Clash of Eagles

In a world where the Roman Empire never fell, a legion under the command of Praetor Gaius Marcellinus invades North America in the 12th Century. But Marcellinus and his troops have woefully underestimated the fighting prowess of the Native American inhabitants of Nova Hesperia, who have developed their own flying technology known as Thunderbirds. When Gaius is caught behind enemy lines and spared, he must reevaluate his allegiences and find a new place in this strange land. Alan Smale grew up in Yorkshire, England, but now lives in the Washington D.C. area. By day he works at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center as a professional astronomer, studying black holes, neutron stars and other bizarre celestial objects. He has sold numerous short stories to magazines including Asimov's and Realms of Fantasy, and won the 2010 Sidewise Award for Alternate History.

Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Steve Berry, Naomi Novik, and Harry Turtledove, Alan Smale's gripping alternate history series imagines a world in which the Roman Empire has survived long enough to invade North America in 1218. Now the stunning story carries hero Gaius Marcellinus deeper into the culture of an extraordinary people-whose humanity, bravery, love, and ingenuity forever change his life and destiny. In AD 1218, Praetor Gaius Marcellinus is tasked with conquering North America and turning it into a Roman province. But outside the walls of the great city of Cahokia, his legion is destroyed outright; Marcellinus is the only one spared. In the months and years that follow, Marcellinus comes to see North America as his home and the Cahokians as his kin. He vows to defend these proud people from any threat, Roman or Native. After successfully repelling an invasion by the fearsome Iroqua tribes, Marcellinus realizes that a weak and fractured North America won't stand a chance against the returning Roman army. Worse, rival factions from within threaten to tear Cahokia apart just when it needs to be most united and strong. Marcellinus is determined to save the civilization that has come to mean more to him than the empire he once served. But to survive the swords of Roma, he first must avert another Iroqua attack and bring the Cahokia together. Only with the hearts and souls of a nation at his back can Marcellinus hope to know triumph.

Tasked with subjugating North America for the Roman Imperium in 1218 AD, Praetor Gaius Marcellinus lost his entire legion, but gained a powerful sense of purpose in uniting the peoples of the new world. Ending the seasons-old Mourning War between the five nations of the Iroqua and the plains-based Cahokians, Gaius was able to garner an uneasy truce between these united tribes and a Roman war machine hungry for gold and conquest. But Rome's long-standing conflict with the Mongol Horde has spilled over into North America. As the invaders of the steppes ride over the Rocky Mountains into the central plains, a massive conflict looms on the horizon like a thunderhead. This battle will change this world, and Gaius, forever.