Harry Sidebottom

"Rome AD 238 AD. The year of the Six Emperors. The empire is in turmoil. With the Gordiani, father and son, dead in Africa, the tyrant Maximinus Thrax vies to reclaim the throne. The Senate, who supported the revolt of the Gordiani, must act quickly to avoid the vengeance of Maximinus. They elect two Senators to share the imperial purple. But fighting erupts in the streets as ambitious men call for violent revolution. Can the new Augusti hold the city together as the empire's farthest territories fight off bloody attacks from the Goths and Persians in the east? In the north of Italy, Maximinus descends on Aquileia. Against the odds, Menophilus, an old friend of the younger Gordian, prepares to defend the town. In one of the greatest sieges of the empire, its fate will be decided in a fight for victory, for revenge, for Rome. Filled with intrigue, betrayal and bloody battle, Fire and Sword creates a magnificent world built on brutality and political games, where no one is safe from retribution--not even those who dare to rule."--Book jacket flap.

In spring AD 235, a surprise attack and the brutal murder of Emperor Alexander and his mother ends the Severan dynasty and shatters four decades of Roman certainty. Military hero Maximinus Thrax is the first Caesar risen from the barracks. A simple man of steel and violence, he will fight for Rome unconditionally. The Senators praise the new Emperor with elaborate oratory, but will any of them accept a Caesar who was once a shepherd boy? In the north, as the merciless war against the barbarians consumes men and treasure, rebellion and personal tragedy drive Maximinus to desperate extremes, bloody revenge, and the borders of sanity.

A lone figure stands silhouetted atop the Mausoleum of Hadrian. Behind him, the sun is setting over the centre of the known world. Far below, the river is in full flood. The City of Rome lies spread out before him on the far bank. Footsteps pound up the stairs. He's been set up. An enemy is closing in; he is cornered. He jumps. Bruised and battered, he crawls out of the raging river. He is alone and unarmed, without money or friends, trapped in a deadly conspiracy at the heart of the Empire. The City Watch has orders to take him alive; other, more sinister, forces want him dead. As the day dies, he realises he has only 24 hours to expose the conspirators, and save the leader of the world. If the Emperor dies, chaos and violence will ensue. If the Emperor dies, every single person he loves will die. He must run, bluff, hide and fight his way across the Seven Hills. He must reach the Colosseum, and the Emperor. He must make it to The Last Hour.

Rome, AD238. An assassin masked as Emperor Maximinus' messenger murders the Prefect and announces to Rome that their Emperor is dead in the north and that Gordian I and II have taken the Throne of the Caesars. But Maximinus is not dead. Secretly he is gathering an army on the banks of the Danube waiting for his moment to strike on the Goths. In Rome, the Gordiani are enthroned and Maximus denounced as an enemy of the state along with any known followers. As bloodshed ensues on the streets, and news spreads back to Maximinus, tension rise in the fight for the imperial purple, which will culminate in a mighty battle of Carthage.

The Roman soldier Ballista is sent to the threatened citadel of Arete in A.D. 255 to shore up its defenses against the massing Persian empire.

"Focused on both land and sea battle narratives of the classical world, this two-volume reference covers Archaic Greece in the eighth century BC to the rise of Islam in the seventh century AD."--Provided by the publisher.

"AD 260 - Mesopotamia. Betrayed by his most trusted adviser, the Roman Emperor Valerian has been captured by the Sassanid barbarians. The shame of the vanquished beats down mercilessly like the white sun, as the frail old Emperor prostrates himself before Sharpur, King of Kings. Ballista looks on helplessly, but vows under his breath to avenge those who have brought the Empire to the brink of destruction with their treachery ... But first he must decide what price he will pay for his own freedom. Only the fearless and only those whom the gods will spare from hell can now save the Empire from a catastrophic ending."--Publisher description.

In the fifth novel in Harry Sidebottom's acclaimed and bestselling Warrior of Rome historical fiction series, Ballista returns to undertake yet another epic mission -- while the Roman Empire reels in chaos around him. In AD 263, the Roman Empire is close to turmoil, violent uprising threatening to shatter the fragile balance of power. In the north, the tribes are increasingly bold in their raids on the Imperium. Ballista must undertake his most treacherous journey yet. He must face the Heruli -- the Eaters of Flesh, the Wolves of the North -- the most brutal tribe of them all, and try to turn them against one another. As Ballista and his retinue make their journey, someone -- or something -- is hunting them, picking them off one by one, and leaving a trail of mutilated corpses and terror. Ballista is in a strange land, among strange people, but is it possible that the greatest threat may come from within his own circle? Renowned for their skilled blending of action and historical accuracy, Sidebottom's Warrior of Rome novels take the reader from the shouts of the battlefield to the whisperings of the emperor's inner circle. Rich in detail and punctuated by harrowing action, there's no better way to transport yourself back to the days of the Roman Empire.

1 volume ; 20 cm

"In the sixth novel in Harry Sidebottom's acclaimed and bestselling Warrior of Rome historical fiction series, Ballista returns to undertake yet another epic mission-while the Roman Empire reels in chaos around him. In AD 264, the Roman Empire has been torn in two. The western provinces-Gaul, Spain and Britain-have been seized by Postumus, the pretender to the throne. To the east, on the plains of northern Italy, the armies of the emperor Gallienus muster and he is keen to take his rightful place of power. A war between two emperors is coming and everyone must choose a side. On a mission shrouded in secrecy and suspicion, Ballista is sent by Gallienus back to his original home of Hyperborea, the place of the people of his birth to raise an army against Postumus. This means that Ballista must journey along The Amber Road to the far north. Along the way Ballista meets a fearsome, masked warlord who attacks, bringing fire and sword against Ballista and his men. And in his home of Hyperborea not all welcome Ballista's return. In the battle between Postumus and Gallienus only one can survive and be emperor. Renowned for their skilled blending of action and historical accuracy, Sidebottom's Warrior of Rome novels take the reader from the shouts of the battlefield to the whisperings of the emperor's inner circle. Rich in detail and punctuated by harrowing action, there's no better way to transport yourself back to the days of the Roman Empire"--

"This book explores the ways in which ancient society thought about conflict. Many aspects of ancient warfare are examined from philosophy to the technical skills needed to fight"--Provided by publisher.

AD262 - the Imperium is in turmoil after the struggle for the throne. Furthermore, Ephesus, Asia's metropolis, lies in ruins, shattered by a mighty earthquake. Its citizens live in fear as the mob overwhelms the city, baying for blood to avenge the gods who have punished them. Yet an even greater threat to the Empire advances from the North. The barbaric Goth tribes sail towards Ephesus, determined to pillage the city. Only Ballista, Warrior of Rome, knows the ways of the barbarians, and only he can defeat them.