The Eternal City: A Novel of Belisarius

The Last of the Romans #5

by William Havelock

War is evil. It spares nothing. And, inevitably, it is the innocent who suffer.

Returning victorious from Carthage, Belisarius and Varus encounter Constantinople riven by religious strife, and slavering for grander spoils than those seized from the Vandal Kingdom. An opportunity arises upon the death of the Ostrogothic Queen Amalasuntha – a friend of Justinian, murdered in mysterious circumstances. Incensed, Justinian dispatches Belisarius and Varus, charged with leading a few thousand hardened veterans against the collective might of the Ostrogoths.

To the men of the Empire, Italy is shrouded in mystery, laced with tragic grandeur. To seize Rome again after centuries of isolation will fulfill a generations-old dream - if they can survive long enough.

For it is not only innumerable Gothic spears that the Imperial expedition must face, but zealotry, betrayal, and even the heavens themselves. As famine stalks the land and pestilence ravages their camps, some amongst the Imperial devout whisper of the end of days. Those whispers swell as a veil of darkness cloaks the skies, diminishing the light of the life-giving Sun into a cold, unrecognizable orb.

Bloodied, bereft of supplies, and stymied of reinforcements, Belisarius and Varus struggle to keep order amidst growing unrest. Surrounded and besieged, the beleaguered Imperial warriors race to pacify a blighted land, finding that there are far worse fates than death by an enemy sword.

The great prize beckons. Justinian shall make the Eternal City Roman once more, or doom millions in the attempt. Rome awaits, in all of its splendor.

Genres: Historical Fiction

913 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 16, 2024

Reviews

[Borbala Farago · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bitterly disappointing

I've followed this series for about two years now, and enjoyed it greatly. This final entry manages to be at once overlong and greatly lacking detail. By the time the 900+ page book had reached 90% read, and it seemed no character or plot line had a satisfying end, it was already worrying. When the last chapter of the book decided, for little more than shock value and to drive home an already poorly followed aura of misery, to end the entire story with a pointless and cruel twist ending that leaves the reader feeling like all the effort they sank into the series was for nothing, it felt not only lazy, but like almost intentionally stupid writing.
The book is meandering, stylistically unimpressive, and poorly paced. These are all forgivable sins, because they tell a good story with strong characters and atmosphere, but in this case, the whole book feels like a stunning failure compared to the rest of the series. Two stars for virtue of being a sequel to a series I liked. Otherwise, I'm unbelievably disappointed.

[Paul A · Rating 4 out of 5]

My man, Varus, just needs a break. Our protagonist follows Belisarius, the foremost general, from conquest to conquest in the name of Justinian, struggling against enemies both within and without the Empire. Long teased in the previous installment, the Gothic War begins in earnest, culminating in the siege of Rome.

Havelock does a great job of writing action, given his familiarity with various aspects of military and civilian life during the time period. This makes the very interesting to read, both for the plot and for the thoroughness that Havelock takes in bringing the ancient world to life. Looking forward to the next book!

