From the bestselling author of WARRIOR OF ROME comes the second book in an epic
new series set in third century Rome; a dramatic era of murder, coup, counter-re
bellions and civil war.In a world of battle and betrayal men will fight - and ki
ll - to sit on the Throne of the Caesars.Rome, AD238Emperor Maximinus' reign han
gs in the balance. At the helm of an empire that is bleeding manpower and money
to sustain his wars in the north, rebellions flare in the far reaches of its ter
ritories.In Africa, Gordian the Elder and Younger are proclaimed as the new Augu
sti. A family descending from the imperial bloodline, they represent a chance fo
r the establishment to take back the empire.In Rome, the first blood of the revo
lt is shed when an assassin murders Maximinus' prefect and announces to Rome tha
t their ruler is dead and the Gordians have taken the throne.
Still bitter at
having a soldier from the barracks wearing the imperial purple, the Senate endo
rses the rebellion: the Gordiani are hailed as Emperors.But as chaos descends on
the capital, news reaches Maximinus of the betrayal. A man of war, he acts with
decisive brutality and violence. On the dusty plains outside Carthage, bloody b
attle will determine the fate of the Roman empire.
