In Mesopotamia, AD 260, Ballista faces yet another enemy, the man the Syrians call the Lion of the Sun.
Betrayed by his most trusted advisor, Roman Emperor Valerian has been captured by the Sassanid barbarians. The shame of the vanquished beats down mercilessly like the desert sun as the frail old emperor prostrates himself before Shapur, king of kings. Ballista looks on helplessly but vows under his breath to avenge those who have brought the empire to the brink of destruction with their treachery. But first he must decide what price he will pay for his own freedom. Only the fearless and only those whom the gods will spare from hell can now save the empire from a catastrophic ending. Ballista, the warrior of Rome, faces his greatest challenge yet.
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"Didn't realise this was the third in the series until I was a fair way into the book. In saying so, it's works pretty well as a standalone book. Interesting period to cover too. Not many authors, as far as I know, tackle the subject of the Crisis of the Third Century."
— Peter (4 out of 5 stars)
“The qualities a writer of such stories needs—imagination stimulated through the soles of his feet as he walks the scenes of his tale, and a sound knowledge of the period—are abundantly possessed by Sidebottom.”
— Times Literary Supplement (London)“A book to keep you up well past your bedtime…I loved it…It is the aspiration of every academic I know to turn his subject into blockbuster fiction…Harry Sidebottom…must be the envy of his peers.”
— Evening Standard (London)“Harry Sidebottom’s epic tale starts with a chilling assassination and goes on, and up, from there.”
— Mary Beard, author of The Roman Triumph" This is one of the best of the series thus far. Very intriguing. "
— Mike, 10/11/2013" really good book, and when all looks lost, plenty of twists! "
— Sam, 9/7/2013" I liked it and would recommend it to any one who likes or is interested in Roman Fiction and or History. The battles descriptions are good but none that would make a good or fun table top game. "
— David, 5/14/2012" Wbrew obiegowym/internetowym opiniom, mnie sie podobala. "
— Artur, 10/24/2011" Didn't realise this was the third book in the series, thoroughly enjoyed it though. Going back to read the first two now! "
— Antimony, 7/25/2011" It was wondeul reading, as always. <br/>Love the characters, they're so familiar by now, and the action and the humor - which I like the most. "
— Marina, 2/22/2011" really good book, and when all looks lost, plenty of twists! "
— Sam, 1/26/2011Harry Sidebottom received his doctorate in ancient history at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He has taught at various universities, including his alma mater, where he is now a fellow and director of studies in ancient history at St. Benet's Hall and lecturer in ancient history at Lincoln College.
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.