скачать книгу бесплатно
Blood and Steel
Harry Sidebottom
From the bestselling author of WARRIOR OF ROME comes the second book in an epic new series set in third century Rome; a dramatic era of murder, coup, counter-rebellions and civil war.In a world of battle and betrayal men will fight – and kill – to sit on the Throne of the Caesars.Rome, AD238Emperor Maximinus’ reign hangs in the balance. At the helm of an empire that is bleeding manpower and money to sustain his wars in the north, rebellions flare in the far reaches of its territories.In Africa, Gordian the Elder and Younger are proclaimed as the new Augusti. A family descending from the imperial bloodline, they represent a chance for the establishment to take back the empire.In Rome, the first blood of the revolt is shed when an assassin murders Maximinus’ prefect and announces to Rome that their ruler is dead and the Gordians have taken the throne. Still bitter at having a soldier from the barracks wearing the imperial purple, the Senate endorses the rebellion: the Gordiani are hailed as Emperors.But as chaos descends on the capital, news reaches Maximinus of the betrayal. A man of war, he acts with decisive brutality and violence. On the dusty plains outside Carthage, bloody battle will determine the fate of the Roman empire.
Copyright (#ue2f898c9-1381-5f3a-88c0-8c69ccbe8866)
Harper
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)
Published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2015
Copyright © Harry Sidebottom 2015
Maps © John Gilkes 2015
Cover design by Claire Ward © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2016
Cover photographs © Stephen Mulcahey/Arcangel Images (Roman eagle and Soldiers); Shutterstock.com (http://Shutterstock.com) (texture)
Harry Sidebottom asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it, while at times based on historical figures, are the work of the author’s imagination.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books
Ebook Edition © MAY 2015 ISBN: 9780007499908
Source ISBN 9780007499915
Version 2017-10-27
Dedication (#ue2f898c9-1381-5f3a-88c0-8c69ccbe8866)
To Katie and Jeremy Habberley
Do not fear god,
Do not worry about death;
What is good is easy to get, and
What is terrible is easy to endure
PHILODEMUS (HERCULANEUM PAPYRI 1005, 4.9–14)
One could press on or draw back in a private enterprise, and commit oneself more deeply or less at will, in accordance with the prospects of the moment. But in the pursuit of an empire there was no mean between the summit and the abyss
TACITUS, HISTORIES 2.74
Table of Contents
Cover (#ueb3185fd-1756-5c93-8082-9ebda2c0cdc4)
Title Page (#u03a97c1d-01df-5da4-988e-f57a752a783b)
Copyright (#ud7a70ee2-0d78-510b-835d-32395d68603f)
Dedication (#u6de0c461-52a5-5b85-b277-b2dd1b474e5b)
Epigraph (#uebf6516b-b63b-5594-bed6-03582f4304df)
Maps (#ubc6ff4c4-b8bb-566a-8a5d-9024bfdddaca)
Cast of Main Characters (#u7f6553c9-59ff-53ff-9e3d-2fb3dd02111a)
Chapter 1 (#u05898726-a7bc-52e2-bb7c-0cc6213c4843)
Chapter 2 (#uce8437f5-616b-5a9a-a880-81d668824b3f)
Chapter 3 (#ue48ad529-1cbf-5934-ae29-768690cbb571)
