David Gray Rodgers

The Songs of Slaves David Gray Rodgers

It is the turn of the fifth century. Four emperors contend for the Throne of the Caesars while barbarian tribes swarm across the frozen Rhine. Far away, in secluded and unconquered Ireland, a young orphan named Connor is mentored in the ways of the mind by Titus - a Roman legionnaire turned priest. When sea raiders attack, Connor fights to protect his loved ones; but is captured and sold into slavery in Roman Gaul. Bought by Montevarius, a brilliant wine maker with a philosopher's soul, Connor struggles to come to terms with the loss of his freedom and future. Enraptured by Lucia, conflicted daughter of Montevarius and practitioner of the secret cult of Isis, Connor begins to find his place in this world where cold authority and order blend with artistry and beauty. But what peace Connor finds is shattered by the cruelty of Montevarius' son, the sadistic Lorentius. Connor struggles towards freedom as the advance of the barbarian armies drive deep into the Empire. Precariously befriended by Valia and his war band of Goths, Connor is swept on the tide of war to the very gates of Rome - where he must choose between the system that elevated his mind but enslaved him, and the barbarians who promise him freedom but bring darkness. Emotional, vivid, and brutally real, The Songs of Slaves is the story of the fall of Rome as you have never heard it before.