A Struggle for Rome, V. 2

The year is 526 AD. The Roman Empire exists now only in memory, its western heart has fallen to Germanic tribes, and Byzantium under Emperor Justinian eyes its reclaimed provinces with hungry ambition. This is the world of Felix Dahn's monumental historical epic, which follows the violent collision between the declining Byzantine Empire and the Gothic kingdoms fighting to preserve their dominance over Italy. Volume II opens with Valerius, a Roman citizen, facing the impossible: Greek forces under the legendary general Belisarius approach, and he must defend the Pass of Jugum to protect his daughter Valeria and his lands. Meanwhile, the Gothic king Totila rallies his warriors against the eastern threat. At the center stands Cethegus, Prefect of Rome, a man of cold calculation and relentless ambition who would burn the world to restore the ancient city to its former glory. Dahn, writing in the late 19th century, weaves real historical figures (Justinian, Theodora, Belisarius) with vivid fictional characters into a tale of honor, sacrifice, and civilizations in collision. This is historical fiction for readers who want history that breathes, grand in scope, psychologically complex, and unapologetically romantic in its view of war and loyalty.