As Hun hordes and Germanic tribes maraud through Imperial lands, two legendary men – Attila the Hun and the “Last of the Romans” General Flavius Aetius find their fortunes entangled with the chaos.
Flavius Aetius, a noble Roman son, is an outsider in a savage land. He has been banished, given as hostage to the barbaric Huns and sent to the edge of the world.
What the Huns do not know, however, is that his father and mother have been murdered in a coup. He is an orphan, with no value at all. His life hangs on a lie.
In this new harsh world, he manages to find one grudging ally, a young boy named Attila.
A brotherhood is formed. One that, the shamans foretell, will shatter the world.
REVIEW
The Fall of the Western Roman Empire never did happen with Attila. That is what this book is perhaps hinting at. That is the constant assumption. That Attila the Hun arrived, pounded Rome to smithereens, and that was the end of it. Maybe one defeat happened. If anything, the fall of the West was due to indecisiveness, hesitation and the belief that Romans were losing faith in Rome itself. Not to mention all the political court wrangling and the snake who did more than enough to cause the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, Ricimer.
This is an excellent book that showcases a lesser-known period of Rome. You enter into a world of Christianity, a world where Constantine’s edict wiped out the Pagan religion, a world where the Christian Romans fought against the Pagan Huns. A world that gives General Aetius, one of Rome’s most brilliant generals, a new life. A new story to be told through his point of view. And Attila, who is reinvented not as a comic-book villain but with layers upon layers of character-building. This book is so good that the prose itself lures you into a world that you will be immersed in.
Gordon has been a master of writing historical fiction for many years, and I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing his Bronze Age Saga, set in the Hittite Era, as well as much of his later historical fiction that focuses on lesser-known periods of the Roman Empire. Gordon would have already picked out 7-8 history books and started researching before he decided to write!
I can confidently say that this is one of his strongest entries by far. I include him in the list of well-known authors: Ben Kane, Anthony Ryan, Steven Saylor, SJA Turney, Simon Scarrow, Conn Iggulden, Giles Kristen. These are the authors you would compare to for this book.
I thoroughly recommend reading a novel about the Fall of the Western Roman Empire. This is only the first entry in a series that will come to define the Age of Attila and Rome itself.
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