A new Papal Legate has come to Livonia but he is no friend of Conrad Wolff or the Sword Brothers. Grave charges are levelled against the commander of the Army of the Wolf, leading to a series of events that threatens to rip apart the crusader state in the Baltic. For Conrad these are strange times as former enemies become allies and erstwhile allies seek to take advantage of Livonia’s weaknesses to further their own ends. This, the penultimate volume in the Crusader Chronicles series, sees Conrad fighting for his life and the Sword Brothers battling for their very existence against a backdrop of intrigue, international politics and betrayal. Maps of Livonia in the thirteenth century, the Lithuanian kingdoms and the tribal lands of Estonia can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com **About the Author I was raised in Grantham, Lincolnshire and attended the King's Grammar School after passing the Eleven Plus exam. In the latter I clearly remember writing an essay on Oliver Cromwell – my first piece of military writing. Then came a BA in history and international relations at Nottingham followed by a Master of Philosophy course at the University of York. The subject was the generalship and cavalry of Prince Rupert of the Rhine, my boyhood hero, during the English Civil War. The year I spent researching and writing at York, Oxford and at the British Library in London was a truly wonderful time. However, like all great times it eventually came to an end and I was forced to find employment. By this time I was living in London and started work at the London Borough of Haringey. It was hell, but it did allow me to finish my thesis. Then fate took a hand and I landed a job as a research officer with the Defence Intelligence Staff in Whitehall. Writing top-secret intelligence reports was highly exciting, until I realised that their security clearance was so high that only a handful of people were cleared to read them. In 1990, therefore, I decided to apply for a job in the publishing industry as an editor. I joined a small company in said position in the summer of that year and the rest, as they say, is history. I also write under the pen name Steve Crawford, though not every book that has Steve Crawford on the cover is one of mine. 

The story of Pacorus, a prince of the Parthian Empire who is captured by the Romans and sent to Italy to live out the rest of his days as a slave. But fate intervenes and he is freed by a gang of runaway gladiators led by a man named Spartacus. This is the epic tale of the Spartacus slave revolt, as told by the man who fought by his side.This is the story of Pacorus, a prince of the Parthian Empire. When the two mighty empires of Parthia and Rome clash, Pacorus and his warriors are captured and sent to Italy in chains. Landing in Italy near Mount Vesuvius, they are set to endure a living hell in the fields under the overseer's whip. But fate intervenes and they are freed during an attack on the camp of their Roman captors by Spartacus and his followers. Pacorus accepts the offer of Spartacus to raise a force of horsemen to fight with him against the Romans. Thus begins the epic tale of the Spartacus slave revolt, as told by the friend and cavalry general of the slave leader, a tale of love, war, savagery, honour and the eternal quest for freedom.

You know three things, Pacorus: Your ‘army’ totals only one hundred men and one hundred women. No help is coming. The gods are unreliable allies. Can you save the new King of Media, prevent Spartacus from unleashing death and destruction on Armenia, and preserve the peace between Parthia and Rome?

You want peace and a happy retirement, Pacorus? The only way to ensure both is to eradicate your enemies before they have a chance to mobilise. So, are you a warlord or farmer?

Doting father? Man of peace? These things are not you, Pacorus. Have you not heard of the hydra? Cut off one of its heads and two more will replace it. You defeat one enemy and another springs forth to torment you, just as the gods torment you with endless strife.After the defeat of Mark Antony Pacorus has returned to the city of Dura to prepare for a happier campaign: the wedding of his daughter to a prince of a kingdom on the eastern frontier of the Parthian Empire.Pacorus and his family and friends travel to the east to attend the wedding of Princess Isabella, but old scores need to be settled and a new power is rising beyond the Indus that will threaten the empire itself. Can Pacorus and the surviving Companions can save the empire and the reign of the young, duplicitous king of kings from the barbarian hordes in the east?'Usurper' followers on from 'Sons of the Citadel'.

No man can escape his destiny, not even the famed Conrad Wolff whose named is revered and feared in equal measure throughout the Baltic following nearly thirty years of bloodshed.Conrad and the Sword Brothers are now masters of all they survey. The crusader state they have created by the sword is strong and prospering but peace is only temporary, a cruel illusion. The riches of Novgorod, now threatened and weakened by the Mongols, is an irresistible target for Bishop Hermann and the Papacy, leading to a new and bloody crusade against the Russians.For Conrad the appearance of an enemy from his past will reawaken old wounds and a thirst for revenge. But his actions will have a catastrophic effect on the Sword Brothers and will set in train a sequence of events that will lead to a final confrontation between East and West on the frozen surface of Lake Peipus. This battle will be a defining moment not only for Conrad Wolff and the Sword Brothers but also for European history.This, the final volume in the Crusader Chronicles series, sees Conrad and the Army of the Wolf embark upon their final, fateful campaign.

Nothing is forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten. No matter where you are, I will find you. King Pacorus and Queen Gallia have returned to Dura after their narrow escape in the north. The king is glad to be alive but Gallia seethes with resentment and thirsts for vengeance against those who deceived her husband, killed her friends, imperilled the empire and threatened Dura's rulers. And thanks to her own foresight and the assistance of the Scythian Sisters, Gallia has the means to strike back at her enemies, and wastes no time in doing so. But she sets in motion a sequence of events that will have unforeseen consequences, both for Dura and for the Parthian Empire. And for one lowly farmer, his life will change forever. 'Wraiths' is the twelfth volume in the Parthian Chronicles series and follows on from 'Lord of War'. A map of the Parthian Empire in the 1st century BC can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com. __

After the fall of Dorpat to the Sword Brothers in 1224 and the cessation of hostilities with Novgorod, Bishop Albert had established peace throughout Livonia and Estonia. His crusader kingdom had expanded to cover an area from the River Dvina north to the gates of Reval. But that place was still under Danish control and there was a festering resentment between the Danes and the Sword Brothers.Estonia may be at peace but Conrad Wolff, now a master of the Sword Brothers, seethes with anger against a wrong committed against him and his friends. The aftermath will lead to Livonia and Estonia being dragged into international politics as the Papacy intervenes in the affairs of the Sword Brothers and Livonia.Meanwhile a frustrating war continues against the pagan Lithuanians in the south, a conflict that puts a severe strain on the resources of the Sword Brothers. But it is in the north where a crisis suddenly develops, resulting in Conrad and his order facing annihilation in the freezing wastes. Against this dire backdrop Conrad is forced to make a decision that will have major ramifications for both him and the Sword Brothers. And in the aftermath of that decision a giant of the crusader kingdom in the Baltic leaves the stage.‘Master of Mayhem’ is the fourth volume of the Crusader Chronicles and continues the story of Conrad Wolff and the Baltic Crusade in the first half of the thirteenth century.

War is a jealous lover who is reluctant to release me from her embrace. Pacorus fights for the very survival of the Parthian Empire. ‘Sarmatian’ is the thirteenth volume in the Parthian Chronicles series and follows on from ‘Lord of War’.