Bøger af Gordon Doherty

A tale of vengeance and high adventure set in the war-torn late Roman EmpireWhat hope has one forgotten soldier of bringing an emperor to justice?Winter, 382 AD. The Gothic War is over. After years of bloodshed, the Eastern Roman Empire and the Goths have struck a deal for peace. Imperial heralds crow about the treaty as if it were a triumph. Feasts and celebrations take place across the Eastern provinces. Every hero of the war is honoured and acclaimed... except one.Tribunus Pavo languishes in exile, haunted by a dark truth: that it was Gratian, Emperor of the West - the most powerful man alive - who caused the war and manipulated its every turn. Tormented by memories of loved ones lost during the great conflict, one word tolls endlessly through Pavo's mind: Justice!But in this great game of empire, justice rarely comes without a grave cost...

"Greater than the sum of its parts... Rubicon has something for everyone: action, humour and historical insight." Michael ArnoldTen acclaimed authors. Ten gripping stories.Immerse yourself in Ancient Rome through a collection of thrilling narratives, featuring soldiers, statesmen and spies.Read about some of your favourite characters from established series, or be introduced to new writers in the genre.The stories in Rubicon are, like Rome, diverse and intriguing - involving savage battles, espionage, political intrigue and the lives of ordinary - and extraordinary - Romans, such as Ovid, Marcus Agrippa and a young Julius Caesar.This brand new collection, brought to you by the Historical Writers' Association, also includes interviews with each author.Find out more about their writing processes and what attracts them to the Roman world. View Ancient Rome through fresh eyes.Rubicon is a feast of moreish tales and a must read for all fans of historical fiction.Authors & Stories Featured in Rubicon: Nick Brown - Maker of GoldGordon Doherty - Eagles in the DesertRuth Downie - Alter EgoRichard Foreman - A Brief AffairAlison Morton - Mystery of VictoryAnthony Riches - The InvitationAntonia Senior - ExilesPeter Tonkin - The RomanL.J. Trafford - The WeddingS.J. Turney - The PraetorianPraise for Rubicon: "Rubicon is a declaration of intent to intrigue, inspire and entertain. For me, this collection of stories extols the camaraderie that exists amongst the historical fiction bother and sisterhood. It perfectly encapsulates a shared passion for the subject of Rome in all its abundance and varied manifestations, taking the reader on a guided tour through the familiar and the strange. Leading us wide-eyed through a genre which has never lost its lustre. This is the fiction equivalent of a box of chocolates, a celebration of diverse Rome stories drawing upon all the riches of that most extraordinary and enduring of civilisations. It is a treasure trove of tales, showcasing a wealth of talent.I have been entertained by authors whose work I know and love, and I've discovered new voices too, writers whom I look forward to getting to know better. Indeed, if the purpose of this collection is to delight, distract and to whet the reader's appetite, leaving us eager for more, it is a resounding success.Rubicon is a rare treat which I thoroughly enjoyed. I don't know what the official collective noun for Roman short stories is, but in this case I think it's a triumph." Giles Kristian.

The war at Troy has raged for ten years. Its final throes will echo through eternity... 1258 BC: Surrounded and outnumbered by the army of Agamemnon, King Priam and his Trojan forces fight desperately to defend their city. In the lulls between battle, all talk inevitably turns to the mighty ally that has not yet arrived to their aid. Agamemnon will weep for mercy, the Trojans say, when the eastern horizons darken with the endless ranks of the Hittite Empire. King Hattu has endured a miserable time since claiming the Hittite throne. Vassals distance themselves while rival empires circle, mocking him as an illegitimate king. Worst of all, the army of the Hittites is but a memory, destroyed in the civil war that won him the throne. Knowing that he must honour his empire's oath to protect Troy, he sets off for Priam's city with almost nothing, praying that the dreams he has endured since his youth - of Troy in ruins - can be thwarted. All the way, an ancient mantra rings in his head: Hittites should always heed their dreams.

A tale of far-flung desert adventure set in the distant Bronze AgeTwo great empires on the brink of war, one last hope for peace...1294 BC: The fragile accord between the Hittite and Egyptian empires is crumbling. The ancient world braces itself for war on an unprecedented scale. Prince Hattu, the greatest of the Hittite generals, suffers dreams of terrible consequences - conjured by the Goddess Ishtar. But Hattu refuses to accept her prophecies, adamant that there is one last chance for peace. This fragile hope lies in the borderlands of the east, where the two rival empires touch. Hattu gathers a chosen band and sets out for this distant, blistering desert land, determined and defiant. Yet the further he ventures, the darker and more twisted his mission becomes. Old ghosts rise around him and Ishtar haunts his every move. The Goddess' divinations cannot be avoided, men say. Hattu will walk through fire to prove them wrong.

It will be the cruellest war ever waged, and the Gods will gather to watch...1275 BC: Tensions between the Hittite and Egyptian Empires erupt and the two great superpowers mobilise for all-out war. Horns blare across the Hittite northlands and the dunes of Egypt rumble with the din of drums as each gathers an army of unprecedented size. Both set their eyes upon the border between their domains, and the first and most important target: a desert city whose name will toll through history. Kadesh!Prince Hattu has lived in torment for years, plagued by the memory of his wife's murder. Thoughts of her poisoner, Volca the Sherden - for so long safe and distant by Pharaoh Ramesses' side - have sullied his dreams, blackened his waking hours and driven him to commit the darkest of deeds. Now that war is here, he at last has the chance to confront his nemesis and have his vengeance.But as the ancient world goes to war, Hattu will learn that the cold, sweet kiss of revenge comes at a terrible price.

