In the bestselling tradition of Steven Pressfield, Bernard Cornwell, and Conn Iggulden, a blockbuster set in gladiatorial Rome Already a bestseller in the U.K., "Fire in the East" is the first gripping installment in an immense grand narrativeathe Warrior of Rome series. In this awell-constructed, well-paced and gripping accounta (Times Literary Supplement) Harry Sidebottom combines stunning historical detail with resounding contemporary relevance as he explores the enduring question of how far the West will go to defend its liberties before it destroys the very thing it is trying to protect. AD 255athe Roman imperium is stretched to the breaking point, its authority and might challenged throughout the territories and along every border. One man is sent to marshal the defenses of a lonely city and to shore up the crumbling walls of a once indomitable symbol of Roman power, a man whose very name means war: a man called Ballista. So unfolds an epic dramaaa story of empire, heroes, treachery, courage, and most of all, of brutal, bloody warfare. The spectacular flair for explosive action, depth of literary and geographic knowledge, as well as the psychological complexity of the characters makes "Fire in the East" the most authoritative historical adventure novel this year.