Praetorian

by Richard Foreman

Book 1 in the Sword of Empire series.

Buy the book from:

Amazon

In 171 CE Germanic armies have crossed the Danube and Marcus Aurelius is struggling to reverse Roman defeats. The emperor sends the praetorian centurion Gaius Maximus to escort the son and daughter of a powerful tribal leader through hostile territory. Their safe return may secure an alliance capable of changing the balance of the Marcomannic Wars.

Maximus must protect people regarded as enemies while contending with Roman factions that prefer the mission to fail. The journey turns diplomacy into a military ordeal and exposes divisions within the imperial command. The first Sword of Empire novella contrasts Marcus Aurelius’s strategic patience with the demand for immediate victories from the Senate, army and Roman population.