Michael Curtis Ford

Michael Curtis Ford is an American historical novelist whose fiction concentrates on the military and political history of ancient Greece and Rome. Before becoming a novelist, he worked in several occupations, including as a labourer, ski patrolman, musician, banker, Latin teacher and translator, and studied economics and linguistics. His detailed knowledge of ancient warfare informs novels that combine large-scale battles with the personal experiences of soldiers, rulers and political rivals.

Ford made his debut with The Ten Thousand, a retelling of Xenophon’s hazardous march through the Persian Empire. His later novels include Gods and Legions, centred on the emperor Julian; The Last King, about Mithridates VI and his wars against Rome; The Sword of Attila, which depicts the conflict between Attila and the Roman general Aetius; and The Fall of Rome, set during the final decades of the Western Roman Empire. His work is particularly associated with fast-moving military narratives, carefully reconstructed campaigns and the instability of the ancient Mediterranean world.