When Rome transgresses upon his father's domain that lays between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Pacorus, a prince of the Parthian Empire, is sent to exact revenge. After a string of victories Pacorus and his men are captured in Cappadocia, clapped in chains and sent to Italy to live out the rest of their days as slaves. But fate intervenes and Pacorus and his companions are saved from a living hell by a renegade gladiator named Spartacus. In gratitude, Pacorus agrees to help Spartacus build his army as Rome musters its legions to crush the slave uprising. And so begins an epic adventure of glory and savagery played out across the length and breadth of Italy, as Spartacus defeats the armies of Rome and Pacorus leads his horsemen to victory after victory. But will Pacorous and the slave army escape from Italy, and will he win the love of the fierce and proud Gallia before the most powerful man in Rome, Marcus Licinius Crassus, takes the field against Spartacus?

A map of the Parthian Empire at the time of Pacorus (the 1st Century BC) can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

'Parthian Dawn' is the second volume of the adventures of Pacorus the Parthian and his companions, the fierce and proud Gallia, the ex-Roman centurion Domitus, the scout Byrd and the sorceress Dobbai, as they battle for their lives against the backdrop of the clash between the ancient world's two greatest empires.
After three years fighting by the side of Spartacus, Pacorus and his followers have escaped from Italy in the aftermath of the defeat of the slave rebellion. Made a king by the ruler of the Parthian Empire on his return, he has married his beloved Gallia and made the city of Dura Europos on the banks of the Euphrates his home. But his new kingdom is seething with discontent and surrounded by hostile desert nomads who are the sworn enemies of the Parthians. The aged King of Kings, the man who has united the Parthians for decades, then dies to cast a shadow of uncertainty over the empire, which erupts into full-scale civil war as one of the empire's most powerful men, Narses, attempts to seize the high crown by force.
Pacorus is forced to fight both Narses and his scheming ally, Prince Mithridates, to preserve the realm and his own crown. And then the Romans, taking advantage of Parthia's internal troubles, launch their own invasion of the empire. Will Pacorus and indeed the Parthian Empire survive the conflict that engulfs them on all sides?

A map of the Parthian Empire at the time of Pacorus (the 1st Century BC) can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

'Parthian Vengeance' is the third instalment in the Parthian Chronicles, the adventures of King Pacorus of Dura, and follows on from 'Parthian Dawn'.

The brooding peace that hangs over Parthia is shattered by a murder that triggers the final confrontation that will decide who rules the empire. Pacorus leads his veteran army east to destroy once and for all the forces of his implacable enemies, Mithridates and Narses. But his foes have been waiting for this moment and what Pacorus believes will be a short campaign will turn into a long war that will culminate in the bloodiest battle in the history of the Parthian Empire.

Once again Pacorus gathers his faithful companions around him for the life-or-death struggle with the treacherous Mithridates and the ambitious Narses: Domitus, the ex-Roman centurion and now general of Dura's army; Gallia, his fierce warrior queen; Orodes, the landless prince; Prince Malik of the Agraci; and Surena, destined to become one of the greatest Parthian commanders of all time.

A map of the Parthian Empire at the time of Pacorus (the 1st Century BC) can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

'Carrhae' is the fourth and final instalment in the Parthian Chronicles, the adventures of King Pacorus of Dura, and follows on from 'Parthian Vengeance'.

The great Parthian Civil War is over, leaving behind an empire exhausted by years of bloodshed. But no sooner have hostilities ended than Armenia, the client state of Rome, declares war on the empire and unleashes its army against Parthia.

Even Dura's mighty army cannot stave off a series of defeats as the enemies of Parthia circle the empire like hungry wolves. And Pacorus knows that Marcus Licinius Crassus is also marching east to extend Rome's rule from the Euphrates to the Indus and enslave the whole of Parthia.

The scene is set for a final showdown on the battlefield of Carrhae, a clash that will decide the destinies of two empires and two men.

A map of the Parthian Empire at the time of Pacorus (the 1st Century BC) can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

They called themselves Companions, those who escaped from Italy with Pacorus in the aftermath of Spartacus' uprising, travelling across the Mediterranean to make their home in Parthia. They subsequently assisted Pacorus in turning the Kingdom of Dura into one of the strongest realms in the Parthian Empire.

