The Sword of Attila
Michael Curtis Ford
(Reviewer - D. H. BROWN)
2005 Thomas Dunne Books
ISBN: 0312333609

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A novel of the last years of Rome.

In an epic campaign that historians have called the most crucial in history, two great warriors match strength & tactics in a colossal struggle for the fate of the known world.

Ultimate authority in the fragile Western Roman Empire rests on the shoulders of Count Flavius Aetius, Supreme General of the Legions. Facing him is Attila the Hun, a foe who has led his Asian hordes on a rampage of conquest & terror from the barren steppes of the north into the heart of the Roman Empire.

Now, on a sweltering day in June on a remote plain in Gaul in the year 451 A.D., these two titans of antiquity collide in a conflict of such massive carnage & heroism that it will determine the fate of Europe, & the course of civilization.

Sr. Staff Reviewer D. H. BROWN writes:

From my earliest exposure to the history of our past, two names stuck with me: Attila the Hun & Julius Caesar. Other than possibly Genghis Khan, no other name has survived history's revelations more so than Attila the Hun. I've always had the impression that the name alone was the “terror”, & I could never figure out how the name of one man could survive for almost 1500 years & still strike fear in anyone who heard it.

& yet the name of the one man who stopped Attila the Hun is relatively forgotten: Count Flavius Aetius. That these two actors in this drama from the last years of Rome were contemporaries & knew each other's tactics, adds the spice to the mix.

Now that I've been somber & bombastic about the subject of The Sword of Attila, Michael Curtis Ford's latest historical action/adventure, let me wax enthusiastic, if not elequent.

Michael Curtis Ford writes books which conscript you as soon as you open them, & leave you with no choice but to fight or die. It's like stepping into a time machine over which you have no control. Once I've cracked the cover, my out-of-body experience began. The smells, the images, the sounds, the very mud & sweat of the era kept me riveted to my chair, as if I wasn't even present in this modern world.

Michael Curtis Ford strips away the civilities of modern life. When you pull yourself out of the last page, you know you've been told one of our Story's huge moments, by a master storyteller, whose stunning sweep & involvement is only matched by his expertise in breathing alive again, our heroic & gory past.

I ran out of superlatives by the end of the first chapter!

The Sword of Attila takes its honorable place just to the right of:
The Ten Thousand
Gods And Legions
The Last King
ON MY BOOKSHELF!!

Visit www.michaelcurtisford.com

Do catch our Interview with this extraordinary & modest author.
(04/10/05)

D. H. Brown
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Staff Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
D. H. BROWN is the author of the critically acclaimed HONOR DUE and the Citizens Warrior Series. The son of missionary parents and with the help his Uncle Sam, he has touched base in more than 40 countries.  In 1986 he produced the independent children's film Lessie's Rainbow.  During the late 80s and early 90s, he wrote the book Common Sense and delivered the seminars of the same name for the Community Action Network of Seattle (CAN).  While doing his early Vietnam recovery work, he counseled Veterans and spoke widely to men's groups in Washington state, and was a founder of The Lodge of the Wolf.

D. H. BROWN has worked as a  Logistics and Weapons Specialist in Viet Nam;  day laborer; Director of Security;  Armored Car Driver; Police Officer;  Professional Hunting Guide;  Trapper;  Dog Sledder; Homesteader;  Truck Driver;  General Contractor;  Minister;  Editor; Writer;  Speaker;  Restaurateur;  Movie Producer;  Antique Restoration Specialist;  Personal Care Worker;  PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor;  Webmaster and Web Designer. "I write about what I know."

He lives deep in the Pacific Northwest rainforest with his wife, author and editor Rebecca and Buddy Dog, working on his next book.Editor; Writer; Speaker; Restaurateur; Antique Restoration Specialist; Personal Care Worker; PC Repair Specialist; Computer Instructor, Webmaster and Web Designer among others.
“Always Learning” He says.