The Arms of Quirinus

Book excerpt: The Arms of Quirinus spins the tale of young Romulus, Rome's first king, who took the rulership and built Mars' own city, calling his people Romans after his own name and fostering the nation that wore the toga. This fresh retelling of a classic story brings to life immortal Rome's pastoral beginnings as a craggy, wooded hilltop beside an ancient river crossing and weaves a tale that might have been told by the very people who lived the incredible adventure that fostered the nation destined to extend its rule over the earth. The author's Seven Kings of Rome Novels will appeal to readers with inquiring minds who have a love of history and a fascination for the cultural roots of civilization, as well as to readers looking simply for an entertaining junket in the form of a novel that can bring to vivid life another time, another place. "The Arms of Quirinus would be a respectable work on any shelf with The Bull from the Sea or Whom the Gods Would Destroy. What Mary Renault, Robert Graves, and others did so skillfully, Goff is emulating in her own distinct way in her Seven Kings novels." - William Howard Denson III (Writers Festival)