Dr. Christopher Stanley, professor emeritus of Theology and Franciscan Studies, has published the final novel in a historical fiction trilogy that has earned praise from historians and ordinary readers alike. The series, titled “A Slave’s Story,” immerses readers in the experiences of ordinary people in the Roman provinces in the first century A.D., a world Stanley knows well as a social and religious historian of the Roman world.

“I never thought about writing fiction until my wife suggested one day that I try it as a way to bring the ancient world to life for modern readers,” he said. “I had been studying and writing about the world of early Christianity for over 30 years, but shifting to historical fiction allowed me to explore the details of daily life in the provinces in a way that academic writing did not. The story quickly took on a life of its own — I often felt as if I were watching my characters and recording what they said and did rather than creating the story myself.”

The first two books in the trilogy, “A Rooster for Asklepios” and “A Bull for Pluto,” follow a Roman slave named Marcus and his master on an eventful journey across Asia Minor (modern Turkey) in search of healing.  Along the way, Marcus uncovers hidden secrets about his past that send him on a quest for his long-lost family.

In the third book, “A Ram for Mars,” Marcus and his new wife arrive in Israel to discover that the land is seething with resentment against the iron rule of Rome. The outbreak of war a few years later forces Marcus to choose between loyalty to Rome and solidarity with his Jewish friends and family. The story takes place against the background of the cataclysmic Jewish revolt against the Romans in A.D. 66-73.