Chapter 4 (#ud16a4cdd-0682-5919-aa4e-45701bd4d641)
Chapter 5 (#u9af1e104-d677-5744-a7db-f867e4a89b3f)
Chapter 6 (#ud00c7179-3267-5b08-85df-448a8d63a411)
Chapter 7 (#uf9351a2c-47f2-5f36-a98d-1b3c7544b5a4)
Chapter 8 (#u6dc99658-72bf-5389-9f56-215b869f7955)
Chapter 9 (#u9fbacb10-b012-51bd-9a83-885e9fde6ec7)
Chapter 10 (#u3ebb8bdc-61c6-588b-bce9-237019866ce4)
Chapter 11 (#u75ed439f-b959-5d9d-b790-08519350903e)
Chapter 12 (#uc31986dc-8126-5086-9e5f-b14bd194d91e)
Chapter 13 (#u21b919f3-da2b-5f10-bf8b-c6d5d2215742)
Chapter 14 (#u56c9fc15-b881-5446-84a8-da8fb59f222c)
Chapter 15 (#u4dab3450-cc2d-53b6-a0bb-b84fe808f887)
Chapter 16 (#uf9264c5e-ac32-5a4c-bff5-b8968d18637c)
Chapter 17 (#ue94a7e51-4e33-58e8-9cef-d493e79a3ad2)
Chapter 18 (#ue16adc78-a39d-5d8f-ae9c-1fa7752f2281)
Chapter 19 (#ue7584a70-c253-5dcd-93eb-7098b416ff25)
Chapter 20 (#u96699593-5a1d-51ff-86f4-24d70c964a36)
Chapter 21 (#uedb64d71-a2a1-5550-8cc3-5dc3243488c2)
Chapter 22 (#u08d372b0-b26a-52ad-84a4-94a516d10782)
Chapter 23 (#u6782dfd8-359a-5142-8047-b3bcd38f555a)
Chapter 24 (#u5b55d89c-67ca-5d17-8918-477973e18578)
Chapter 25 (#u8541d8b1-3e2f-5313-abe2-3839a0019131)
Chapter 26 (#u67595f13-119b-5b36-8a3d-1beea22fcf85)
Chapter 27 (#u8eeeeee9-49e5-579c-af06-db3ee2495792)
Chapter 28 (#u5110c6fe-af18-5e2b-a0f5-ee0e50380dd7)
Chapter 29 (#u5a201f08-bc00-584d-9c32-ca2e2548d340)
Chapter 30 (#ua5f974ca-bc31-5ed6-9caa-cf3ffe22a958)
Chapter 31 (#u67a2babf-d8f3-5fde-b2d9-5d48fbcd728b)
Chapter 32 (#u1fef7a99-f67a-503f-aa54-3562cd5d65b2)
Chapter 33 (#u1106934b-373e-5d61-804c-a225a3bb357d)
Chapter 34 (#u1c31d605-c548-5eb1-9632-a25fee6bcca7)
Chapter 35 (#u229263a2-d212-55db-8ace-130c283c1692)
Chapter 36 (#u15ac466b-bc5d-5107-ade5-03aa03ab7a0b)
Chapter 37 (#u89bbf294-d76f-5826-b9db-82eda0502817)
Chapter 38 (#u64351ea3-436e-55cf-94ef-5ee154d1ace6)
Chapter 39 (#uc9d731b2-2488-558a-a9e6-db30cbde5d37)
Chapter 40 (#u8278c6f0-ef06-5677-87d1-eee67d734276)
Chapter 41 (#ucdd771c4-1d9c-5489-afa0-d76904ad6b40)
Chapter 42 (#u85433a1a-98da-5bcf-8148-1090c9242c91)
Chapter 43 (#u5a68fe98-4dc1-5d7a-8b03-22ae2785f830)
Chapter 44 (#ub7563eb6-2869-59cf-b602-2ab4e1453139)
Chapter 45 (#u8e141142-384d-5de6-b2f5-89dfabc5f0fe)
Chapter 46 (#ua52666ba-bb08-5b96-8eac-668d1cdb7f9e)
Chapter 47 (#u232aaeab-47fc-55b5-a796-fdec8ee4d328)
Historical Afterword (#u10248243-661e-5754-b4cd-dee18310fb74)
Thanks (#ua20d4c44-1318-5109-b11a-1fd3695c9716)
Blood & Steel: Glossary (#u8774b2fb-db50-551b-92a8-54354e141dd5)
About the Author (#ub183eaae-67f7-5835-9cf4-7d9a84d82978)
Also by Harry Sidebottom (#u4dfe68c4-364d-5a7c-bedc-d18911b3b668)
About the Publisher (#ub059165b-dab2-5054-99ed-c05c738fdd06)
CAST OF MAIN CHARACTERS (#ue2f898c9-1381-5f3a-88c0-8c69ccbe8866)
IN ROME
Vitalianus: The Praetorian Prefect in Rome, and Sabinus, Prefect of the City, officers of Maximinus
Menophilus and Valerian: Envoys of the Gordiani
Pupienus: Sometime Prefect of the City
Pupienus Maximus: His elder son
Pupienus Africanus: His younger son
Gallicanus: A Senator of Cynic views
Maecenas: His intimate friend
Balbinus: A patrician of dissolute ways
