The Last King: Rome's Greatest 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 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 historys greatest warriors.