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,...

A tense and brilliantly dramatic short story from the bestselling author of the Throne of the Caesars Series. Maximinus Thrax is desperate to raise money for the army, but his advisors dissuade him from taxation, fearing another uprising. The spy Censorinus is sent to Abonouteichus to steal the secrets of rich and powerful men who have confided in the oracle there.

The sensational breakout historical thriller from Sunday Times bestseller and Ancient Rome expert Harry Sidebottom - now available to pre-order in hardback, eBook and audiobook.______________________He came home a hero.But death isn't finished with him yet . . .145BC - CALABRIA, ANCIENT ROME. After years of spilling blood for Rome, Gaius Furius Paullus has returned home to spend his remaining days working quietly on the family farm.But it seems death has stalked Paullus from the battlefield. Just days after his arrival, bodies start appearing - murdered and mutilated. And as the deaths stack up, and panic spreads, the war hero becomes the prime suspect. After all, Paullus has killed countless enemies on the battlefield - could he have brought his habit home with him?With the psychological effects of combat clouding every thought, Paullus must use all his soldier's instincts to hunt the real killer. Because if...

A battle-hardened soldier has just 24 hours to expose a deadly conspiracy at the heart of the Roman Empire in this brilliantly gripping historical thriller from Sunday Times bestseller and Ancient Rome expert, Harry Sidebottom.________________________ 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...

Reknown 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 whispering of the emperor's inner circle.

FOR A KING TO RISE, ALEXANDER THE GREAT MUST FALL . . .The new historical fiction epic from one of Britain's best-loved authors shines new light on the greatest hero of the Ancient World, Alexander The Great._____________________334 BC. Alexander the Great is just twenty-one years old when he sets out with a small army to challenge Persia, the largest and most powerful empire in the world.Together, his Macedonian army marches East into the unknown - winning battles against overwhelming odds, storming impregnable fortresses from the Aegean through to India.But there is another Alexander. Prince of the Macedonian royal house of Lyncestis, he becomes Alexander the Great's general and most trusted friend.Alexander of Lyncestis is torn: between this friendship and the duty to avenge his murdered brothers. And he is under threat, too. Others - Persians, Greeks, Macedonians - see him as a rival for the throne. For six years of conspiracy and battle,...

The thrilling new historical adventure in the Warrior of Rome series from Sunday Times bestseller Harry Sidebottom.*** 'What Bernard Cornwell is to the Napoleonic Wars, Harry Sidebottom is to Roman legions: unassailable' - THE TIMES ***_________________________________AD 265, Gaul - The Roman Empire is on the brink.Emperor Gallienus has amassed a huge army across the Alps to seize back the mountains from the usurper Postumus.War has come.Ballista and his cavalry are on the frontline, battling in the most brutal of conditions. But if he is to survive the campaign and finally retire to his beloved Sicily, it's not just the battlefield he needs to navigate.As he and Praetorian Prefect Volusianus lay siege to Postumus' armies, it becomes clear the greatest threat to Ballista's life might just come from within his ranks. After all, Volusianus has shown he will go to any distance for his own ends. Is Ballista just another pawn in...

A desperate rescue attempt deep behind enemy lines . . . a nail-biting adventure with all the hard-edged appeal of Bravo Two Zero When Valens, a junior officer in the Roman Army, joins a crack squad of soldiers on a dangerous mission, little does he know what's in store for him. Tasked with rescuing the young Prince Sasan, who has been imprisoned in the impenetrable Castle of Silence, the troops set out across Mesopotamia and into the mountains south of the Caspian Sea. Deep in hostile territory, inexperienced Valens finds himself in charge. And as one by one his soldiers die or disappear, he begins to suspect that there is a traitor in their midst, and that the rescue is fast becoming a suicide mission. Valens must marshal this disparate group of men and earn their respect, before it's too late . . . From the author of The Last Hour comes another fast-paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. For readers of Bernard...

The shame of the vanquished beats down mercilessly, as the frail old emperor prostrates himself before Shapur, 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. Ballista, the Warrior of Rome, faces his greatest challenge yet.

'Absorbing and brilliant ... Game of Thrones without the dragons' THE TIMES The third book in Sidebottom's epic series set in third century Rome; a dramatic era of murder, coup, counter-rebellions and civil war. Rome AD238. 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 the 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...

A tense and brilliantly dramatic short story from the bestselling author of the Throne of the Caesars Series. Maximinus Thrax is desperate to raise money for the army, but his advisors dissuade him from taxation, fearing another uprising. The spy Censorinus is sent to Abonouteichus to steal the secrets of rich and powerful men who have confided in the oracle there.