El águila en la nieve

The once all-powerful Roman Empire is in its final years. Having lost the virtue and military might that made it great, ruled by mere shadows of the giants of yesteryear, and besieged on every border by hordes of ferocious barbarians, only one man stands between Rome and its almost certain destruction: the veteran general Paulinus Gaius Maximus. Hardened in the fierce battles before Hadrian's Wall, Maximus commands the legion tasked with defending the perilous Rhine frontier. Beyond the river, entire nations sharpen their weapons, driven by hunger and dreams of the Empire's riches. The hope of victory has long since faded, and Maximus can only delay the inevitable defeat; he can only live with honor and die with his sword in hand. The Eagle in the Snow is, without a doubt, the best novel about the fall of the Roman Empire. Wallace Breem displays his considerable talent in crafting a narrative of the final days of the greatest empire the world has ever known, and of the desperation and heroism of its last defenders. General Maximus, the novel's main protagonist, along with many other details from this book, served as inspiration for the opening scenes of Ridley Scott's award-winning film Gladiator.