But one Companion was unwittingly left behind and condemned to the living hell of Roman slavery. When Pacorus discovers this he and a band of comrades embark on a perilous quest to find and free him. Thus begins a journey that will see the King of Dura follow in the footsteps of Spartacus himself as he heads for gladiatorial games being held in the Roman-controlled city of Ephesus.

This, the fifth volume in the 'Parthian Chronicles' series, is set in the time between 'Parthian Dawn' and 'Parthian Vengeance'.

A map of the eastern Mediterranean in the 1st century BC can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

Jerusalem may have fallen to the Saracens but in the Baltic Bishop Albert of Riga has created the crusader state of Livonia to bring the word of God to the indigenous pagans. The battle to convert the natives is savage and unrelenting and into this holy war is thrust Conrad Wolff, a young native of the city of Lubeck whose family has suffered a terrible injustice.

Forced to leave his homeland to seek sanctuary in Livonia, Conrad's fate is soon entwined with that of the Sword Brothers, the order of warrior monks that fights to defend and expand Christendom in the Baltic. But as Conrad begins his training to become a member of the brethren, the enemies of the Bishop of Riga gather and soon Livonia is surrounded and battling for its very existence.

Conrad and the order soon find themselves fighting for their lives as the enemies of the Sword Brothers close in on all sides.

This, the first volume in the Crusader Chronicles, tells the story of Conrad Wolff and the Baltic Crusade during the first years of the thirteenth century.

The Sword Brothers have won a great victory and the implacable enemy of their order is dead. There is now nothing to stop the Bishop of Riga from marching north and seizing the whole of Estonia. But in the moment of triumph the seeds of future difficulties have been sown, for the bishop's German crusaders believe that the fight against the pagans has been won and thus there is no reason for them to stay in Livonia. Faced with a lack of holy warriors to complete his task, the bishop is forced to beg the ambitious King Valdemar of Denmark for military aid, a request that will have disastrous consequences.

While he is away Conrad Wolff, now a veteran brother knight of the Sword Brothers, his reputation high among pagans and crusaders alike, is sent to Ungannia whose ruler Kalju is an ally of the Sword Brothers. There a trivial incident escalates into a full-scale war that results in a great barbarian horde sweeping into Livonia and threatening the very existence of the crusader state.

Conrad is sent on a desperate mission to raise a ragtag army to delay the invaders long enough so Riga can summon crusader knights from Germany. Conrad and his companions soon find themselves battling Cumans, Russians, Lithuanians and Danes as their motley force, the Army of the Wolf, takes the field against the many enemies of Livonia.

This, the second volume of the Crusader Chronicles, continues the story of Conrad Wolff and the Baltic Crusade in the first quarter of the thirteenth century.

Outraged by the behaviour of the Sword Brothers, King Valdemar has placed a blockade on the whole of Livonia. With the Danes having a stranglehold over Livonia the crusader state is slowly dying, made worse by an outbreak of pestilence at Riga. But when the Danish king invades the island of Oesel the wheel of fate turns and Valdemar finds himself at the mercy of the Sword Brothers and Conrad Wolff, the man he wanted to have executed.

The Sword Brothers and Conrad's Army of the Wolf save King Valdemar who lifts the blockade, thus saving Livonia. But Conrad has many enemies and an act of wickedness causes conflict to flare up on Livonia's eastern borders that will threaten not only the crusader state but also the life of Conrad himself.

And south of the River Dvina, among the Lithuanian kingdoms, a great power arises that will have grave consequences for not only Conrad but also for the whole order of Sword Brothers.

This, the third volume of the Crusader Chronicles, continues the story of Conrad Wolff and the Baltic Crusade in the first quarter of the thirteenth century.

