After saving the Empire’s richest province from a foreign army, Marcus and the men who protect him have been in hiding. Their lives will be forfeit if they are seen in Rome.
But times have changed. Marcus’s protector, the patrician legion commander Scaurus, has been summoned home by his mentor, a powerful senator who has decided he must act to save the empire from its debauched ruler’s reign of terror.
Rome is a hotbed of conspiracy and treachery: and the senator is not the only contender for power. The emperor himself plans to destroy those he mistrusts and no-one is safe.
Marcus is assigned his own, unique role in the conspiracy. He will become a gladiator once more. But this time, his only opponent will be Commodus himself . . .
But times have changed. Marcus’s protector, the patrician legion commander Scaurus, has been summoned home by his mentor, a powerful senator who has decided he must act to save the empire from its debauched ruler’s reign of terror.
Rome is a hotbed of conspiracy and treachery: and the senator is not the only contender for power. The emperor himself plans to destroy those he mistrusts and no-one is safe.
Marcus is assigned his own, unique role in the conspiracy. He will become a gladiator once more. But this time, his only opponent will be Commodus himself . . .
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Reviews
River of Gold is the eleventh novel in Anthony Riches' best-selling Empire series and its considerable strengths are all the more impressive because of it. . . . a gripping narrative full of breath-taking action, unforgettable characters, and dazzling twists and turns
A masterclass in military historical fiction
A master of the genre
Fast-paced and gripping "read-through-the-night' fiction with marvellous characters and occasional moments of dark humour. Some authors are better historians than they are storytellers. Anthony Riches is brilliant at both
A damn fine read . . . fast-paced, action-packed
Stands head and shoulders above a crowded field . . . real, live characters act out their battles on the northern borders with an accuracy of detail and depth of raw emotion that is a rare combination
Praise for Anthony Riches
