In the twelfth Empire novel, Marcus Aquila returns to Rome, for his final reckoning with the Emperor Commodus.
In the twelfth Empire novel, Marcus Aquila returns to Rome, for his final reckoning with the Emperor Commodus.
After saving the emperor's life in Rome, Marcus and his comrades have been sent across the sea to the wealthy, corrupt Greek metropolis of Aegyptus, Alexandria.An unknown enemy has slaughtered the garrison of the Empire's last outpost before its border with the mysterious kingdom of Kush. Caravans can no longer reach the crucial Red Sea port of Berenike, from which the riches of the East flow towards Rome.The Emperor's most trusted and most devious adviser has ordered Marcus's commander Scaurus and his trusted officers to the south. With orders that are tantamount to a suicide mission, and with only one slim hope of success.Can a small force of highly trained legionaries restore the Empire's power in this remote desert no-man's-land, when faced by the fanatical army of Kush's iron-fisted ruler?
“A master of the genre”
Praise for Anthony Riches
River of Gold is the eleventh novel in Anthony Riches' best-selling Empire series and its considerable strengths are all the more impressive because of it. . . . a gripping narrative full of breath-taking action, unforgettable characters, and dazzling twists and turns -- Peter Tonkin Aspects of History
A masterclass in military historical fiction Sunday Express
The Times
Fast-paced and gripping "read-through-the-night' fiction with marvellous characters and occasional moments of dark humour. Some authors are better historians than they are storytellers. Anthony Riches is brilliant at both Conn Iggulden
A damn fine read . . . fast-paced, action-packed Ben Kane
Stands head and shoulders above a crowded field . . . real, live characters act out their battles on the northern borders with an accuracy of detail and depth of raw emotion that is a rare combination Manda Scot
Anthony Riches holds a degree in Military Studies from Manchester University. He began writing the story that would become the first novel in the Empire series, Wounds of Honour , after visiting Housesteads Roman fort in 1996. Married with three grown up children, he now lives in Suffolk. He is also the writer of the 'Protector' thriller series.
After saving the Empire's richest province from a foreign army, Marcus and the men who protect him have been in hiding. Their lives will be forfeit if they are seen in Rome. But times have changed. Marcus's protector, the patrician legion commander Scaurus, has been summoned home by his mentor, a powerful senator who has decided he must act to save the empire from its debauched ruler's reign of terror. Rome is a hotbed of conspiracy and treachery: and the senator is not the only contender for power. The emperor himself plans to destroy those he mistrusts and no-one is safe.Marcus is assigned his own, unique role in the conspiracy. He will become a gladiator once more. But this time, his only opponent will be Commodus himself . . .
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