Maps of Livonia in the thirteenth century, the Lithuanian kingdoms and the tribal lands of Estonia can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

Estonia may be at peace but Conrad Wolff, now a master of the Sword Brothers, seethes with anger against a wrong committed against him and his friends. The aftermath will lead to Livonia and Estonia being dragged into international politics as the Papacy intervenes in the affairs of the Sword Brothers and Livonia.
Meanwhile a frustrating war continues against the pagan Lithuanians in the south, a conflict that puts a severe strain on the resources of the Sword Brothers. But it is in the north where a crisis suddenly develops, resulting in Conrad and his order facing annihilation in the freezing wastes. Against this dire backdrop Conrad is forced to make a decision that will have major ramifications for both him and the Sword Brothers. And in the aftermath of that decision a giant of the crusader kingdom in the Baltic leaves the stage.
'Master of Mayhem' is the fourth volume of the Crusader Chronicles and continues the story of Conrad Wolff and the Baltic Crusade in the first half of the thirteenth century.

Maps of Livonia in the thirteenth century, the Lithuanian kingdoms and the tribal lands of Estonia can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

A new Papal Legate has come to Livonia but he is no friend of Conrad Wolff or the Sword Brothers. Grave charges are levelled against the commander of the Army of the Wolf, leading to a series of events that threatens to rip apart the crusader state in the Baltic.

For Conrad these are strange times as former enemies become allies and erstwhile allies seek to take advantage of Livonia's weaknesses to further their own ends. This, the penultimate volume in the Crusader Chronicles series, sees Conrad fighting for his life and the Sword Brothers battling for their very existence against a backdrop of intrigue, international politics and betrayal.

Maps of Livonia in the thirteenth century, the Lithuanian kingdoms and the tribal lands of Estonia can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

No man can escape his destiny and nor can the Sword Brothers avoid the whirlwind they have sowed. Conrad and the Sword Brothers are masters of all they survey. Their enemies have been defeated but not destroyed and at the height of their powers clouds of doom begin to gather on the horizon.
For Conrad the appearance of an old enemy will reawaken old wounds and a thirst for revenge. His actions will have a catastrophic effect on the Sword Brothers and will set in train a sequence of events that will lead to a final confrontation between East and West on the frozen surface of Lake Peipus. A battle that will be a defining moment for Conrad Wolff, the Sword Brothers and European history.

Did you think the gods would leave you alone, Pacorus? Did you truly believe the Romans would forget the humiliation of Carrhae and not rest until they had won back their lost eagles?

Pacorus had believed the defeat of Crassus would signal the end of Roman interest in Parthia and for many years his kingdom knew peace and prosperity. But the vindictiveness of Queen Cleopatra of Egypt draws him and the Parthians into a new war, one in which they would be fighting for their very existence when her husband Mark Antony invades the empire at the head of over one hundred thousand men.
At first the new high king of the Parthian Empire refuses the assistance of Pacorus and his famed army, but as disaster follows disaster only Dura’s soldiers can save the empire from being swallowed whole by the Romans. An older, wiser Pacorus is forced to take the field against the might of Rome once more in a war that will be a turning point for him, the empire and his family.

Set against the backdrop of World War I and the Russian Revolution, ‘The Ice March’ is the story of Mikhail Petrov, an impoverished peasant who is drafted into the Russian Imperial Army in 1914. He is soon caught up in tumultuous events as the Imperial Army suffers defeats, retreats and huge losses on the Eastern Front.
But Mikhail’s star rises as Russia’s falls and soon his fate is entwined with that of a young, beautiful princess. In the drama of the Russian Revolution both flee Moscow to seek sanctuary in the Cossack lands to the south. There Mikhail joins the Whites and their tiny Volunteer Army. But the Bolsheviks are determined to wipe out the ‘counter-revolutionaries’ and thousands of Red Guards are soon marching against them. The scene is set for a campaign that will determine whether Mikhail and the Whites will survive or perish on the icy steppe of the Kuban.

Maps of the Eastern Front in World War I and the Russian Civil War can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

Doting father? Man of peace? These things are not you, Pacorus. Have you not heard of the hydra? Cut off one of its heads and two more will replace it. You defeat one enemy and another springs forth to torment you, just as the gods torment you with endless strife.
After the defeat of Mark Antony Pacorus has returned to the city of Dura to prepare for a happier campaign: the wedding of his daughter to a prince of a kingdom on the eastern frontier of the Parthian Empire.
Pacorus and his family and friends travel to the east to attend the wedding of Princess Isabella, but old scores need to be settled and a new power is rising beyond the Indus that will threaten the empire itself. Can Pacorus and the surviving Companions can save the empire and the reign of the young, duplicitous king of kings from the barbarian hordes in the east?
‘Usurper’ followers on from ‘Sons of the Citadel’.
A map of the Parthian Empire can be found on the maps page of my website: www.petedarman.com.

