Rome, 609 AD. Empire is a fading memory. Repeatedly fought over and plundered, the City is falling into ruins. Filth and rubble block the streets. Killers prowl by night. Far off, in Constantinople, the Emperor has other concerns. The Church is the one institution left intact, and is now flexing its own imperial muscle.

Enter Aelric of England: young and beautiful, sexually uninhibited, heroic, if ruthlessly violent He's only here by accident. Without getting that girl pregnant, and the resulting near-miss from King Ethelbert's gelding knife, he might never have left Kent. But here Aelric is, and nothing on earth will send him back.

The question is how long he will stay on earth. A deadly brawl outside Rome sucks him straight into the high politics of Empire. Fraud. Pursuit. Murder after murder. Soon, Aelric is involved in a race against time to find answers. Who is trying to kill him? Where are the letters everyone thinks he has, and what do they contain? Who is the one-eyed man? What significance to all this has the Column of Phocas, the monument just put up in the Forum to celebrate a tyrant's generosity to Holy Mother Church?

Aelric does at last get his answers. What he chooses to do with them will shape the future history of Europe and the world...

Praise for the Novels of Richard Blake

'Fascinating to read, very well written, an intriguing plot and I enjoyed it very much.' - Derek Jacobi, star of I Claudius and Gladiator

'Vivid characters, devious plotting and buckets of gore are enhanced by his unfamiliar choice of period... Nasty, fun and educational.' - The Daily Telegraph

'He knows how to deliver a fast-paced story and his grasp of the period is impressively detailed.' - The Mail on Sunday

'A rollicking and raunchy read... Anyone who enjoys their history with large dollops of action, sex, intrigue and, above all, fun will absolutely love this novel.' - Historical Novels

'It would be hard to over-praise this extraordinary series, a near-perfect blend of historical detail and atmosphere with the plot of a conspiracy thriller, vivid characters, high philosophy and vulgar comedy.' - The Morning Star

Richard Blake is a pseudonym for Sean Gabb, who is an historian, writer and university lecturer. He lives in Kent with his wife and daughter.

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• Literature & FictionAction & AdventureCrime, Thrillers & MysteryCrime
• Literature & FictionClassicsHistorical
• Literature & FictionAction & AdventureLGBTQ+
• Literature & FictionHistorical FictionMystery, Thriller & Suspense
• Literature & FictionAction & AdventureCrime, Thrillers & Mystery(Current)
• Crime, Thriller & MysteryCrime FictionCrime

• Publication Date: November 7, 2021
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 313 Pages
• File Size: 746 KB