Bastion of Rome
Date
2019-06-13
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MFA in Creative Writing, The University of Tampa
Abstract
A dying Rome needs heroes, lest invading barbarians sweep aside civilization and plunge
the world into a thousand-year Dark Age. Five flawed members of a knightly religious order
answer the call and enter Goth-occupied Belgica to save the oppressed. Along the way, they must
contend with a dead wizard, an undead cat, an alcoholic talking dog, a cryptic death cult, an army
of nihilist berserkers, a clan of thieves, hordes of barbarians, a collaborationist bard, a demonic
mystic, a monstrous assassin squad, a fanatic but desperate Legion commander, an ultra-orthodox
bishop, their own mortal shortcomings, and their trust in each other. Will Rome’s ruthless
spymasters sacrifice them as pawns in a shadow war, or will their faith and unity enable them to
master their own fates and save civilization? And who will recover the missing provincial
treasury?
In this debut novel, T. A. Morrison applies twenty years of real-world military experience
to the realms of swords and sorcery and alternate history. This is not the story of the powerful
decision-makers safe in their palaces, but the gritty realism of front-line combatants who
volunteer to go into harm’s way for the sake of others, not always knowing their superiors’
ultimate goals. In a chaotic, multipolar world on the brink of ultimate collapse, this is a soldier’s
tale of love and sacrifice, violence and morality, crudity and poignancy, sin and faith, family and
brotherhood, victory and defeat.
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Keywords
Novel, Speculative fiction, Fantasy, Alternative histories (Fiction)