Mark Antony has returned to Parthia to wage war against the king of kings. But Parthia has a new hero, a man born of slaves who carries an infamous name and who burns with rage against the world.

The king of the wild Kingdom of Gordyene desires to arm his best soldiers with swords made from the magical metal from the east. To purchase such precious requires gold and so Spartacus steals it from an Armenian temple, along with a beautiful young novice who is the daughter of Armenia’s greatest warlord. Thus is set in motion a series of events that will see King Spartacus lead his army to victory after victory as the ‘lion of the north roars’ to crush Armenian, Parthian and Roman foes.

The army of Gordyene rises to rival the other great armies in the empire – the Hatrans of King Gafarn and the Durans of King Pacorus. You wish to be a greater warlord than your uncle but King Pacorus respects the immortals. But the gods are real Spartacus and they have not forgotten the restraints they placed on the rulers of Gordyene. With every victory and conquest they will take something from you until there is nothing left, and your rage and army will avail you nothing against them.

As Mark Antony forges an unholy alliance with the Parthian King of Media, will you save the empire and lose your family? Or will you heed the advice of one who is a member of an ancient sisterhood and obey the rules of the gods?

‘The Cursed Kingdom’ is the eighth volume in the Parthian Chronicles and follows on from ‘Usurper’. A map of the Parthian Empire can be found on the maps page of my website: www.petedarman.com.

Congratulations on reaching a landmark birthday, Pacorus. And to celebrate the gods have sent you a present. As your friends gather at Dura to commemorate the man who is a Parthian legend, the immortals send a storm from the east to plunge the empire into fresh conflict.
Do not be angry. They honour you and wish to see you doing what you do best, warlord, no matter how much blood is shed.
As friends are lost and the peace he has fought so hard for crumbles before his eyes, a weary Pacorus is forced to lead his army once more into battle. But the new campaign is different from previous ones, as old enemies become new allies and the world and certainties he has known are turned upside down.
Can he restore the man he has pledged his allegiance to, or will the powerful rebel alliance prove irresistible and create a dark chasm into which Parthia will be sucked?
‘Amazon’ is the ninth volume in the Parthian Chronicles and follows on from ‘The Cursed Kingdom’. A map of the Parthian Empire can be found on the maps page of my website: www.petedarman.com.

You know three things, Pacorus:
Your ‘army’ totals only one hundred men and one hundred women.
No help is coming.
The gods are unreliable allies.

Peace has been restored to the Parthian Empire.
The king of kings graces Dura with a visit, the son of Spartacus sits on Media’s throne, a great army has been assembled to deal with the eastern threat, and Rome is no longer an implacable enemy of Parthia.
Pacorus looks forward to enjoying a permanent cessation of hostilities. But the gods abhor peace and so to amuse themselves they lure the King and Queen of Dura to Media to face daunting odds against a mighty foe. Can Pacorus save the new King of Media, prevent Spartacus from unleashing death and destruction on Armenia, and preserve the peace between Parthia and Rome?
‘The Slave King’ is the tenth volume in the Parthian Chronicles and follows on from ‘Amazon’. A map of the Parthian Empire in the 1st Century BC can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com.

Nothing is forgotten. Nothing is ever forgotten.
No matter where you are, I will find you.

King Pacorus and Queen Gallia have returned to Dura after their narrow escape in the north. The king is glad to be alive but Gallia seethes with resentment and thirsts for vengeance against those who deceived her husband, killed her friends, imperilled the empire and threatened Dura’s rulers.
And thanks to her own foresight and the assistance of the Scythian Sisters, Gallia has the means to strike back at her enemies, and wastes no time in doing so. But she sets in motion a sequence of events that will have unforeseen consequences, both for Dura and for the Parthian Empire. And for one lowly farmer, his life will change forever.
‘Wraiths’ is the twelfth volume in the Parthian Chronicles series and follows on from ‘Lord of War’. A map of the Parthian Empire in the 1st century BC can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com.

