The shadow of Suburra:God's of Ash
Italy, first century AD. The empire is changing, and the old gods are forgotten. Pompeii, a city sacred to the ancient fire god Pompeil, stands at the fault line between belief and empire.
Dominus Aelius Varro, a ruthless Roman war-commander and former lover of the Queen, serves the emperor without question. He does not believe in gods—only in power, steel, and domination. Bisexual, indulgent, and feared, Varro bends men and women alike to his will, leaving chaos in his wake.
Severian Pyrrhus, Pompeii’s son and legendary legion commander, is bound by blood and ritual to Pompeil. He is equally ruthless and equally bisexual, using sex as tradition, control, and ritual. He believes the god’s wrath is real and imminent—and he will not allow the city to fall without blood.
When Varro enforces imperial reforms that outlaw the old rites, the two men are forced into a volatile alliance. Together, they navigate a city descending into moral rot, lust, violence, and jealousy. Soldiers bleed in ash, women and men become instruments of dominance, and Pompeil’s fury spreads like wildfire.
Their power is unmatched, but so is their envy. Each admires and despises the other’s influence, skill, and audacity. When Livia Caecina, a noblewoman with her own ambitions, threatens to manipulate the fragile balance, they silence her in cold blood—demonstrating that in their world, there is no mercy.
As Pompeii burns, legions clash with sacred warriors, the mountain erupts, and the god demands sacrifice. Varro and Severian eventually turn on each other, testing whose strength, cunning, and belief will survive the flames.
Pompeii will burn.
Only one truth will rule the ashes.