Product Description

The dawn of the 5th century AD, and the Roman Empire totters on the edge of the abyss. Already divided into two, the Imperium is looking dangerously vulnerable to her European rivals. The huge barbarian tribes of the Vandals and Visigoths sense that their time is upon them. But, unbeknownst to all these great players, a new power is rising in the East. A strange nation of primitive horse-warriors has been striking terror on border peoples for fifty years. But few realise what is about to happen. For these so called 'Huns' now have a new leader. And his name is Attila - 'the Scourge of God'. Thus begins a saga of warfare, lust and power which brought the whole of the Christian world to its knees - and ended in blood on the fields of France. It is a story of two men: Attila the Hun and Aetius the Roman. One who wanted to destroy the world, and one who fought one final battle to save it...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15436 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 480 pages

Review
'[a] rip-roaring account of the boyhood of Attila the Hun, a tale jam-packed with epic set pieces, bloody battles, a fair bit of history and the requisite lusty interludes... [a] gripping novel' DAILY MAIL 'He [Napier] brings the fifth century back to horrible life and convincingly sets up the major players of the time for the turmoil that will have the world rocking on its axis... Attila's a winner' SUNDAY SPORT '[A] rattling good yarn... Napier tells a great story, complete with smells and sounds, and lots of gore. The battle descriptions are particularly good, and he does smut very nicely. I couldn't put it down.' BIG ISSUE 'a tale jam-packed with epic set pieces, bloody battles, a fair bit of history and the requisite lusty interludes... [a] gripping novel' DAILY MAIL '[A] rattling good yarn... Napier tells a great story ... I couldn't put it down.' BIG ISSUE

Review
'The conclusion of the blood-soaked and rip-roaring historical trilogy' (SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY )

'The final novel in the brilliant Attila trilogy and is packed full of action, battles, politics and great characters. Gripping from first to last.' (HUDDERSFIELD DAILY EXAMINER )

SUNDAY SPORT
'He [Napier] brings the fifth century back to horrible life and convincingly sets up the major players of the time for the turmoil that will have the world rocking on its axis... Attila's a winner'

Customer Reviews

Great story, shame someone else didn't write it!
After reading the first book to this series I was looking forward to the release of the next two but have been gravely disappointed. Napier has managed to take a great historical story and out of it create a series of books which are a struggle to muster the enthusiasm to read.

The books lack the detail that make other similar novels such a good read. This extends to all parts of the story including the description of the battles, which fail to be the dramatic events they should be, as well as developing the characters. The book plods along at a sedate pace and you even feel that Napier himself must have been bored of it by the end.

If you're looking something to read before you go to bed this is ideal as it will almost guarantee a good night's sleep. However, if you want to read a well told novel about Attila then this book will just leave you wishing that Bernard Cornwell or Conn Iggulden had taken up the challenge!

Absolutely Stunning
I must say that this is so far the best book I have ever read, and believe me I've read alot of historical fiction. The first two books in the sequel I found at times to be trying and I felt I had to find patience before I found the magic that Napier is capable of which came in waves and trickles. Yet for the third in the sequel, it was as if his style had finally perfected and he became frenzied with the knack of balancing intrigue, character development, intensity, profundity, melancholy historically factual truths and the whole ideology around the 'spirit of the times' but on top of all of this, I felt as if I was reading the script of a future epic, bigger even than Lord of the Rings, I was that encapsulated (from start to finish).

It has now awakened a deep interest for me in the whole time around Attila the Hun, Scourge of God and Flavious Aetius, last bastion of the Roman Empire and I found the interplay of emotions between two sworn enemies who were once friends brilliant, and the dwindling fortunes of the Roman Empire well documented. The battles were heart stopping, the mood downcast yet not beaten and there was a touch of hilarity between characters and their actions mixed with the appalling reality of the lengths Attila took to instill horror into the Roman enemy. An absolute legendary book which deserves to be the basis of a film

Come on Mr. Napier, Did they really speak like that in those days?
I am so disappointed. I was expecting a realistic account of Atilla`s exploits, set with historical accuracy, but this book has so much "filler" that I am debating whether to read what I`ve got left or just give it up as a bad job! It seems to me that Mr Napier thought to himself that he could stretch the story into 3 or 4 volumes by writing about Atilla`s teenage years in Rome, and using very modern language, including swear-words that just don`t fit with me. He did this and bored me! Perhaps you should start with the 2nd volume and give volume 1 a miss! If you want some serious historical fiction, I can thoroughly recommend the "Young Bloods" series about Wellington and Napoleon by Simon Scarrow and the "Crusade" series by Robyn Young. I can`t wait for the next volumes in these series to be published, but as for "Atilla"!!!!