Conn brings his newest book Tyrant, the sequel to Nero, to life in this session as he dives into the art of crafting compelling historical fiction. Conn will talk about Emperor Nero, the historical sources he uses to help reconstruct such an iconic character for modern readers, the emperor's flaws and perhaps the misunderstandings/misinterpretations about who he was, as well as the legacy of Nero and his mother Agrippina. 

The boy Nero lives. His mother Agrippina has married her way to power, tangling the Emperor Claudius in her skirts. The emperor may have a son and heir of his own, but Agrippina sees no obstacles to her ambition. Rome is a path through a marsh, lit by torches. Those who walk it are always one step from disaster – and the road itself is treacherous, slippery with blood. Claudius may have the world at his feet, but he has Agrippina in his bed

About Conn:

Conn Iggulden is one of the most successful authors of historical fiction writing today. A former English teacher and a passionate advocate for the power of stories, Conn has written bestselling series on Julius Caesar, Genghis Khan and the Wars of the Roses, as well as two stand alone novels: Dunstan, set in the red-blooded world of tenth-century England, and The Falcon of Sparta, in which he returned to the Ancient World.

Both instalments of his Athenian series, The Gates of Athens and Protector, and his recent Golden Age series, Lion and Empire, are Sunday Times bestsellers. He has been described as ‘one of our finest historical novelists’ by the Daily Express.

Praise for Nero & Tyrant

'Deft and robust storytelling, that whips through the history with plenty of blood, guts and plot-twists' The Times

'Epic and in a class of his own' Daily Mirror