The Forgotten Legion : (The Forgotten Legion Chronicles No. 1) – Kane Ben (2011)

Romulus and Fabiola are twins, born into slavery after their mother is raped by a drunken nobleman. At thirteen, they are sold: Romulus to a gladiator school and Fabiola into prostitution, where she catches the eye of one of the most powerful men in Rome. Tarquinius is an Etruscan warrior and soothsayer, born an enemy of Rome but condemned to fight for the Republic in the Forgotten Legion. Brennus is a Gaul whose entire family has been killed by the Romans, and he rises to become one of the most famous and feared gladiators of his day. Their lives are bound together in an odyssey that begins in a Rome torn by political corruption and violence and ends far away, at the very edge of the known world. There, the tattered remnants of a once-vast Roman army, the Forgotten Legion, fight against overwhelming odds, and the three men meet their destiny. Ben Kane was born in Kenya and raised there and in Ireland. He studied veterinary medicine at University College Dublin, then travelled extensively, pursuing his passion for ancient history. He now lives in North Somerset, where he researches, writes and works as a small-animal vet. Born from a lifelong fascination with military history, especially Roman history, The Forgotten Legion is his first novel.