In the year AD 406 Rome was on the defensive everywhere and a single Roman legion stood desperate guard on the Empire's Rhine frontier. Maximus, the legion's commander, is urged to proclaim himself emperor, but he stands by his concept of duty and holds the frontier for longer than seems possible. Then chance plays a cruel trick.
A novel about General Maximus, one of the inspirations behind Ridley Scott's massively successful film GLADIATOR.'Behind me I left my youth, my middle age, my wife and my happiness. I was a general now and I had only defeat or victory to look forward to. There was no middle way any longer, and I did not care.'In the year AD 406 Rome was on the defensive everywhere, and a single Roman legion stood desperate guard on the Empire's Rhine frontier. Maximus, the legion's commander, is urged to proclaim himself emperor, but he stands by his concept of duty and holds the frontier for longer than seems possible. Then chance plays a cruel trick.
The year is 406, and the hero of this remarkable historical novel (soon to become a film) is the commander Maximus. Only a single Roman legion stands guard on the Rhine, and these few men, led by the determined general, must somehow hold off the barbarian hordes. A taut and gripping story of the fall of the Roman empire, as seen through Maximus's eyes.