The Last King: Rome's Greatest Enemy - Softcover

Ford, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1250062578 ISBN 13: 9781250062574

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 2004

Synopsis

To the Romans, the greatest enemy the Republic ever faced was not the Goths or Huns, nor even Hannibal, but rather a ferocious and brilliant king on the distant Black Sea: Mithridates Eupator VI of Pontus, known to history as Mithridates the Great.

At age eleven, Mithridates inherited a small mountain kingdom of wild tribesmen, which his wicked mother governed in his place. Sweeping to power at age twenty-one, he proved to be a military genius and quickly consolidated various fiefdoms under his command. Since Rome also had expansionist designs in this region, bloody conflict was inevitable.

Over forty years, Rome sent its greatest generals to contain Mithridates and gained tenuous control over his empire only after suffering a series of devastating defeats at the hands of this cunning and ruthless king. Each time Rome declared victory, Mithridates considered it merely a strategic retreat, and soon came roaring back with a more powerful army than before.

Bursting with heroic battle scenes and eloquent storytelling, Michael Curtis Ford has crafted a riveting novel of the ancient world and resurrected one of history's greatest warriors.

About this title

From the Back Cover

ROME'S MOST RESPECTED AND FEARED ENEMY...
To the Romans, the greatest enemy the Republic ever faced was not the Goths or Huns, nor even Hannibal, but rather a ferocious and brilliant king on the distant Black Sea: Mithridates Eupator VI, the last king of Pontus, known to history as Mithridates the Great. At age eleven, he inherited a small mountain kingdom of wild tribesmen whom his wicked mother governed in his place. Sweeping to power at twenty-one-years-old, he proved to be a military genius and a man intent on ousting the Romans from the Black Sea coast territories. For over forty years, Rome sent its greatest generals to contain Mithridates, but time and again he embarrassed the Romans with devastating defeats. Each time Rome declared victory, Mithridates considered it merely a strategic retreat and soon came roaring back with a more powerful army than before.

From the author of the acclaimed The Ten Thousand and Gods and Legions, comes a fascinating recreation of a wickedly cunning and ruthless king who would stop at nothing to protect his people-and who would go down in history as one of the greatest and most formidable warriors of the ancient world.

"A hair-trigger ride on ancient sands and hills. Ford's best book so far, and those who have read his first two know just how good that makes this book."
-The Statesmen Journal (Salem, OR)

"Magical settings and spectacular recreation of monuments and landscapes...bold portraits of protagonists...[an] intriguing and swiftly-moving plot."
-Valerio Massimo Manfredi, author of the "Alexander Trilogy" and Spartan

About the Author

Michael Curtis Ford is forty-three years old and is a translator and novelist. He has bachelor's degrees from the University of Washington and a graduate degree from Princeton. He speaks several languages and is an avid reader of the classics. He and his wife educate their three children at home in Oregon.

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1250062578
• ISBN 13: 9781250062574
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 438