First published 1998
A Roman legionnaire marches through the forests of Gaul, his sword ready and his loyalty to Caesar absolute. Through eight years of brutal campaigns, he witnesses the general's tactical brilliance and ruthless ambition as Roman eagles advance deeper into barbarian territory. The soldier fights at Alesia, crosses the Rhine into Germania, and lands on the shores of distant Britannia. He sees Gallic warriors fall beneath Roman discipline and watches entire tribes bend the knee to Caesar's will. Between battles, he grapples with the cost of empire and the weight of his own survival. Coolidge crafts a visceral companion to Caesar's own war commentaries, bringing flesh and blood to the clinical precision of the original accounts. The unnamed soldier's voice cuts through centuries to reveal the human drama behind Rome's greatest military triumph.
Genres: roman, historical-fiction, military-fiction, ancient-history
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking, visceral
Tropes: empire, loyalty, war
Setting: Gaul, Germania, Britannia
Period: Ancient Rome
246 pages · Hardcover · Linnet Books
Content warnings: violence