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All Roads Lead to Rome - eARC


Advance Reader Copy
Unproofed


CLASSIC SF STORIES FOR ANYONE THINKING ABOUT THE ROMAN EMPIRE

Imperium Sine Fine

Step back in time and traverse the stars with classic stories that reimagine the grandeur of the Roman Empire—with a science fiction twist.

From the vastness of interstellar conquests to the intricate politics of alien worlds, these tales blend history and imagination, exploring what might have been if Rome had extended its reach beyond the cosmos.

Join us as we uncover the stories that blend the glory of the past with the possibilities of the future—where the empire never truly fell, but soared among the stars.



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This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

Look for the final version on June 3, 2025

Distributed by Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN-13: 978-1-6680-7269-1

Copyright © 2025 by Hank Davis and David Afsharirad

Story Copyrights:
Introduction: “There’s No Place Like Rome” by Hank Davis is published here for the first time. © 2025 by Hank Davis. Published by permission of the author.
“Ranks of Bronze” by David Drake, originally published in Galaxy magazine, August 1975. © 1975 by David Drake. Reprinted by permission of Joanne Drake.
“L. Sprague de Camp’s Lest Darkness Fall: A Review in Verse” by Randall Garrett, originally published in Science Fiction Stories, September 1956. © 1956 by Randall Garrett. Reprinted by permission of Joshua Bilmes and the JABberwocky Literary Agency for the author’s estate.
“Temporal Discontinuity” by David Weber, originally published in Lest Darkness Fall and Timeless Tales Written in Tribute. CAEZIK SF & Fantasy, 2021. © 2021 by David Weber. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Via Roma” by Robert Silverberg, originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, April 1994. © 1994 by Agberg, Ltd. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“71” by David Brin, originally published in The Baen Books Free Stories, May 2016. © 2016 by David Brin. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“Islands” by Eric Flint, originally published in The Warmasters, edited by Bill Fawcett, Baen Books, 2002. © 2002 by Eric Flint. Reprinted by permission of the author’s estate.
Ave Atque Vale” by Sandra Miesel is published here for the first time. © 2025 by Sandra Miesel. Published by permission of the author.
“A Difficult Undertaking” by Harry Turtledove, originally published in Dragon magazine, September 1986. © 1986 by Harry Turtledove. Reprinted by permission of the author.
“The Wandering Warriors” by Rick Wilber and Alan Smale, originally published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, May 2018. © 2018 by Rick Wilber and Alan Smale. Reprinted by permission of the authors.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

A Baen Books Original
Baen Publishing Enterprises
P.O. Box 1403
Riverdale, NY 10471
http://www.baen.com

Electronic version by Baen Books
http://www.baen.com


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