The Last of the Romans by Derek Birks

The Last of the Romans by Derek Birks

454 AD. Northern Italy.

Dux Ambrosius Aurelianus has served the Roman Empire with distinction.

His bucellarii, a small band of irregular soldiers, have helped to bring a fragile peace to the beleaguered empire in the west. But, with the empire now at peace, his master, Flavius Aetius, decides to chain up his dogs of war.

Ambrosius and his men are left to idle away their days in a rural backwater, but Ambrosius' boredom is brutally swept aside when old rivals seize the opportunity to destroy him. Pursued as a traitor by the imperial guard, Ambrosius takes his loyal band, along with other dissident soldiers and a Saxon girl, Inga, into the mountains.

Since nowhere is safe, Ambrosius travels north, across the crumbling ruins of the empire, to his estranged family in Gaul. But there too, he finds nothing but conflict, for his home town is now besieged by a small army of rebellious Franks.

Freedom and peace seem a world away. Whatever course the soldier takes, Ambrosius and his bucellarii will need to muster all their strength and skill to survive.

At the twilight of the empire, they may be the Last of the Romans.

Birks, Derek: - Derek was born in Hampshire in England but spent his teenage years in Auckland, New Zealand, where he still has strong family ties. On his return to England, after eight years abroad, he read history at Reading University. As long as he can remember, Derek has loved books and he always wanted to write. By the age of 17, he was writing stories, songs, poetry - in fact virtually anything. Inevitably, after university, work and family life took precedence and for many years he taught history in a secondary school. Though he enjoyed teaching immensely, he also found a creative outlet in theatrical activities: stage-managing musicals and outdoor Shakespeare, including a performance of Henry VIII for the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 at Windsor Castle. In 2010 Derek took early retirement from his teaching career to concentrate on writing. He aims to write action-packed fiction, rooted in accurate history. Though he is interested in everything historical, his particular favourite is the late medieval period. His 4-book series, entitled Rebels and Brothers, is set during the Wars of the Roses and is now writing another Wars of the Roses series: The Craft of Kings. Apart from his writing, he enjoys travelling - often to carry out research for his books - and also spends his time gardening, walking and taking part in archaeological digs.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781910944431
ISBN 10	1910944432
Title	The Last of the Romans
Author	Derek Birks
Series	The Last Of The Romans
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Derek Birks
Year published	2019-09-30
Number of pages	314
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.