The Thrice Named Man Series
(all books available on Amazon in e-book and paperback format)
The year is 225 AD and the Roman Empire is on the brink of a precipice.
It will take a man with iron in his veins to set things right and accomplish the impossible.
From a humble upbringing, a boy emerges who is destined to change history.
This is the story of Lucius Domitius Aurelianus.
Part I: Scythian (Published 24 May 2018)
When the farm they work on is attacked, the boy Lucius and the old man Nik are forced to flee the clutches of their pursuers. They find refuge from Rome among the Roxolani, the noble horse warriors in the land of Scythia.
Nik reveals his true identity and his pivotal role in the fate of the Empire. The boy finds a home among the barbarians and is accepted into their warrior culture.
But a storm descends upon the tribes when the warlike Goths migrate westwards towards the lands of Rome. Lucius is fostered to the distant Huns to strengthen ancient tribal bonds in a bid to repel the invaders.
On his journey, he meets a mysterious stranger who becomes his friend and mentor. A man who has a desire for the Empire to prosper.
To survive the merciless Huns and the onslaught of the Goths, the boy becomes a warrior without equal, guided by the hands of the gods.
Will the half barbarian boy be able to save his people or does his destiny lie elsewhere?
Part II: Legionary (Published 5 August 2018)
Lucius returns to Sirmium as a warrior, having sacrificed his birth right to save his mother’s people.
He enrolls in the legions stationed on the Danubian frontier and soon makes a name for himself as the barbarian tribes breach the border. His bravery and heritage makes him a favorite of the barbarian emperor, Maximinus Thrax.
He is sent to the Goths to arrange a peace paid for with gold, but there he finds a new enemy, unlike anything he had faced before. The wolf warriors of the Heruli. He falls for a Gothic princess whose brother is destined to become the bane of Rome.
Lucius returns to even greater danger as the Empire erupts into full scale civil war.
Forced to flee and choose loyalties, he gambles all that he holds precious.
Will he be able to overcome all odds and defy the might of the legions?
Part III: Sasanian (Published 29 November 2018)
Returning to Sirmium as the unsung hero of Aquileia, Lucius settles down on the farm, at peace with his life as a civilian.
Before long, the boy Emperor Gordian III calls him back into service when the barbarian hordes raid deep into Roman lands.
His reputation precedes him and with the help of unlikely allies, Rome carries the day.
In the east, Ardashir the Unifier, shahansha of the newfound Sasanian Empire is consolidating his power. His son, prince Shapur, desires to see the glory of the Old Persian Empire restored and expands his territory into Roman Syria.
The guardian of Gordian III, Gaius Timesitheus, sends Lucius on a mission to scout the lay of the land, while Rome prepares for war.
Unaware of the conflicts in the barbarian lands to the east, our hero and his friends soon find themselves embroiled in a war between the Sasanians and the power hungry Kushan Empire.
Helped by his barbarian allies and his friends, he returns home to prepare his legion for the coming onslaught.
Gordian III opens the gates of the temple of Janus in Rome and marches to war.
But the Empire is not only beset from outside. Unscrupulous men covet the purple. Powerful enemies, more dangerous than the Sasanians lurk within. Will Lucius be able to navigate the mire that Rome has become. Will he be able to tip the scales in the favor of Rome when they finally confront the might of the Sasanids?
Part IV: Transsilvanian (Published 15 March 2019)
Exiled and hunted by the Empire, Eochar and his companions flee north, finding refuge with the Thervingi.
He is set on avenging the murder of his father, but he soon finds himself immersed in the wars and politics of the Goths.
Philip the Arab breaks his agreement with the tribes. This time, the situation is different. The tribes form an alliance, setting in motion events that will shake the very foundations of Rome.
The barbarians, emboldened and hungry for revenge, strike deep into the heart of Transsilvania, to replace their lost tribute with the spoils of war. Eochar is caught up in the conflict and forced to choose sides.
But Rome is no one’s plaything. Philip the Arab requires a victory over the tribes to cement his reign, and a desperate man will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Soon, the barbarians face the mighty legions. But all is not as it seems…
Will Eochar and his friends prevail against the might and deceit of Rome?