War is a jealous lover who is reluctant to release me from her embrace.

Pacorus, now retired from the politics of Parthia, embarks on a journey to request the high king find a place in the empire for his Egyptian protégé, who has been offered the governorship of Roman-controlled Egypt, as well as to discover the whereabouts of his former squire.
But Queen Gallia’s assassins have unwittingly set in motion a sequence of events that will plunge the empire into peril, as well as endangering the King of Dura himself. When an invading horde of barbarians sweeps into Parthia from the north and crushes everything in its path, Pacorus is once again forced to unsheathe his sword.
But old allies cannot be relied upon and Pacorus is not the great warlord of old. With an untrustworthy high king and a cunning adversary to face, he is soon faced with his greatest challenge: saving the Parthian Empire itself.
‘Sarmatian’ is the thirteenth volume in the Parthian Chronicles series and follows on from ‘Lord of War’. A map of the Parthian Empire in the 1st century BC can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com.

Constantinople 1302.
Luca Baldi, a young shepherd, is catapulted into the violent world of mercenary warfare when he is forced to flee his native Sicily. He falls in with the Almogavars – ruthless mercenaries from the Catalonia region of Spain who have just finished butchering the French during a 20-year war on the island. He and they take ship to Constantinople when they are hired by the Byzantine emperor, whose empire is disintegrating in the face of remorseless Muslim advances.
Alone and marooned amid danger and violence and surrounded by enemy forces, Luca must master the Almogavar way of war to survive. Plunged into the brutal world of Medieval warfare when the mercenaries take the fight to the emperor’s many enemies, can Luca live through fighting impossible odds as he battles to preserve a crumbling empire that has stood for a thousand years?
‘The Black Sheep’ is the first volume in the Catalan Chronicles, a Medieval saga set in the early 14th century. Maps of the Byzantine Empire and western Anatolia at this time can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

Cry ‘havoc!’, and let slip the dogs of war.
After its great victories in Anatolia, the mercenary Catalan Company has been grossly betrayed by its paymasters. Now cornered on the Gallipoli Peninsula, the Byzantine emperor is determined to wipe it out for good.
But the Catalan dogs of war have other ideas, none more so than Luca Baldi, now a hero among his comrades and a young man who thirsts for battle and glory.
The Byzantines have a assembled a great army to crush the Catalan mercenaries and afterwards wage a crusade against the Muslim Turks in Anatolia.
The stage is set for a battle that will decide the fate of Luca Baldi, the Catalan Company and the Byzantine Empire, which will echo down the ages.
‘The White Dragon’ is the second volume in the Catalan Chronicles, a Medieval saga set in the early 14th century. Maps of the Byzantine Empire and western Anatolia at this time can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

Cry ‘havoc!’, and let slip the dogs of war.
After its great victories in Anatolia, the mercenary Catalan Company has been grossly betrayed by its paymasters. Now cornered on the Gallipoli Peninsula, the Byzantine emperor is determined to wipe it out for good.
But the Catalan dogs of war have other ideas, none more so than Luca Baldi, now a hero among his comrades and a young man who thirsts for battle and glory.
The Byzantines have a assembled a great army to crush the Catalan mercenaries and afterwards wage a crusade against the Muslim Turks in Anatolia.
The stage is set for a battle that will decide the fate of Luca Baldi, the Catalan Company and the Byzantine Empire, which will echo down the ages.
‘The White Dragon’ is the second volume in the Catalan Chronicles, a Medieval saga set in the early 14th century. Maps of the Byzantine Empire and western Anatolia at this time can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

The Romans took my freedom, albeit briefly. But Parthia took my youth, my best years, my friends and my family. And now it wants me to surrender the things that made all the sacrifices if not worthwhile, then at least bearable.

