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. 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 they 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 and Aulus, now Rome’s most successful general, 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 her life 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 - for Aulus, the doom-laden prophecy of forty years earlier has come to pass. It is now left to Lucius to defy the oracle's curse alone, and the corrupt and powerful senator leaves nothing to change in his bid to survive. But one boy, alone in the world, holds the key to his fate, and the future of the Roman Republic.

Three fearless men are drawn into the endless battles of ancient Rome's Fiery War, fighting for power, for victory, for survival - and above all, for honour. Brennos, the barbarian leader of the Celtic tribes, faces bloody personal consequences when his enemies hatch a vicious assassination plot. Aquila, now fighting for Rome, carries with him his lucky talisman; a golden amulet shaped like an eagle in flight, the only clue to his true identity. And Marcellus, son of Rome's most powerful senator, must find within himself the ability to lead men into battle - and to win.