Nero and Sporus
The Complete Epic of the Slave who became an Empress in Imperial Rome
by S.P. Somtow
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Pub Date 30 May 2025 | Archive Date 30 Jun 2025
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Description
Finally available in one volume! The decadence of Imperial Rome comes to life in S.P. Somtow's Literary Titan Award-winning novel about one of ancient history's wildest characters.
The historian Suetonius tells us that the Emperor Nero emasculated and married his slave Sporus, the spitting image of murdered Empress Poppaea. But history has more tidbits about Sporus, who went from "puer delicatus" to Empress to one Emperor and concubine to another, and ended up being sentenced to play the Earth-Goddess in the arena.
from Literary Titan
"If you like your historical fiction brutal and beautiful, if you’re into mythology reimagined through a queer lens, if you can handle morally messy characters and poetic trauma—this is for you. Fans of Mary Renault, Madeline Miller, or even Game of Thrones … will find something to love here."
Advance Praise
Praise for the separately published installments of Nero and Sporus
"a skillful, carefully researched story from a talented author" — Fiona Alison, Historical Novels Review
"One of the best period piece novels we've ever read!" — Outstanding Creator Awards
"If you like your historical fiction brutal and beautiful, if you're into mythology reimagined through a queer lens, if you can handle morally messy characters and poetic trauma—this is for you. Fans of Mary Renault, Madeline Miller, or even Game of Thrones at its sharpest will probably find something to love here. But it's also for people who want to feel something deep and uncomfortable. I'm not gonna lie, it's sometimes hard to stomach—but I didn't want to look away."
— Literary Titan
Marketing Plan
Originally, published as three separate books, Nero and Sporus won three Literary Titan Awards, an Outstanding Creator Award, Pencraft Book of the Year Award and Firebird Book Award for Best Historical Novel. It has finally been reissued in a single volume.
You can find more information about the author at www.somtow.com
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781940999937 |
| PRICE | US$3.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 752 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Nemra N, Reviewer
S.P. Somtow's *Nero and Sporus* is an ambitious, sprawling historical novel that delves deep into the decadent twilight of Imperial Rome. With vivid prose and psychological intensity, Somtow reimagines the controversial relationship between Emperor Nero and Sporus, the boy he castrated and took as a consort, not as a historical footnote but as the emotional and moral core of a richly layered narrative.
Far more than a retelling of scandalous history, the novel explores themes of identity, abuse, love, trauma, and the nature of power. Somtow paints Nero not simply as a mad tyrant but as a complex, often pitiable figure, while Sporus becomes a surprisingly nuanced and tragic character navigating a world of violence and spectacle.
Dark, disturbing, and often lyrical, *Nero and Sporus* is both a character study and a cultural critique, unflinching in its portrayal of Rome's moral collapse — and eerily resonant in the modern age.
