An interesting subset of historical novels are those written by historians. Peter Green (b. 1924) is known for books on the Classical Age. I have his Alexander to Actium and The Greco-Persian Wars on my shelves.

Green has written three historical novels. I have been meaning to track down and read The Sword of Pleasure for years. This is his second historical novel. Originally published in hardback in 1957, there was a Penguin paperback in 1961 in the U.K. and a U..S. paperback edition from 1962. There do not appear to be any more editions since then.

The Sword of Pleasure is a fictionalized account of the life of Lucius Cornelius Sulla (138- 78 B.C.). Sulla has a bad reputation, John Maddox Roberts’ SPQR novels mention Sulla’s proscriptions. Green gives Sulla’s side of the story.

Scion of a destitute branch of the Cornelia gens, Sulla despite a humble youth managed to be well educated. The novel follows his rise as he has a military command in North Africa under Marius in the Jugurthine War. Marius is portrayed as a bore but a competent bore. There is action in the North African desert. The war with the Cimbri and Teutones follows almost immediately including the Battle of Vercellae where the Cimbri were destroyed.

Next is the Social War in Italy. I did not realize how big a part Sulla played in that conflict. The war with Mithradates of Pontus including the siege of Athen, defeat of Mithradates army at Chaeronea, and then then peace after negotiating with Mithradates.

One scene of dialog between Sulla and Mithradates has this prescient line:

“That the government whose traditions you so admire is dead, finished, useless. An army may sustain it for a while; but nothing else can. Rome has lost her belief in the old ways.”

Sulla returns with his legions to Italy to remove the Marian consuls. Green devotes some space to Sulla explaining his side of the proscriptions that criminals were dealt with.

I was able to read The Sword of Pleasure at archive.org. Copies of this novel are not cheap. I am glad I read it. I have discussed with Richard who has  had guest blog posts here about a series of historical reprints. I would add The Sword of Pleasure to that list.

I do have Green’s Achilles His Armour waiting to be read. Reading about the unraveling of the Roman Republic due to factionalism has a certain sense of added significance these days.