It is thirty years since the Battle of Carrhae and the wheel of fate has come full circle. Pacorus heads the Parthian delegation that will oversee the exchange of the eagles captured from Crassus for the young son of the empire’s king of kings. Much more is at stake than the life of a young boy, however. It is a decisive moment in history for Parthia and Rome are on the verge of agreeing a permanent peace.

But the gods are not passive observers to the will of men and they send gifts to the King of Dura to tease him and sow doubt in his mind. And a rising Roman star by the name of Tiberius is determined to make a name for himself at the expense of Pacorus. The scene is set for a showdown between the pair and a decisive clash between two of the greatest empires of the ancient world.

‘Sarmatian’ is the fourteenth volume in the Parthian Chronicles series and follows on from ‘Sarmatian’. A map of the Parthian Empire in the 1st century BC can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com.

‘Luca Baldi is an illiterate peasant, a scrawny wretch who has a seditious streak and who under normal circumstances would have been hanged or burnt at the stake long ago. However, fate, or God, has seen fit to smile on his miserable existence.’
And not only on Luca Baldi. After their stunning victory over the Romans, the Catalan mercenaries have become kings in the land of the enemy. Luca and his friends are enjoying the spoils of victory and basking in their new-found status. But dark clouds are gathering on the horizon and soon Luca, and the Catalan Company, will be sucked into the maelstrom of power politics. Old enemies with grievances to settle will target Luca himself and the Catalans will come up against a new foe – the daunting Empress Irene.
Fresh battles beckon for Luca, the Almogavars and the Catalan Company in ‘The Golden Lion’, the third volume in the Catalan Chronicles, the saga of a mercenary band that brought the Byzantine Empire to its knees at the beginning of the fourteenth century.
Maps of the Byzantine Empire can be found on the maps page of my website.

The dogs of war have been muzzled, and now they will be destroyed.
Luca Baldi has some very prestigious enemies – the emperor’s wife, the Queen of Thessaly, Dario Spinola (the richest man in the eastern Mediterranean), the Duke of Athens, and the entire French aristocracy. This is a remarkable achievement for a landless, penniless peasant. Unfortunately, they all want him dead, along with the rest of the Catalan Company.
Luca and his mercenary companions have no allies, no money and no land, and as their many enemies close in on them, it appears their days are numbered. The scene is set for a final apocalyptic battle that will decide the fate of Luca Baldi, the Catalan Company, the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Thessaly and the Latin lords of southern Greece.
‘The Silver Stallion’ is the final volume in the Catalan Chronicles series – the adventures of Luca Baldi and a band of Catalan mercenaries in the Byzantine Empire at the beginning of the fourteenth century.

Maps of the Byzantine Empire (called the Roman Empire by contemporaries) can be found on the maps page of my website.

War has been a successful Duran export for many years. But now it is at the gates of my city and strangling my kingdom.

Parthia’s borders are now secure after decades of strife and a general peace has settled over the empire. The prosperous and thriving Kingdom of Dura basks in the glory of a Parthian Empire that is both united and strong. But from the desert bordering Dura comes an enemy that threatens the very existence of Pacorus’ realm, an enemy that strikes like a cobra and disappears like a phantom.

Seeing Dura shrivel before his eyes, Pacorus is forced to take drastic action to defeat a foe that is threatening to reduce his city to an impoverished desert outpost. In desperation, he leads Dura’s army into the vastness of the desert to seek a decisive clash with the so-called Chosen One, a battle that will decide the future of the Kingdom of Dura itself.

‘Dura’ is the fifteenth volume in the Parthian Chronicles series and follows on from ‘Pacorus’. A map of the Parthian Empire in the 1st century BC can be found on the maps page of my website: www.peterdarman.com

Leon Muller, resident of the city of Bern, has it all – a wealthy family, an excellent education and a very bright future. But he throws it all away on a rash impulse and as a result is thrown into a world that is totally alien to him. Cast out of his home city, he is forced to join an army of impoverished, half-starved soldiers that is fighting for the freedom of the Swiss people.
Derided as ‘alpine shepherds’ by their aristocratic enemies, Leon and his comrades are plunged into a life-and-death struggle as the nobles and armies of the Holy Roman Empire and the Austrian Habsburgs circle the Swiss Confederation like ravenous wolves, united in their determination to wipe out the Swiss nation once and for all. It is a war of no quarter and great butchery.
‘Outcast’ is the first volume in the ‘Alpine Warrior’ series – the story of Swiss soldier Leon Muller in the wars of the 15th Century when Europe was torn apart by civil, dynastic and imperial conflicts.
Maps of 15th Century Switzerland and the Rhine Valley are available to view and download on the maps page of my website.

