Part of Series
Aurelian, Emperor of Rome, has one last enemy left to conquer: in Gaul, the usurper Tetricus holds sway, and Aurelian will need every last man if he is to unify his domain and bring peace to the Empire. One of those men is Cassius Corbulo, now seconded to the legion of Prefect Venator in southern Gaul. When a leading general is abducted on the eve of battle, Cassius is ordered to find and rescue him before the enemy gain crucial intelligence. As ever he is accompanied by attendant Simo and Indavara, the ex-gladiator bodyguard. After a punishing few years, both Cassius and Indavara doubt themselves: do they still have the strength and courage to survive this deadly mission behind enemy lines? Their foe is Volosus: a veteran agent as resourceful as Cassius but far more ruthless. If he is victorious, Tetricus will gain a crucial advantage that might turn the tide of the coming war. Who will survive the Last Battle?
Author
Nick was born in Norwich in 1974. A keen reader from a young age, he graduated from Enid Blyton to Douglas Hill and JRR Tolkien, and from there to Ian Fleming, Michael Crichton and C.J. Sansom. After three years studying in Brighton, he travelled to Nepal where he worked at an orphanage and trekked to Mount Everest. After qualifying as a history teacher in 2000, he worked for five years in England before taking up a post at an international school in Warsaw. Nick had completed a few screenplays and a futuristic thriller before being inspired to try historical fiction after reading C.J. Sansom’s Dissolution: “Researching the Roman army and life in the third century was a fascinating but time-consuming project and the book went through many drafts before arriving at its final form. I had always intended Cassius to be a somewhat atypical protagonist and when I came across the research about the Roman ‘secret service’, I knew I’d found an ideal vocation for my reluctant hero.” If he’s not writing he might be found at the cinema, in a pub or playing football. Nick is represented by the David Grossman Literary Agency (general@dglal.co.uk) Follow Nick on Twitter @randomrome or Agent of Rome on Facebook.
