Within the span of five years, Rome is shaken to its foundations, first with the slaughter of three Legions under the command of Publius Quinctilius Varus in the Teutoberg Forest, betrayed by the German prince Arminius, then with the death of Augustus coming five years later. Within this time period, the Legions on the Rhine are rocked, first with the turmoil created by this unprecedented disaster, which is exacerbated with Augustus' decision to rid Rome of troublemakers when he forces them to enlist in the Legions in response to the crisis posed by the German victory, then followed with the uncertainty caused by the death of Augustus, a man who has controlled Rome for four decades.Titus Porcinianus Pullus, like his fellow Centurions, must cope with the difficulties presented by the uncertainty created by the cunning leadership of Arminius, and the agitation of men who had been forced into the ranks, but it is the addition of a haughty young equestrian who has purchased a posting in Titus' Century who presents the most personally vexing and disturbing challenge. Young Gnaeus Volusenus is one of the only men in the Legions whose size and strength rivals that of Titus, but there are other similarities between the two men that guarantee they will clash. Their personal differences, however, must be subordinated when the Legions in Germania and Pannonia revolt, sending Titus on a journey that will prove to be one of the most important and troubling of his life. Nevertheless, Titus has a duty to perform, not only to Rome, but to the spirit of his grandfather, the first and greatest Titus Pullus; both the outcome of the revolt of the Legions and the honor of the Pullus name depend on him R.W. Peake wrote his first novel when he was 10.He published his first novel when he was 50.Obviously, a lot happened in between, including a career as a "grunt" in the Marine Corps, another career as a software executive, a stint as a semi-professional cyclist, and becoming a dad.But, through it all, there was one constant: his fascination with history, which led him back to school in his 30s to earn a degree in History from the Honors College at the University of Houston.One morning years later, R.W. was listening to Caesar's Commentaries while he was on his morning commute to a job he hated. A specific passage about Caesar's men digging a 17 mile ditch between Lake Geneva and the Jura Mountains suddenly jumped out at him.He was reminded of his own first job at 13 digging a ditch in Hardin, Texas. For the rest of the drive that morning, he daydreamed about what life must have been like not for the Caesars of the world, but for the everyday people who were doing the fighting and dying for Rome, and the idea for Marching with Caesar was born.Not too long after that, he quit that job, moved into a trailer halfway across the country, and devoted the next four years to researching and writing the first installments of Marching with Caesar.Some of his research methods-like hiking several miles around Big Bend National Park in the heat of summer wearing a suit of chainmail and carrying a sword so he would know what it felt like to be a Roman legionary-were a bit unconventional and made his friends and family question his sanity.But such was his commitment to bringing these stories to life for his readers with as much detail and accuracy as possible.Even as his catalog continues to grow, he still brings that passion to every story he tells.He has moved out of the trailer, but he still lives on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington with his Yellow Lab, Titus Pomponius Pullus and his rescue dog, Peach.
