Books

Germania Magna, 9 A.D. Eleven-year-old Octavia is living a quiet and privileged life in Rome, when the sudden disappearance of her mother changes everything. Octavia’s father Marcus hastily enlists in Emperor Augustus’ army and is sent to the cold, rainy and hostile province of Germania. Why did they flee Rome? Has Octavia’s mother been abducted? Or even killed? What could be the reason? Octavia vows to find out the truth, but the reality of living in a Roman camp full of legionnaires catches up with her. Nobody wants to listen to a girl and she’s not allowed to do much. Luckily, she befriends a young Gaul named Odo. But he, too, is full of secrets. When Proconsul Varus arrives, his three legions are set in motion. They cross the river Rhine into Germania Magna. Emperor Augustus wants to establish a Roman Province here, using peaceful means and the superiority of Roman civilisation. But Octavia doesn’t trust the Proconsul’s words, nor does Odo. When Arminius enters the scene, a Germanic prince who was brought up in Rome and leads the Romans’ special forces, Octavia and Odo discover a big conspiracy. But who wants to listen to a Roman girl and an »enemy« boy? Octavia needs to take things into her own hands. Will she prevent a looming catastrophe? Will she be able to save her father and Odo’s family? She may appear weak, but her will is stronger than all of the emperor’s legions.

A coming-of-age adventure story with a strong female lead against the backdrop of the historic Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, where the Roman Empire lost three entire legions because of a conspiracy of one of their commanders with German tribes.

The sequel is set in Rome and dives into the political intrigues surrounding emperor Augustus. Octavia will discover a shocking truth about herself and her mother’s past.