'How will history judge you, Leon Muller?’
Fresh from their exploits in Switzerland, Leon and his comrades march south to Italy to fight for the Duchy of Milan against the Republic of Venice. Italy is the most cultured country in Europe, but its politicians, churchmen and generals are cunning and clever as well as learned. And they are expert puppet masters, as Leon and his comrades discover to their cost.
Leon, now a captain, becomes central to the success of the Swiss army but he is also unwittingly manipulated by powerful figures as Swiss fortunes wax and wane. In battle the Swiss are like wolves, but a far more devious and powerful wolf is their enemy and in the battle for northern Italy, tactical victories seem to turn into strategic defeats. And soon the Swiss are despised for their ruthless approach to warfare and face having to flee back to their homeland. Will Leon and his comrades survive their Italian adventure?
‘The Wolf of Rimini’ is the second volume in the ‘Alpine Warrior’ series – the story of Swiss soldier Leon Muller in the wars of the 15th Century when Europe was torn apart by civil, dynastic and imperial conflicts.
Maps of 15th Century Italy and Lombardy are available to view and download on the maps page of my website.

Protect your family, defend the empire, honour the gods.
This is the code you have lived by all your life, Pacorus. Everything you have undertaken has been with those three objectives uppermost in your mind. And now your life’s work is nearly complete. Your family prospers, the empire is safe, and the gods are the indifferent, callous, bloodthirsty deities they have been since the dawn of time.

And yet, they can also be generous, even kind. After a wearisome battle to defend your kingdom, they present you with the opportunity to experience one last great adventure, an offer that is almost beyond comprehension. Grasp it with both hands, Pacorus, and ride to war again, this time against the most dangerous enemy the Parthian Empire has ever faced. But you will not be alone, and the ensuing perils and calamities will seem insignificant when compared to the great miracle the gods have gifted you.

‘Conqueror’ is the sixteenth volume in the Parthian Chronicles series and follows on from ‘Dura’. Maps of the Parthian Empire and Judea in the 1st century BC can be found on the maps page of my website.

Being stabbed in the back is more painful than in the front.

Leon and the Swiss stand triumphant after their victory over the Venetians. Their employer, Francesco Sforza, is now the most powerful man in northern Italy. And yet, even in the moment of victory, individuals in the shadows are manoeuvring to rob the Sforza of his triumph and rid Italy of the Swiss.
For Leon Muller, victory, glory and prestige all come to him as he rises in the ranks and his name becomes known not only in Italy, but also in his homeland. He and Sigmund Thyg now become warlords in northern Italy in their own right, and they and their soldiers are soon influencing events and alliances. They are lions on the battlefield, it is true, but making enemies of rich and powerful individuals is fraught with danger, and soon Leon and his comrades have nowhere to turn as their vengeful enemies close in.
‘Prodigal’ is the third volume in the ‘Alpine Warrior’ series – the story of Swiss soldier Leon Muller in the wars of the 15th Century when Europe was torn apart by civil, dynastic and imperial conflicts.Maps of 15th Century Italy and Lombardy are available to view and download on the maps page of my website.

A crumbling empire, a mighty city facing destruction, and a small army of mercenaries trying to keep the enemy hordes at bay.

Leon Muller and his soldiers have been fighting for the Roman emperor for two years, battling the mighty Ottoman Empire to protect Constantinople. The ‘Queen of Cities’ has stood for a thousand years and its walls have never been breached. The emperor is confident he will be able to defeat the army of the Ottoman sultan in front of his city. But Leon, now an experienced military leader, battles in vain to inject reason into the fantasy land that is the imperial court as one hundred thousand Ottoman soldiers bear down on Constantinople.

