Britannia: Part I: The Wall ~ Paperback ~ Richard Denham

ROMAN BRITAIN STOOD ON THE BRINK OF CHAOS The story opens in 367 AD. Four soldiers - Justinus, Paternus, Leocadius and Vitalis - are out hunting for food supplies at an outpost of Hadrian's Wall, when the Wall comes under attack. The four find their fort destroyed, their comrades killed, and Paternus is unable to find his wife and son. As they run south to Eboracum, they realize that this is no ordinary border raid. Ranged against the Romans at the edge of the world are four different peoples, and they have banded together under a mysterious leader who wears a silver mask and uses the name Valentinus - man of Valentia, the turbulent area north of the Wall. Faced with questions they are hard-pressed to answer, Leocadius blurts out a story that makes the men Heroes of the Wall. Their lives change not only when Valentinus begins his lethal sweep across Britannia but as soon as Leo's lie is out in the world, growing and changing as it goes. WILL THE WALL BE REBUILT AND THE POWER OF ROME RE-ESTABLISHED? AND WILL OUR FOUR HEROES REACH THE END OF THEIR JOURNEY? 367 AD is one of the critical dates in British history, but the year means little to most people now, and it is only rarely mentioned in historical books. Britannia: Part I - The Wall introduces the reader to this tumultuous age, as we share the adventure, confusion and bewilderment of our heroes - four common soldiers stationed at Hadrian's Wall. We find them caught up in the madness of a chain of events which will eventually lead to the fall of Roman Britain, and the descent into the Dark Ages.Author BiographyRichard Denham Richard Denham was born in the military town of Aldershot, the son of a sergeant in the British Army and now lives in Farnborough. Ever since studying the Romans at school, he has taken a keen interest in them, specifically Romans in Britain. As a boy growing up with swords, knights, tanks and all things military he also developed an interest in the legends of King Arthur. Being self taught and very demoralised by the romantic fairytales, he discovered to his delight that the "real world" was in fact much more interesting and linked to Roman Britain, proving yet again that the truth is both stranger and more fascinating than fiction. The inspiration for the Britannia series was the cold, impassive footnote Richard would constantly come across "Romans leave Britain." This would have been, for those who lived it, an apocalyptic time never known before; with the Romans having lived, fought, laughed, married and raised children on our island, "leaving" could never be as simple as that. He more or less decided then and there that he would write a series of books one day, shining a light onto this forgotten time. This might have remained an idea for "sometime in the future" until chance meeting with well-established author and historian M.J Trow made it all seem possible. From this meeting came a collaboration resulting in "The Wall." M J Trow A bestselling author of over sixty books, including forty novels, Mei Trow is nevertheless always looking for the next new idea. A military historian by training and consummate story-teller by inclination, he had never thought of writing about the Romans' last hurrah in Britain until he met Richard Denham and then it seemed an obvious subject for a blockbusting series. Using Richard Denham's exhaustive knowledge and his own wide-ranging grasp of history, Mei has brought his skill in bringing the past to life to the table in this collaboration. Reviewers have often mentioned how he makes historical characters seem as though the past is "now" and not a dusty "then" and he has made this as true for fourth century Britain as for Tudor or Victorian England (the Marlowe and the Lestrade series). As a history teacher for more years than he cares to remember, making the past live is his passion and nothing pleases him more than the many reviews that say "I wish he had been my History teacher!"