The Fall of Rome - by Michael Curtis Ford (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

476 A.D. The Roman Empire, staggered by centuries of barbarian onslaughts and riddled with corruption, now faces its greatest challenge--not only to its power and prestige, but to its very existence...

He reduced Concordia, Altinum, and Patavium to ashes, captured Verona and Milan. He was the most dangerous enemy Rome had ever known. The legacy of Attila the Hun, once thought destroyed on the battlefield, has re-emerged to defy the power of the Western World. Now it's the sons of Attila's chief military commanders who are waging battle with one another as the dramatic confrontation between the Emperor and Rome's barbarian conqueror leads to the thrilling conclusion that becomes the end of the greatest civilization on earth.

From the Back Cover

476 a.d.: The Roman Empire, riddled with corruption and staggered by centuries of barbarian onslaughts, now faces its greatest challenge---not only to its wealth and prestige, but to its very existence.

In his riveting novel The Sword of Attila, Michael Curtis Ford thrilled readers with his recounting of a cataclysmic clash of ancient civilizations. Now, in The Fall of Rome, he takes on the bloody twilight of empire, as the legacy of Attila---once thought destroyed on the battlefield---emerges again to defy the power of the Western World.

In this powerful saga of Roman warfare, the sons of Attila's great officers wage battle with one another as the dramatic confrontation between Rome's last emperor and Rome's barbarian conqueror leads to the thrilling dénouement that becomes the fall of a mighty empire.

Pulsing with intrigue, saturated with historical detail, The Fall of Rome brings readers to new places--pressed into the trenches as catapult bolts fly overhead, lurking within the palace where betrayal is plotted, imprisoned in a tower stronghold where an emperor turns mad.

Once again, Ford demonstrates his mastery as a chronicler of battle, honor, and ancient worlds in this masterfully plotted epic novel that will leave readers begging for more.

Praise for the Novels of Michael Curtis Ford

The Sword of Attila
"Supremely well executed . . . again, Ford offers solidly researched and lustily violent military historical fiction."
---Kirkus Reviews

The Last King
"Michael Curtis Ford's love for the ancient world emanates from every page: in his magical settings and spectacular re-creation of monuments and landscapes, in his bold portraits of the protagonists, and in his intriguing and swiftly moving plot."
---Valerio Massimo Manfredi, author of the Alexander Trilogy and Spartan

"This is Ford's best so far, and only those who have read his first two know just how good that makes this book."
---The Statesman Journal

Gods and Legions
"Powerful and passionate. A truly compelling story---one not just of gods and legions but of men."
---Library Journal (starred review)

"Thanks to the author's excellent research of both his subject and era, the reader experiences this great man's transformation step by determined step. Highly recommended."
---The Historical Novels Review

The Ten Thousand
"A worthy successor to Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire."
---Library Journal (starred review)

"Michael Curtis Ford's moving account of the fighting and dying of these heroic Greek mercenaries is not only historically sound, but very human, in making Xenophon's tale come alive in a way that no ancient historian or classicist has yet accomplished."
---Professor Victor Davis Hanson, author of The Soul of Battle

Review Quotes

"Ford brings the Roman Empire...powerful[ly] to life." --The Oregonian

"Fans [and] history buffs will admire the author's research as he recounts the final bloody decades of the Roman Empire." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

MICHAEL CURTIS FORD has worked variously as a laborer, a ski patrolman, a musician, a consultant, a banker, a Latin teacher, and a translator. He holds degrees in economics and linguistics and lives in Oregon, where he and his wife educate their three children at home. The Fall of Rome is his fifth novel.