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The Last King

Rome's Greatest Enemy

St. Martin's Paperbacks, April 2005
ISBN: 978-0-312-93615-0, ISBN10: 0-312-93615-X,
4 3/16 x 6 3/4 inches, 432 pages,
Mass Market Paperbound, $6.99

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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.

Praise

"Michael Curtis Ford's love for the ancient world emanates from every page: in his magical settings and spectacular recreation of monuments and landscapes, in his bold portraits of the protagonists, and in his intriguing and swiftly-moving plot."—Valerio Massimo Manfredi, author of the "Alexander Trilogy" and Spartan

"Powerful telling of historical drama. Michael Curtis Ford brings the Roman Empire to life. The Last King is complete with battle scenes and powerful storytelling about one of history's most feared warriors."—Oregonian

"A swashbuckling account of the exploits of Mithradates the Great. Solid fun: a good, old-fashioned adventure tale with plenty of action."—Kirkus Reviews

"Ford has crafted a fascinating fictional biography of King Mithradates the Great. Eloquently narrated by Pharnaces, the illegitimate son of Mithradates and one of his favorite concubines, this rousing saga also provides an illuminating glimpse into the often vast divide that separated Eastern and Western warfare, culture, and philosophy during antiquity."—Booklist

"Ford captures the Roman first century B.C. from a novel perspective, viewing it through the prism of one of Rome's most formidable enemies. Battle scenes are described with great skill . . . the book demonstrates the author's ability to imagine the Roman world from its periphery and shows the same mastery of military history as his first novel, The Ten Thousand."—Publishers Weekly

About the Author(s)

Michael Curtis Ford

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.

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