. Ben, Im utterly engrossed in your latest effort. Congratulations its a cracking read…

  18. Hi Ben
    I have just finished reading The Road to Rome. Thank you for a wonderful and exciting book! As with The Forgotten Legion and The Silver Eagle, I could not put this book down. Thanks for a super series of books and I cant wait for Soldier of Carthage.
    Pat Mathers

  19. congratulations, Im waiting for its release in spanish to read it. when could be that?

  20. Fabiola. We all have differing pictures in our minds eye. Personally the actress Alexandra Tydings who played Aphrodite in Xena Warrior Princess is a good place to start. Since Saturday I have read like a madman. Starting chapter XVI today. No spoilers, but I think I see where you are going with the twins…that usually means I’m 100% wrong!

  22. Pat – cheers! It’s cool that you’ve read The Road to Rome already. You’ve got a bit of a wait for Soldier of Carthage now, I’m afraid, though…

  23. @caferrerb: Thank you! I don’t know when El Camino a Rome will be coming out in Spain, but I suspect that it will be a year after El Aguila de Plata. Try contacting Ediciones B for some information. Apologies for not being able to help you more.

  24. Leslie- I’m not familiar with Alexandra Tydings – I’ll have to Google her now! I’m rather fond of Lucy Lawless, who was Xena herself I believe (never having seen the TV series). She appears in the new TV series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, quite often without any clothes at all. Very nice indeed! (Having Googled Alexandra Tydings, I approve of your image of Fabiola, although mine is different!)

  25. Congratulations Ben. Great news and well deserved too!

    All the best,

    Rayner

  26. Cheers, Rayner! It’s a good feeling! I hope that your novel is coming along nicely too?

  27. Bought Road to Rome Saturday. Finished in early hours of Wednesday. 10/10 marks. No spoilers, but at least I wasn’t wrong in my previous post. That made the whole build up even more mouth watering. One day your legion may march to Londinium where I can get your autograph. OK! That’s enough! Keep writing new book….

  28. Finished it last week Ben and it is absolutely fantastic. A thought provoking and to me somewhat unexpected climax. When are we going to see the start of the Carthage trilogy? PS Don’t picture either Alexandra or Lucy as Fabiola. To me she will always be Emily from my local Londis. Can’t Google her I’m afraid-you’ll just have to take my word for it!

  29. Leslie – that’s good going! Really glad that you liked it. I hope that your wait for Soldier of Carthage is bearable!

  30. Paul – cheers! I don’t quite know when Soldier of Carthage will be published. I’ll be finished editing it in the next month or two, so it will probably be summer 2011 before it comes out. As for Emily in your local Londis, well, she must be a stunner!

  31. Just finished reading The Forgotten Legion, excellent, can’t wait to get my hands on The Silver Eagle and then The Road to Rome, big gratz on your latest success….excellent!
    Barry,
    Ireland.

  32. Cheers, Muz73, glad you enjoyed it. Good timing to read the first one, as you won’t have to wait for either of the next two!

  34. Muz73 – good man! Nice to see another Irishman enjoying Rome! Have you read Youghal man John Stack’s Roman novels?

  35. Hi Ben,

    I’ve just come back from a holiday in disney world that I spent all year saving for. The Road to Rome completely ruined my time there because I couldn’t put it down. Best trilogy I have ever read. Congratulations about being a bestseller.

    Is it the last in the series? I need to know what happened to the Legion and a certain ****. (Edited to prevent spoiler effect for those who haven’t finished the book yet! – Ben.)

    Thank you, James Trethowan

  36. Fabitaromunass, that’s high praise indeed. Thank you. Sorry that I ruined your long-awaited holiday (but I’m pleased too, if you know what I mean). The Road to Rome is the last in the series, I’m afraid. I’m nearly finished Soldier of Carthage, the first in a new trilogy. After that, I have at least two more trilogies and a couple of stand alone novels up my sleeve. We’ll see after that…

  37. Surely the point James is that we have to be the judge of certain uncertainties, if I can put it that way. I used to get very frustrated when all issues were not tied up – but it is the sign of a great author if he allows each of us our own view to parts of the story. For me the fate of – well, that’s going to remain in my head as I suspect it will for Ben…sorry if I’m putting words in your mouth Mr Kane.

  38. I hella respect anybody who stops when they’re ahead and when people want more. J K Rowling, Ricky Gervais and now Ben Kane! It’s a fantastic way to end anything and I agree with you Paul. I like my own interpretation of what happens.

    Ben, have you thought about taking on Spartacus?

  39. “More trilogies and a couple of stand alone novels.”
    This is good new and maybe time for a few guesses. Trilogies….Arthurian? Chinese? Persian?

  40. Fabitaromunass – my gods, J.K. Rowling? Ricky Gervais? Thanks for the comparisons, but I’m looking up at them in the stratosphere still, I’m afraid. As for other topics for books, which you and Les have mentioned, well, I’m spoiled for choice. Rome fascinates me still, and I can see myself staying there for a while. However, I have got ideas for trilogies set in totally different time frames. I can’t be more specific, I’m afraid, or I’d have to shoot you both, and I don’t want to do that as you’re obviously good guys!

  45. Thanks, Gabriele! Glad to see you here 🙂
    I hope it arrives on .de soon too. Or you could get it from bookdepository.co.uk, which makes no charge for postage, worldwide?

  46. I’ve been lurking. 🙂 In fact, I had registered some time ago but forgot my password, as usual. Asked for a new one today.

    If nothing works, I’ll come over and get the book at Waterstones. *grin* (Wish I had the money to do two greater tours a year. There can’t be more rain in the UK than we have right now.)

  47. Ah, I remember seeing your name on the newly registered list a while ago. Well, welcome back with your new password (hopefully an easier one now that you can choose it yourself). Gosh, it’s been lovely here most of the summer (very dry) – sorry you’re getting lots of rain.

  48. We had a way too hot and dry July, but August brought so much rain that several rivers flooded.

    I usually get pretty good weather when travaling in the UK – I had more rain when I toured the Rhine this spring. At least it was dry the day I spent in the Archaeological Park Xanten, but cold. The advantage was that there were few tourists around. 🙂

  49. A great Trilogy – many, many thanks – Read all three books in four days – now I want to know what happens next!

    Seems such a shame to leave our two heroes (or even perhaps three, if Brennus did survive) without knowing how things turned out for them in the years ahead.

    Come on Ben, satisfy my curiosity and get that computer fired up……!

  50. cwtruc – many thanks for your kind comments. Reading all three books in four days is some going! Well done! As to continuing the story, as I’ve said before, it won’t be happening any time soon. Sorry about that, but there are too many other ideas rocketing around in my head which need committing to paper. Soldier of Carthage will be out next year, though, so that might keep you satisfied. Until then, if you haven’t already tried them, look out for Harry Sidebottom, Anthony Riches, Doug Jackson and Russell Whitfield – all excellent Roman authors.

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