It is A.D. 78, and Governor Gnaeus Agricola has arrived in Britannia to find that the Brigantes are again in rebellion; this time, the tribes are united with those further north—in the land that will one day be known as Scotland. Agricola is determined to finish a conquest begun only seven years before by Petilius Cerialis. He will lead his armies relentlessly northward, leaving a trail of destruction marked by Roman forts and the web of roads that connect them. Risking the loss of an entire legion, Agricola will let nothing stand in his way—even if it means marching to the furthermost tip of the island. Following the forced exile of Cethen Lamh-fada and his family by the Roman Gaius Sabinius, the story continues as their children come of age. While the fate of the generations becomes inexorably entwined, Briton and Roman alike must decide where true loyalty lies, and in so doing, deal with its inevitable consequence. According to history, the conclusion of the campaign conducted by Agricola was inevitable; but defeat is a personal thing, and not always total. Often, it is no more than a turning point. Eboracvm, The Fortress is filled with action and backed by fact; it is also laced with dark humour, and a touch of hard romance. The book highlights the never ending paradoxes of life’s choices, many of them strikingly familiar. In doing so, Eboracvm continues its unique approach to the history of the times: there are no dashing heroes, no vile villains, just ordinary people with their everyday virtues, faults and failings, all of which include an inbred passion for life that surpasses time.