Part V: Goth (Published 30 August 2019)
Philip the Arab returns to Rome, covered in glory. He spends rivers of gold planning the spectacle in celebration of the thousandth anniversary of the founding of Rome.
But the usurper emperor is not the only one planning.
On the plains north of the Danube, the tribes hatch plans of their own. The Goths consolidate their power, while the Roxolani seek new allies.
Lucius and his companions are forced to journey to Rome. To keep his oath, he enters the dark world of the men who fight to honour the gods.
But Philip the Arab is not having everything his own way. The legions are disillusioned and rise up in revolt. The Scythians and the Goths gather their allies and pour across the borders.
Will Lucius be able to save the life of his mentor, the king of the Roxolani?
Will he finally avenge the murder of his father?
Part VI: Roman (Published 10 December 2019)
The horde of the Scythians cross the frozen Danube to do the bidding of Eochar the Merciless. Their raid strikes deep into the Empire, into the heart of Thracia.
Decius gathers his legions to crush the barbarian menace once and for all, assembling an army the likes of which the Empire has rarely seen.
The emperor is no fool and soon the Scythians retreat before the might of the legions.
Has Eochar met his match, or will the horde triumph? Will the death of his father be avenged?
Will Lucius Domitius finally become a man of peace, or does the god of war have other plans?
Part VII: Illyrian (Published 1 July 2020)
Lucius assists Aemilianus to drive Cannabaudes and his marauding bands of Goths from the lands of Rome. But the Roman general has his own hidden agenda – plans that Lucius wants no part of.
Far to the west, in the forests of Germania, ancient enemies rise again, and new ones, more powerful than ever, emerge. He rushes west to honour old oaths, and soon the friends find themselves north of the Rhine, aided by unlikely allies.
A struggle for ultimate power unfolds, and only with the help of Arash do they navigate the turbulent waters.
In the East, the shahanshah had been biding his time. He strikes deep into Syria while Rome is distracted by internal strife. By cunning, the great Persian king wins the support of Armenia.
In desperation, Lucius and his friends travel East in an attempt to keep the greatest prize of all from the clutches of Shapur.
But the god of war does not give without wanting in return.
Part VIII: Roxolani (Published 2 November 2020)
On the Rhine frontier the Franks are crushed by the Illyrians. Soon the powers that be bask in the glory.
Far to the north, the most powerful tribe of the Germani stirs from its slumber and takes up the sword. When the ripples of war push the Marcomanni across the border, our hero goes north to honour old friendships, but ends up sacrificing more than he had bargained for.
Emperor Valerian gathers a mighty army and calls Lucius and his friends to the East. By force and cunning they attempt to wrest Syria from the clutches of the shahanshah. Lucius soon finds himself in Ctesiphon, the capital of the Sasanian Empire. He makes a chilling discovery, which not only places the Empire in danger, but also the lives of his friends and family.
One by one the enemies of Rome are subjugated. For the first time in decades it seems like stability and peace are returning to the Empire. Lucius is called to Rome, to be honoured, but Arash has other plans. He is forced to make a pact with the god of war and fire, a pact which can only be repaid in blood.
Part IX: Issedonian (Published 30 July 2021)
A disaster of unimaginable proportions has befallen Rome.
Unaware of the events, Lucius and Hostilius find themselves prisoners, at the mercy of the king of kings of the Sasanians. The god-king banishes the two to a far corner of the world – a place from which none has ever returned. Shapur entrusts them to his Sogdian agents, but the merchants who control the trade routes care little for the whims of kings.
Lucius and his friends are soon entangled in the machinations of the tribes that are vying for dominance over the lucrative Silk Route of Central Asia.
Arash guides our hero along a precarious path where he makes dangerous enemies but even more powerful friends.
While emperors and usurpers are destroying the very fabric of Rome, the god of war and fire is forging a warrior who is destined to conquer all.
Part X: Herulian (Published 21 December 2021)
To fulfil his vow to the Issedonian king, Cai ventures east. Bound by honour, Lucius and his friends travel by his side.
Even though the ancient trade routes are fraught with danger, it is nothing compared to the machinations of the warlords of Serica.
When Cai reveals a secret, it becomes evident that the future of Rome is intertwined with the fate of the Empire of the East.
