From the bestselling author of The Thorn Birds comes a masterpiece of historical fiction that is fascinating moving and gloriously heroic. The reader is swept into the whirlpool of pageantry passion splendor chaos and earth-shattering upheaval that was ancient Rome. Here is the story of Marius wealthy but lowborn and Sulla aristocratic but penniless and debauched -- extraordinary men of vision whose ruthless ambition will lay the foundations of the most awesome and enduring empire known to humankind. A towering saga of great events and mortal frailties it is peopled with a vast and vivid cast of unforgettable men and women -- soldiers and senators mistresses and wives kings and commoners -- combined in a richly embroidered human tapestry to bring a remarkable era to bold and breathtaking life.
