A new century dawns, and Rome’s frontiers are again in turmoil. The year is A.D. 105. The emperor Trajan is calling in troops from around the empire to secure Dacia’s rich mines of iron, copper and gold. Britannia’s forts are left under strength and the north is once more in flames as the tribesmen sense weakness in Rome’s armies. The Ninth Legion, based at Eboracvm, must once more bear the brunt of the rebellion when, as the ageing Cethen Lamh-fada observed, “They’re having another damned go at it!” Now settled in Brigantia and living far longer than he ever wanted, Cethen finds his family once more straddling both sides of Rome’s ambition. As two of his sons guide the fate of Rome’s legions, two more try their utmost to hold them at bay. Set against the uprising of A.D. 105, when Rome abandoned most of the north leaving Agricola’s old forts in ruins, the story completes the saga of Cethen Lamh-fada and his people, and their unending struggle to remain free. As with The Village, and then The Fortress, the reader will find that Eboracvm: Carved in Stone is written with the same unique approach to the history of the times. There are no bold heroes, no vile villains, just ordinary people such as our selves who happen to live in far more difficult times. People who face life’s endless paradox of choices with a striking familiarity: the same fears and failings that haunt us today; a similar dark humour that makes tragedy bearable; and that lust for life and living that surpasses time…