The Roman Empire is crumbling, and a shadow looms in the east... 376 AD: the Eastern Roman Empire is alone against the tide of barbarians swelling on her borders. Emperor Valens juggles the paltry border defences to stave off invasion from the Goths north of the Danube. Meanwhile, in Constantinople, a pact between faith and politics spawns a lethal plot that will bring the dark and massive hordes from the east crashing down on these struggling borders. The fates conspire to see Numerius Vitellius Pavo, enslaved as a boy after the death of his legionary father, thrust into the limitanei, the border legions, just before they are sent to recapture the long-lost eastern Kingdom of Bosporus. He is cast into the jaws of this plot, so twisted that the survival of the entire Roman world hangs in the balance... For fans of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, Simon Scarrow, David Gemmell and Ben Kane - an epic Roman adventure brimming with battles, blood and gore.

The time will come, as all times must, when the world will shake, and fall to dust... 1237 BC: It is an age of panic. The great empires are in disarray - ravaged by endless drought, shaken by ferocious earthquakes and starved of precious tin. Some say the Gods have abandoned mankind.When Tudha ascends the Hittite throne, the burden of stabilising the realm falls upon his shoulders. Despite his valiant endeavours, things continue to disintegrate; allies become foes, lethal plots arise, and enemy battle horns echo across Hittite lands. Yet this is nothing compared to the colossal, insidious shadow emerging from the west. Crawling unseen towards Tudha's collapsing Hittite world comes a force unlike any ever witnessed; an immeasurable swarm of outlanders, driven by the cruel whip of nature, spreading fire and destruction: the Sea Peoples. Every age must end. The measure of a man is how he chooses to face it. Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden, Simon Scarrow, David Gemmell, Dan Davis and Matthew Harffy - a Bronze Age epic teeming with blood-soaked wars, haunting mysteries and far-flung adventures. ★★★★★ Praise for the Empires of Bronze series: "Doherty truly brings the Hittite Empire to life" - World History Magazine"An action-packed epic" - Matthew Harffy, author of the acclaimed Bernicia Chronicles"Vivid, Immersive... wondrous!" - SJA Turney, author of the celebrated Marius' Mules series"Meticulously researched" - Douglas Jackson, author of the esteemed Gaius Valerius Verrens series"Sometimes people tell me it'd be great to read fiction about the Late Bronze Age Collapse... and I always send them to this series by Gordon Doherty." - Dan Davis, author of the brilliant 'Gods of Bronze' saga"This novel has characters to root for, a plot to grip you, and elegant prose to enjoy as you journey through a dying world. Highly recommended" - Adam Lofthouse, author of the Roman epic 'Valentia'"A masterful tale of hope, glory, blood and betrayal" - David's Book Blurg

'A great story ... Doherty's writing is evocative, providing richly detailed scenes of life in medieval Byzantium' World History Encyclopedia Tragedy broke him. Revenge will remake him. AD 1046. The Byzantine Empire teeters on the brink of full-blown war with the mighty Seljuk Sultanate. The two great powers vie to control Anatolia - a land of strife, riven with bloodshed and doubt. Young Apion's life is shattered one night when his family is murdered during a brutal Seljuk raid. Left for dead in his burning home, then rescued but only to be sold into slavery, it seems that he is destined for a cruel life. Until a benevolent Seljuk farmer, Mansur, offers him a second chance at happiness. Yet despite his new life of pastoral harmony on Mansur's border farm, a hunger for revenge burns in Apion's soul. Then a fateful encounter draws him down a dark path that leads him right into the heart of a conflict that will echo through the ages... The gripping first novel in the Strategos series, perfect for fans of S.J.A. Turney and Simon Scarrow.

Even in the darkness of war, there is always a flicker of hope.AD 1068. The Seljuk Sultanate tears at Byzantium's borders. Alp Arslan's armies grow stronger with every victory, while the Byzantines forces dwindle, the hope in their hearts guttering its last. All cry out for a new warrior emperor to lead them to salvation.This war has been Apion's mistress for many years now. As Strategos - high general - of the Chaldian border army, he is driven, shrewd and fearless.When news emerges that a new soldier-emperor, Romanus Diogenes, is to be crowned, Apion is summoned to Constantinople to witness the ascension. It is not the formality he expects. Instead, he is lured into a lethal plot, where enemies within seek to divert power into the hands of another.Then reports arrive of a renewed Seljuk assault on the Byzantine borders. Apion must use all his wits to guide Diogenes safely onto the throne, and then spirit him to the head of the army to meet the Seljuk threat... and to give the soldiers back their hope.The thrilling second novel in the Strategos series, perfect for fans of Angus Donald and Conn Iggulden.

A clash of empires that will echo for eternity...AD 1071. Emperor Romanus Diogenes has rekindled the guttering flame of Byzantium, and a reinvigorated empire rises to meet the Seljuk threat. In the eastern borderlands, two vital strongholds hang in the balance: Manzikert and Chliat. The Byzantines and Seljuks race to secure the twin fortress-towns. Apion rides by the emperor's side as they march east, marshalling Byzantium's armies for the conflict that is to come. He knows only too well that the threat posed by the Sultan's hordes is well-matched by malevolent forces within the Byzantine ranks. Thus, the road to war is a savage one, but one he cannot refuse. For at its end, Fate beckons, taunting him with a choice of two futures. On the plains of Manzikert, one great power will rise and another will fall. On the plains of Manzikert, Apion will face the storm. The epic conclusion to the Strategos series, perfect for fans of David Gilman and Christian Cameron.

The final instalment of the Rise of Emperors trilogy. 312 AD is a year of horrific and brutal warfare. There is only one way Constantine and Maxentius' rivalry will end. With one on a bloodied sword and the other the sole ruler of Rome...