Sword of Rome: The Complete Campaigns

Book excerpt: The best-selling Sword of Rome novellas are collected together for the first time in one epic collection. The Sword of Rome series of novellas follow Julius Caesar and his centurion Lucius Oppius during their campaigns in Britain, Gaul and the Civil War. The stories are a blend of action, intrigue and Ancient History. 'Sword of Rome: The Complete Campaigns' includes: 'Sword of Rome: Standard Bearer'. Britain, 55 BC. Julius Caesar's invasion of the wild and mineral-rich land is becalmed, a stalemate exists between the forces of Rome and Britain. But the standard bearer of the Tenth Legion, Lucius Oppius, is about to display a depth of courage that will change the course of the invasion. 'Sword of Rome: Alesia'. Alesia, 52BC. Caesar's army stands upon the brink of annihilation, caught between two enemy armies. Oppius is ordered to venture north of Alesia to capture Vercingetorix's war chest of gold. He will be accompanied in his mission by one of Caesar's agents, the beguiling Livia - the centurion's former lover. As Caesar and Mark Antony face a battle for their lives outside the walls of Alesia, Oppius will have to fight against the odds to find and secure the gold. Yet will completing the mission exact too high a price? 'Sword of Rome: Gladiator'. Rome, 51BC. Lucius Oppius has left the battlefields of Gaul to venture to Rome. But he is about to discover the capital of the Empire can be every bit as dangerous as its provinces. Under orders from Caesar to secure an item of intelligence that will help him become a Consul again Oppius is manipulated into taking part in a gladiatorial contest. Oppius soon discovers that while in Gaul your the enemies stand before you in a shield wall in Rome they stab you in the back... 'Sword of Rome: Rubicon'. Ravenna, 50BC. Caesar's forces stand upon the borders of Gaul and Italy. The prospect of a civil war grows ever likelier each day. In Rome, Cicero attempts to secure a peace. Against him, a powerful faction in the Senate is bent upon destroying Caesar, for personal and political reasons. War hinges upon the will of Pompey, the only man capable of stopping Caesar. Caesar stands upon the banks of the Rubicon, an enemy of the state. The die is cast. An empire will now be at war, spearheaded by the two great men of the age... 'Sword of Rome: Pharsalus'. Pharsalus, 48BC. The battle will decide the fate of a civil war and empire. Caesar's forces are outnumbered, but he believes his veterans will not be outmatched. For one veteran, Lucius Oppius, the battle will be about revenge rather than glory. Oppius has vowed to avenge his father's death. His enemy is Flavius Laco - a former gladiator and an agent of Pompey the Great. Against the backdrop of one of Ancient History's most momentous battles two soldiers will wage their own personal war... Caesar, Pompey, Mark Antony, Brutus and Cicero all feature in the climax to the bestselling Sword of Rome series. Richard Foreman's books have been widely praised. Praise for 'Augustus: Son of Rome'. 'Augustus: Son of Rome forges action and adventure with politics and philosophy. This superb story is drenched in both blood and wisdom - and puts Foreman on the map as the coming man of historical fiction'. - Saul David, Author of the Zulu Hart series. Praise for 'Raffles: The Complete Innings'. "Classy, humorous and surprisingly touching tales of cricket, friendship and crime." - David Blackburn, The Spectator.