[Arimanius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad to see that coming from a good, if flawed, start, this series keeps getting better. "The Eternal City" follows the long-anticipated Italian campaign of Belisarius. A considerable part of the story is set during the siege of Rome of 537/38. As far as one can convey such a situation in a novel, Havelock does a great job of describing the agonising and desperate drag of the siege without making the book itself drag, if that makes any sense. A sense of sacrifice and loss is conveyed by the end of several major characters, and the book skilfully calls the purpose of the whole war into question while also explaining that the people on the ground don't see any other option than to go through with it. This is excellent storytelling, and the book ends with a number of loose threads that make me look forward to their resolution.
My only real gripe is the handling of Rosamund throughout. She is crucial to the development of the plot, but really doesn't feature enough in the book for a character of such importance. There is a certain theatrical quality to the way she enters the spotlight, makes shit hit the fan and then disappears until she is needed again. So much of what happens to her seems inconsequential: Initially, a big deal is made out of her becoming blind on one eye, but after that initial scene, it is mentioned only once again in passing. At one point I even thought the author forgot about it. Her experience in the brazen bull has enormous potential for a serious character transformation, but after a while she seems to have slept it off and goes about her healing business again. I get that the idea is that her love for Varus outweighs her hatred of the Romans, but surely there are limits to everything. And given this, you would think that at the end, despite all his grief, Varus would hear her out when questioning her about her failure to save Mariya. Not that I mind this twist - heartbreaking as it is, there is a lot that can be done with it, and I'm sure Havelock has some great ideas in store. I just think that had he given Rosamund's character more space on the pages, it could have been far more compelling.
Other than that, I have some nitpicks at best. The revelation of the sixth gift was kind of underwhelming, although something tells me we don't know it's full significance yet.
One of my pet peeves with historical novels set in antiquity is the inappropriate spelling of names. Why is Isaacius given the Latinised version of his name, but his brother Shimon isn't? The forms of the names are all over the place, from Gouboulgoudou (coming from an attempt to render a foreign Hunnic name using Greek script) to Witiges (a strange hybrid form employing the non-Latin "w"; someone like Varus would likely have written "Vitiges"). It's not a big deal, but I wish authors of historical fiction would sometimes go the extra mile and match the names.

[Chris McKelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the way these historical novels flow. I rated a 5 overall, but truly did not like all of the plot lines at the end of the book. You need to read it because I will not spoil here. Author's prerogative and I even understand the logic, just a little upset regarding. Which, on the other hand, is why these books are so freaking good. Even with many characters surrounding the main, I have become truly invested in all of them. Great stuff and looking forward to the next adventure.

[Carolyn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed this series and await the next episode of this fascinating story. I saw a comment that this book was "overlong", however it is hard to see how the story of a year-long siege could be abbreviated. Isn't a writer's aim to give the reader a feel for the tale he tells?

I have read many books featuring ancient Rome but this is the first series I have followed that covers the Eastern Empire and I am finding it very interesting.

William Havelock's style is most enjoyable.

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining and informative

Mr. Havelock has done an admirable job of taking actual historical events and people, and crafting a fictional storyline with great detail. While not intended to be an academic historical work; the casual reader can glean a great deal of information about the Eastern Roman Empire and known world in the 6th century. I look forward to the next installment of the series.

[J F MCCABE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellence Continues.

William Havelock continues his rattlingly good historical adventure firmly anchored in the story of Belisarius, arguably Romes greatest general. The fictional parts of the story seem to gild the true history.
In short, I highly recommend these books and look forward to the next instalment.
🔆🔆🔆🔆🔆

[Alan Henwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a good yarn and the historical context is fascinating. However it could do with decent editing: the grammar is appalling and much of the descriptive language, particularly adjectives and adverbs, inapt. The author should not thank his editor, he should fire him/her.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

another masterpiece

If historical Fiction is a passion of yours, this series has no equal. Havelock continues to interweave dazzling stories with true events so convincingly, you will research characters and tales believing all to be true. Amazing.

[Quentin Bloxam · Rating 5 out of 5]

eternal city

A great read and all seemed as if it was a true story. A sad ending. I would recommend this book to all

[Andrew Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful book of great characters and history. Genuinely teary at times.

[Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best of the series

I've read hundreds of books set in Rome and this lives as one of the most inventive, gripping and real. A must read.

[Jess Tuttle · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book!

Another great read by William! I hate waiting for these to come out but know I’ll be back for more!

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

[Savvas Emmanouilidis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some nice elements. The characters keep getting worse instead of better. I doubt I will read the next one.

[Alick · Rating 4 out of 5]

They are good, but starting to run out of steam? Getting more than a little fed up with the dead end or delayed story arcs. But still an enjoyable read.

[Fred Pursley · Rating 5 out of 5]

great series

This was an excellent series— read all 5 books in about a month. It was engaging and helps one get the feel of the times