Book Description

On Titus’s recall from banishment, his jubilation is short-lived. First, the Lombard King threatens him. Second, a man he had freed from slavery attempts to kill him. He must find a new life beyond the reach of King, Pope and Emperor — the unknown wilds of Scotland. There, he and Adria coax the earth to provide. And they are content, man and wife. But the skeletal hand that comes for all mortal flesh touches Adria. Will Titus — educated, philosophical Titus, his earthly work at an end — hurl himself from the cliffs to follow her? To Grasp the Miraculous, AD 593 – 607 is a dramatic exultation of the wedded life. Gripping. Emotive. It’s a short read, but a memorable one. Read it today. ~~ This novella completes the Tribonian Trilogy. Each of the books is self-contained without a cliff-hanger at the end. The three books in the Trilogy are listed below. They may be read separately in any order, each to powerful effect. But there is a forward thrust throughout the Trilogy. When I wrote the first words of To Forestall (“‘Putrid!’ Titus said, sniffing the air and curling his lips in revulsion.”), the final scenes of To Grasp (on the cliffs of Scotland) had already been revealed. To Forestall the Darkness: A Novel of Ancient Rome, AD 589 (pub 2013) To Abandon Rome, AD 593 (pub 2017) To Grasp the Miraculous, AD 593 - 607 A Novella of the Dark Ages (pub 2020) Author's remark: All my work would be classified as "literary fiction". This does not mean it is high-brow, dry or difficult to understand. It's not. It's dramatic, emotion-filled and grips the heart. What the classification as "literary" means is it is not a genre work and does not follow a familiar storyline. (The author's website contains a further explanation of the term "literary fiction.")