The action-filled climax of the epic story of the Batavi uprising in AD 69, from the author of the bestselling Empire series.
‘A masterclass in military historical fiction’ – Sunday Express
Victory is in sight for Kivilaz and his Batavi army. The Roman army clings desperately to its remaining fortresses along the Rhine, its legions riven by dissent and mutiny, and once-loyal allies of Rome are beginning to imagine the unimaginable: freedom from the rulers who have dominated them since the time of Caesar.
The four centurions – two Batavi and two Roman, men who were once comrades in arms – must find their destiny in a maze of loyalties and threats, as the blood tide of war ebbs and flows across Germania and Gaul.
For Rome does not give up its territory lightly. And a new emperor knows that he cannot tolerate any threat to his undisputed power. It can only be a matter of time before Vespasian sends his legions north to exact the empire’s retribution.
(P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
‘A masterclass in military historical fiction’ – Sunday Express
Victory is in sight for Kivilaz and his Batavi army. The Roman army clings desperately to its remaining fortresses along the Rhine, its legions riven by dissent and mutiny, and once-loyal allies of Rome are beginning to imagine the unimaginable: freedom from the rulers who have dominated them since the time of Caesar.
The four centurions – two Batavi and two Roman, men who were once comrades in arms – must find their destiny in a maze of loyalties and threats, as the blood tide of war ebbs and flows across Germania and Gaul.
For Rome does not give up its territory lightly. And a new emperor knows that he cannot tolerate any threat to his undisputed power. It can only be a matter of time before Vespasian sends his legions north to exact the empire’s retribution.
(P)2018 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
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Reviews
Praise for Anthony Riches
A master of the genre
This is fast-paced and gripping "read-through-the-night" fiction, with marvellous characters and occasional moments of dark humour. Some authors are better historians than they are storytellers. Anthony Riches is brilliant at both.
A damn fine read . . . fast-paced, action-packed.
Stands head and shoulders above a crowded field . . . . real, live characters act out their battles on the northern borders with an accuracy of detail and depth of raw emotion that is a rare combination.
Riches highlights the chaos and fragility of an empire without an emperor . . . dense, complicated and rewarding.
This thrilling, insightful and compelling trilogy [...] is a masterclass in military historical fiction and
demonstrates how the trauma of war affected the ordinary Roman soldier.