Behind the Eagles

by Paul Elliott

AD 363The Roman emperor Julian leads a huge army into Iraq – home to the unassailable Persians. Only a tiny fraction of the army will ever reach home again …Caught up in this awful disaster is Dionysus, a new recruit to the legions, who by degrees is drawn into a plot against the emperor Julian. The book swoops right in to the ground level bringing to the reader the heat and dust, the blood and flies of the desert war. With it too comes the burning fear of death and of discovery. On the march and in the battles his mind is torn by his love for a girl left behind at his last billet, and his hatred for a squad member who brags of taking his girl by force before they left for war. Dionysus’ longing for home and hatred for the emperor who he blames for the war, fuel his determination to win out against the odds. Written in the first person, this gritty drama has the feel of a soldier's war diary; the terror, hardship and desperation mirror the experiences of British soldiers fighting in South Africa, or Wermacht fleeing from the Soviet counter-attack on the Eastern Front.Paul Elliott has published books in print with History Press, Arms & Armour and Blandford Press; these include Warrior Cults, The Last Legionary, Conflict & Controversy, Atomic Horror, Assassin! and Brotherhoods of Fear. He also writes articles for Ancient Warfare Magazine and Mongoose Publishing. He runs a small e-publishing company producing roleplaying games. He has two cats and twenty-five rabbits!Cover image courtesy of Gerard Zoethout, Robert Vermaat/Fectio and Contubernium.

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2012