BARBARIAN AND THE THRONE by Adam Lofthouse (SHADOW OF ROME)
- Adam Lofthouse
- Jul 6
- 4 min read
Adam Lofthouse here with a first look at Barbarian and the Throne, the next book in my Shadow of Rome series of Roman historical fiction.
Well, launch day is fast approaching, and I thought I should share some details of the book just to get you all as excited as I am!
This is the fourth book in the Shadow of Rome series, although in reality it could be looked at as the start of a new trilogy. Allow me to explain….
TRIBUNE AND THE SWORD
If you’ve read this one, then you’ll know (SPOILER ALERT!) that at the end of the book, Victorinus finally betrays Maximus and goes over to Theodosius, ending the brutal civil war between East and West. Victorinus delivers the killing blow to the usurper Maximus himself, before laying down his sword and taking his sons back to Britannia, there hoping to see out his days in peace.
I had never imagined when I started writing Eagle and the Flame that the series would take off quite like it has. That book was intended as a standalone after all. Had I realised what it was I was beginning (Maximus, Theodosius, civil wars and decades of turmoil etc) then I would have made Victorinus and Felicius younger so I could take them through the whole bloody affair.
But I didn’t, and at the end of this book both men are well past retirement age from the army! So, as much as both are still going to appear in further books (I’ve just finished writing book 5 and Victorinus is quite prominent in that one) I’ve had to shift the POV to another character to take the story forward.
Who is Videricus?
Enter stage left, Videricus. Son of Vithimer, once king of the Greuthungi, he was introduced in Tribune and the Sword as a minor character, and he’s now going to be our leading man going forward. In Barbarian and the Throne, we actually go back in time a bit, learning more of Videricus’s past and his journey into the empire, plus briefly re-visiting a battle from Tribune and the Sword but seeing it from the barbarians perspective, rather than the Romans.
It was great fun, but challenging chronologically to write. By the end of it I felt like my eyes were square, double checking dates between the two books so often I kept getting confused as to what happened in what book!
It was worth it though, as by the end of part one of Barbarian and the Throne, we have a good grasp of who Videricus is and what his aims are.
The overriding theme throughout the first three books was the rise of Theodosius, known to history as Theodosius the Great. He was the last man to rule both halves of the empire on his own. After his death, the East continued to prosper, but the West sharply declined.
Stilicho and the Fall of the Western Roman Empire
It is that decline that I am focusing on. On the death of Theodosius, there was one man that fought tooth and nail to hold it all together. When everything around him crumbled, he resolutely carried on the fight, despite opposition from countless men around him. That man was Stilicho, the emperor in all but name, and the next three books in this series will focus on his rise and fall.
In Barbarian and the Throne, Stilicho is serving as a protectore to Theodosius (equivalent of the old Praetorian Guard for the Emperors of the East.) Thanks to his skill and obvious promise, he rises quickly, and by the time trouble stirs with yet another usurper in the West, Stilicho is one of Theodosius’s most trusted commanders, and is at the Emperor’s right-hand side as they march west to fight Theodosius’s second civil war.
The Battle of the Frigidus
The book culminates at the battle of the Frigidus (separate post coming about that) which was one of the bloodiest battles in Rome’s (albeit very bloody) history.
Before we get there though, Videricus will experience life on the run from the dreaded Huns in the wild lands north of the River Danube. He will integrate himself into Rome’s army, leading men into the crucible of war and facing his fears. A massacre at the Hippodrome of Thessaloniki will scar him for life, and a winter spent in the company of the forgotten Emperor, Valentinian II, will teach him the futility of power, and the confused ambitions of those that seek it.
It is one of the most powerful books I’ve written to date. Deeply personal, and at times very emotional. I crossed a personal milestone whilst writing it too. A million words I will have had published when this book is released. Hopefully I’ve learned a thing or two in the last nine years. Though I guess it will be up to you readers to be the judge of that….
If you enjoy Roman historical fiction in the vein of Simon Scarrow, Ben Kane, Conn Iggulden or Harry Sidebottom, the Shadow of Rome series should feel right at home on your shelf. Barbarian and the Throne releases 24th August — pre-order via the cover above.
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