Gods and Legions

Return to Ancient Rome for this historical saga detailing the rise to power of the fourth-century Roman emperor. The year 354 A.D.: Julian, a young scholar in Athens, is the last survivor of a bloody political purge that killed his entire family. Unexpectedly summoned to the court of the Emperor Constantius, he fears the worst—only to find himself bearing the ring of Caesar of the Western Empire. Tested by bloody battle and the scepticism of the Roman legions, Julian proves to be a military genius, crushing the German tribes that have threatened Rome for generations. Soon after, defying his own emperor against overwhelming odds, he risks civil war and ultimately seizes the Empire for himself, becoming the most powerful man in the world at thirty years old. Now the dark side of his ambition emerges. Julian discards the Christianity of his boyhood and sets his sights on the greatest conquest of all—the Persian Empire. In Persia, however, his gods and his sanity desert him, and in one swift stroke, the course of history is altered forever. Ranging from the forbidding forests of ancient Gaul to the sweltering sands of Persia, Gods & Legions is a breathtaking historical re-creation of one of the most dangerous periods—and enduring mysteries—of all time. "[A] magnificent piece of historical fiction." — Booklist "Powerful and passionate. A truly compelling story—one not just of gods and legions but of men." —Library Journal "[A] stirring and adventurous tragedy of the first rank." — Kirkus Reviews