After nine years of unbroken success on the battlefield, Leon and his comrades are now trapped in a besieged city with no hope of relief and hundreds of miles from Swiss lands. Will he and they survive the titanic battle that will decide not only the fate of the ancient Roman Empire, but also the course of European history?

‘Count of Thrace’ is the fourth volume in the ‘Alpine Warrior’ series – the story of Swiss soldier Leon Muller in the wars of the 15th Century when Europe was torn apart by civil, religious, dynastic and imperial conflicts. Maps of the Ottoman Empire and the city of Constantinople are available to view and download on the maps page of my website.

'You are Leon Muller, the man who has never lost a battle and the maker of miracles.’
Leon and his mercenaries have escaped Constantinople and are now wandering beggars. But veterans are never unemployed for long and soon Leon is offered a contract by Vlad Dracula, prince of Wallachia and enemy of the sultan.
But the sultan is now more powerful than ever and Leon finds himself fighting not only the enemy in Wallachia but also lending aid to the beleaguered rulers of Hungary and Serbia as Ottoman forces close in for the kill. The forces arrayed against the sultan are fragmented, riven by jealousies and petty squabbles, unable to present a united front against a rising power that threatens to conquer the whole of Europe. Can Leon and his hardy Swiss soldiers create another miracle to save the day or will they be engulfed in a Balkan bloodbath?
‘Boyar’ is the fifth volume in the ‘Alpine Warrior’ series – the story of Swiss soldier Leon Muller in the wars of the 15th Century when Europe was torn apart by civil, religious, dynastic and imperial conflicts. Maps of the Ottoman Empire, Wallachia and the Balkans are available to view and download on the maps page of my website.

Triumph and tragedy are two sides of the same coin.
Leon Muller is now the most powerful man in all Wallachia, more powerful than its king and stronger than the man who hired him to win the crown of that kingdom: Prince Vlad Dracula. But pride comes before a fall and as the divided powers of Western Europe prepare to face the might of a ravenous Ottoman Empire, all Leon’s plans and dreams turn to dust and he is forced to walk another path. That path leads to him taking part in a battle that will decide not only the fate of Wallachia and Hungary, but all Western Europe as the sultan’s mighty army prepares to crush its enemies underfoot.
Greatly outnumbered, abandoned by their allies and isolated, Leon and John Hunyadi, Hungary’s greatest warlord, muster their meagre forces to draw a line in the sand, which the sultan’s hordes must not cross. The scene is set for the most decisive battle of the age and the greatest test of Leon’s veteran army, a force that has been forged on the anvil of adversity and has never tasted defeat.
‘Kingmaker’ is the sixth volume in the ‘Alpine Warrior’ series – the story of Swiss soldier Leon Muller in the wars of the 15th Century when Europe was torn apart by civil, religious, dynastic and imperial conflicts. Maps of the Ottoman Empire, Wallachia and the siege of Belgrade are available to view and download on the maps page of my website.

Leon Muller is now the most formidable mercenary leader in all Christendom and a powerbroker in Hungary. With a sharp mind and a fierce spirit, he commands a loyal group of soldiers renowned for their strategic brilliance and unmatched tactical skills. But his band of mercenaries is not just a group of fighters but a brotherhood forged in the fires of battle, a mighty instrument victorious on battlefields in Italy, Thrace, Wallachia and Hungary.

But now, after the Ottoman hordes have been defeated, Leon finds himself in a Hungary rife with political turmoil and shifting alliances and must navigate a treacherous path. He and his men deserve peace but instead face never-ending war. They find themselves fighting an alliance that has powerful allies. For pulling the strings of his foes are the Habsburgs, the sworn enemies of the Swiss people who rule vast tracts of territory in the Holy Roman Empire and are determined to annihilate the Alpine warriors. ‘Nemesis’ sees the Leon and his friends fighting for their lives against implacable enemies in a war where no quarter is asked for, or given.

‘Nemesis’ is the seventh volume in the ‘Alpine Warrior’ series – the story of Swiss soldier Leon Muller in the wars of the 15th Century when Europe was riven by civil, religious, dynastic and imperial conflicts. Maps of the Hungary, Bohemia and the Holy Roman Empire are available to view and download for free on the maps page of my website.