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The Boys from Eburacum
This latest historical novel from the pen of Allan Harper (Soldiers of The Boar) is set in the time of the third Roman invasion of ancient Scotland. AD 208-210.
The Boys from Eburacum are the officers and men of the Roman Sixth legion. They are a key part of a great army emperor Septimius Severus has brought together in a campaign to finally put an end to the seemingly endless disruption caused by the tribes running amok north of Hadrian's Wall.
Leading centurion and primus pilum Rufus Flaminius Cimber leads the cutting edge of the emperor's preliminary reconnaissance forces and the story opens with his arrival at the abandoned coastal supply station of Carumabo. From there he is charged with selecting a site for a major new fort on the Tay estuary which will be Severus' stepping off point for the invasion of the north.
But up on the Tay the local tribes are alert to the dangers Rufus and his men pose and things begin to unravel quickly for his mission. A Votadini warrior named Tasulus is playing a dangerous game between the army and the tribes and he is not everything he seems to be.
As the ancient tribes come together to defend their homelands a complex twist of fate brings Tasulus and Rufus together, first as allies and then adversaries.
Subterfuge and massacres go hand in hand with tribal alliances and deceits. Amid the maelstrom of military action a beautiful chieftain's daughter brings her firstborn into a desperate and uncertain world.
The Boys from Eburacum is both a tale of conquest and of survival as two cultures clash for what the emperor had decreed must be the final time. But even he can be deceived by extracted promises of peace. He is forced to issue his infamous 'kill them all' order. But ironically the emperor himself is dying. Will he survive long enough to see a successful outcome of that command?
The Boys from Eburacum is a novel that portrays the realities of life for individual men in the Sixth legion, and the complex bonds that make them stand together, in a twisting, compulsive narrative. For Tasulus and the chieftain's daughter, survival is everything and they must use every hiding place they can find.
The Boys from Eburacum are the officers and men of the Roman Sixth legion. They are a key part of a great army emperor Septimius Severus has brought together in a campaign to finally put an end to the seemingly endless disruption caused by the tribes running amok north of Hadrian's Wall.
Leading centurion and primus pilum Rufus Flaminius Cimber leads the cutting edge of the emperor's preliminary reconnaissance forces and the story opens with his arrival at the abandoned coastal supply station of Carumabo. From there he is charged with selecting a site for a major new fort on the Tay estuary which will be Severus' stepping off point for the invasion of the north.
But up on the Tay the local tribes are alert to the dangers Rufus and his men pose and things begin to unravel quickly for his mission. A Votadini warrior named Tasulus is playing a dangerous game between the army and the tribes and he is not everything he seems to be.
As the ancient tribes come together to defend their homelands a complex twist of fate brings Tasulus and Rufus together, first as allies and then adversaries.
Subterfuge and massacres go hand in hand with tribal alliances and deceits. Amid the maelstrom of military action a beautiful chieftain's daughter brings her firstborn into a desperate and uncertain world.
The Boys from Eburacum is both a tale of conquest and of survival as two cultures clash for what the emperor had decreed must be the final time. But even he can be deceived by extracted promises of peace. He is forced to issue his infamous 'kill them all' order. But ironically the emperor himself is dying. Will he survive long enough to see a successful outcome of that command?
The Boys from Eburacum is a novel that portrays the realities of life for individual men in the Sixth legion, and the complex bonds that make them stand together, in a twisting, compulsive narrative. For Tasulus and the chieftain's daughter, survival is everything and they must use every hiding place they can find.
469 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 23, 2025
1 person is currently reading
About the author
Allan Harper
27 books1 followerI live in Edinburgh and have been writing historical fiction for a number of years. Much of it has been influenced by the Roman occupation of Britain but more particularly Scotland where the evidence of their footprints is still visible.
After a gap of several fallow years I knuckled down to produce Legionaries of The Boar and its two sequels.
The trilogy is called "Soldiers of The Boar" and the three books are, in order.
Legionaries of The Boar.
Sword of The Boar.
Centurion of The Boar.
The boar was the emblem of the Twentieth legion.
The American Civil War and the Napoleonic era are also favourites.
After a gap of several fallow years I knuckled down to produce Legionaries of The Boar and its two sequels.
The trilogy is called "Soldiers of The Boar" and the three books are, in order.
Legionaries of The Boar.
Sword of The Boar.
Centurion of The Boar.
The boar was the emblem of the Twentieth legion.
The American Civil War and the Napoleonic era are also favourites.
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