In one brilliant campaign, Belisarius has crushed the Vandal kingdom and restored Africa to the Roman Empire. But the ambitious emperor Justinian has more glorious exploits planned for his audacious Master of Soldiers. The emperor can not rest until Italy and the Eternal City of Rome are restored to his empire. Through deft diplomatic maneuvers and adroit positioning of armies, Justinian sets the stage for the liberation of Rome from the domination of the Ostrogothic kings. But it is not mere flesh and blood that oppose Belisarius in his Italian campaign. Court intrigues and ecclesiastical strife complicate his strategies, while gossip and calumny threaten to tear his own household apart.
Though his principle adversary is the powerful Vitiges, High King of the Ostrogoths, Belisarius must confront a multitude of other rivals who try to take him down. Brutal Stozas, a rebel Roman soldier, raises an entire province against him. Narses, the Grand Chamberlain of Justinian, yearns to supplant Belisarius as master of soldiers. Greedy Theudibert, King of Austrasia and Burgundy, marches his plundering host of Franks over the frontier to strip Belisarius of his hard won victories. Dark forces destabilize Rome at a decisive moment, seeking to replace the rightful Pope with a man more willing to advance the goals of the empress, Theodora. Can Belisarius gain his greatest triumph with so many thrones and dominions, principalities and powers arrayed against him?
Rome the Eternal
is the third volume of the Belisarius series, continuing the tale of Justinian's greatest general. A work of historical fiction that sticks close to the ancient sources,
brings the often obscure Byzantine 6th century to vibrant life for readers of all ages. It is especially well-suited for young readers interested in the triumphs and tragedies of the Christian Roman Empire.