Part XI: Barbarian (Published 25 May 2022)
Gallienus is losing the fight against Postumus.
In an attempt to stem the tide, the desperate emperor buries the hatchet and sends for the man who walks in the shadow of Mars the Avenger.
Lucius calls on old alliances to make inroads into Gaul, but he soon learns that an enemy lurks in the shadows – a foe more powerful and devious than he has ever faced.
The one with many heads entices the wild tribes with gold to do his bidding, endangering the lives of all who Lucius holds dear. But what the enemy does not know is that Eochar of the Roxolani is not a Roman who can be swayed by the glitter of gold, but rather a barbarian who pays back his debts with iron.
Part XII: Athenian (Published 1 November 2022)
To strengthen bonds of friendship, Gallienus sends Lucius to the Court of Odaenathus of Palmyra. Before long, he and his friends are drawn into a bloody struggle for power between the lords of the desert.
It is but the beginning of Rome’s problems…
The Harbinger bides his time and soon the savage Goths launch their fleet from the northern shores of the Dark Sea.
One misfortune after another befalls the already crippled Empire. The writing is on the wall – evil is about to triumph.
But the forces of darkness had not reckoned with the half-barbarian who walks in the shadow of the Lord of the Field of Blood.
Only one man can turn the tide.
It has begun.
Part XIII: Destroyer (Published 5 June 2023)
Six thousand ships push off from the northern shores of the Dark Sea, their wooden hulls crammed with more than three hundred thousand Goths. For the men, women and children of the tribes there is no turning back, as they are fleeing before their enemies and set on making a new home within the borders of a once powerful Empire that has grown weak and feeble.
Late summer of the same year, the barbarian armada beaches on the shores of Roman Macedonia. Slowly the horde creeps overland, across Thracia, ravaging all in its path.
The winter snow closes the approaches to the western provinces of Rome, providing the emperor with a brief respite to gather the handful of legions that remain loyal. Lucius and his friends cross the Danube in a desperate bid to gather allies for the inevitable confrontation, but they find the tribal lands north of the Mother River in turmoil and the chiefs reluctant.
When the snow melts from the passes, a disheartened emperor marches west to give battle. Marcus and his legions face almost insurmountable odds, but in his depleted arsenal there is one weapon that might just turn the tide – a half-barbarian general that has never tasted defeat, a man who walks in the shadow of Arash the Destroyer, the lord of the field of blood.
Part XIV: Imperator (Published 5 December 2023)
With the Goths reeling from the crushing defeat suffered at the hands of the iron legions, the portents indicate that Claudius Gothicus is the one destined to turn the tide in favour of the crumbling Empire.
Knowing that the armies of Rome are engaged with the invaders, the cunning war-witch of the Alemanni seizes the opportunity and leads the clans across the Danube. The Germani overrun the border fortifications and cut a bloody path through Raetia. Motivated by the prophecies of their oracles, the savages pour through the Alpine passes, intent on claiming the ultimate prize to ravage the Eternal City.
Emboldened by the Germani’s success, more hostile tribes begin to stir. Soon rumours of invasions abound. Obscured by the fog of war, another peril lurks silent and unseen, within striking distance of the jugular.
Events take a turn for the worse.
Is it a sign that the gods have abandoned Rome in its hour of need? Or could it be that the three sisters toiling at the spindle of fate are weaving the destiny of a man, a warrior prince the likes of which the world has never seen before.
Part XV: Avenger (Available early June 2024)
Having secured the northern frontiers with the sword, the emperor and his legions march to Rome.
But not all who dwell in the Eternal City are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Aurelian the Unconquered. Powerful men, who toil in the shadows and dip their hands in the blood of the innocent, fret the return of the one who is devoid of mercy. In their desperation to escape Aurelian’s wrath, they not only betray their oaths to their emperor, but also set in motion a series of events that threaten to usher in the demise of the Empire in its entirety.
The emperor rushes to confront the threat and achieves a great victory – or so it seems. The designs of the foe have been cleverly crafted and the emperor and his friends are drawn into a race against time and the elements – a race of which the outcome will determine the destiny of Rome itself.
Will Aurelian finally taste defeat? Or will he rise above overwhelming odds to honour Arash the Avenger with the blood of his enemies?