Where to Start with Bruce MacBain
Bruce MacBain wrote two distinct historical fiction series during his writing career, drawing heavily on his academic background as a classical scholar and ancient history professor. Because his two series are set in entirely different eras and cultural landscapes—one in ancient Rome and the other in the 11th-century Viking world—there is no overlapping continuity between them. You can start with either series depending on your preference for political intrigue in the Roman Empire or shield-wall battles across the Norse world.
For readers who prefer atmospheric murder mysteries with a historical detective, start with Roman Games, the opening novel of the Plinius Secundus series. If you prefer sprawling, travel-heavy epic adventures with a touch of dry wit, begin with Odin's Child, the first book in the Odd Tangle-Hair Saga.
The Plinius Secundus Roman Mysteries
This series stars the real-life historical figure Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (better known to modern readers as Pliny the Younger) in the role of an investigator. MacBain uses Pliny's historical career to anchor the stories in reality. Rather than a traditional, action-first detective, Pliny is portrayed as a scholarly, somewhat reluctant sleuth navigating the dangerous political currents of Rome. These novels should be read in publication order, which also matches their chronological sequence.
1. Roman Games (2010)
Set in Rome during the autumn of 96 AD, under the tyrannical reign of Emperor Domitian. Pliny the Younger is tasked with investigating the murder of a prominent senatorial informer. He is given only fifteen days to solve the crime—the duration of the annual Roman Games (Ludi Romani)—before the city's courts resume and chaos erupts. In his search, Pliny is aided by the famous Roman epigrammatist and poet Martial, who helps him navigate the city's gritty underbelly.
2. The Bull Slayer (2013)
This sequel jumps forward fourteen years to approximately 110 AD. Pliny has been appointed by Emperor Trajan as the Governor of Bithynia-Pontus (located in modern-day Turkey). When a high-ranking Roman official is found murdered, Pliny must investigate the crime amid local political corruption, simmering anti-Roman sentiment, and the growing influence of the mystery cult of Mithras. In this installment, Pliny is assisted by another famous historical figure: the biographer Suetonius, who serves as his personal secretary.
Odd Tangle-Hair's Saga (Viking Trilogy)
The Odd Tangle-Hair Saga is a highly sequential historical trilogy that traces the life and long journey of Odd Tangle-Hair, an 11th-century Icelandic skald (court poet) and warrior. Unlike the self-contained mysteries of the Pliny books, this trilogy is a continuous, chronological narrative following a single epic journey east from Iceland to Constantinople. You must read these books in order to follow the character arc and the progression of his travels.
1. Odin's Child (2015)
The saga begins in the early 11th century in Iceland, a land caught in the tense transition between old Norse paganism and the newly introduced Christian faith. Odd, the son of a former warrior, is forced to flee his homeland after a dispute with a local chieftain turns bloody. Driven into exile, Odd's wanderings take him across Scandinavia, through Lapland, Norway, and Finland, as he seeks to survive and make a name for himself in a harsh world.
2. The Ice Queen (2015)
Continuing his eastward journey, Odd arrives in Russia, where he enters the service of the historical Norse prince Harald Sigurdsson (later known as Harald Hardrada, or Harald the Ruthless). Serving as Harald's court poet, Odd is caught in a high-stakes power struggle between the ambitious prince and Princess Ingigerd of Novgorod. The narrative features the defense of Kiev against nomadic Pecheneg warriors and ends with Odd and Harald embarking down the Dnieper River toward the Black Sea.
3. The Varangian (2016)
The final volume finds Odd in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire (known to the Vikings as Miklagard). Odd and Harald join the elite Varangian Guard, the personal bodyguards of the Byzantine Emperor. Odd is thrust into the center of imperial politics, court conspiracies, street riots, and military campaigns. The book is written from Odd's older, deeply ironic perspective as he reflects on the battles, fortunes, and betrayals of his youth.
What to Know Before You Start
MacBain's historical fiction stands out for its high level of historical accuracy. Having earned a PhD in Ancient History from the University of Pennsylvania and spent years teaching at Vanderbilt and Boston Universities, MacBain filled his novels with accurate details of daily life, political systems, religious practices, and social structures. However, his work avoids dry exposition. Both series are written with a dry, often cynical sense of humor that makes the ancient world feel immediate and populated by flawed, recognizable human beings.
While the Plinius Secundus series features Pliny the Younger as a detective, it also serves as a portrait of a changing empire, transitioning from the paranoia of Domitian's final years to the administrative reforms of Trajan. In the same way, the Odd Tangle-Hair trilogy serves as an expansive travelogue of the 11th-century trade routes, detailing how connected the Viking world was to the courts of Russia and the wealth of Byzantium.