Republic
3 total works
Lucius Falerius is dead, and Rome in its entirety mourns the passing of its most powerful senator. It falls to his young son Marcellus to carry out his father’s legacy and restore the rights promised to the defeated Sicilian slaves, yet there are those who will not see the honour of Rome compromised and the slaves assuaged.
On the Roman border provinces there is also trouble, and the legions move north to neutralize the threat posed by the Celts. The confederation of Celtic tribes is united under one chieftain, the formidable and unpredictable Brennos, but a plot is being crafted to see him dead and the confederation broken. For Brennos, the treachery comes from within his own family, for which he will exact a brutal and bloody revenge.
Meanwhile Aquila, accompanied by his ‘nephew,’ Fabius, finds himself under the command of a young tribune who bears the same name as the man responsible for the death of his old friend and mentor. And still there remains the question of the eagle charm he wears around his neck—the only clue as to his real identity.
With barbarians at the gate and enemies within, two men must fight for the soul of the Republic and the greatest empire in the world.
Inside a cave hacked out of the rock, lit by flickering torches, two young boys appeal to the famed Roman oracle for a glimpse into their future. The Sybil draws a blood-red shape of an eagle with wings outstretched: an omen of death. As the boys flee from the cave in fear, Aulus and Lucius make an oath of loyalty until death—an oath that will be tested in the years to come.
Thirty years on, Aulus is Rome’s most successful general and faces his toughest battle. Barbarian rebels have captured his wife and are demanding the withdrawal of Roman legions from their land in return for her life. It is unthinkable for Aulus to agree, and he fears his beloved must be forfeit to Rome. Meanwhile, Lucius has risen to high rank in the Senate, a position he uses and abuses. But when Lucius is suspected of arranging a murder, the very foundations of the Republic are threatened. Lucius and Aulus soon find themselves on very different sides of the conflict—perhaps the prophecy of the eagle will come true after all.
History and adventure, brutality and courage combine to powerful effect, making The Pillars of Rome an outstanding opening to the Republic series.
Rome has lost its greatest warrior; Aulus Cornelius is dead. Although he is hailed as a hero, the stench of betrayal by cowardly governor Flaminus lingers heavy in the air. The death of their father has left Aulus’s sons, Quintus and Titus, with new and grave responsibilities. While Titus swears vengeance against Flaminus and aims to be as great a general as his father, Quintus chooses to pursue politics—under the guidance of Lucius Falerius, now the most powerful senator in Rome.
Despite his fortune, Lucius is still haunted by the prophecy that binds his fate to Aulus’s. And as he trains his son, Marcellus, in the ways of wielding their immense power, he manipulates the Cornelius family in an attempt to achieve his own goals.
Meanwhile, the young Aquila broods over his mother’s deathbed revelation. With only memories and a mysterious eagle amulet left to him, Aquila joins a band of mercenaries. Unknowingly he heads straight into the heart of a slave uprising and takes a step closer to a destiny entwined with the fate of the great Roman Republic.