I thought you might be interested to know that my latest book called ‘Justinian’s Empire’ is out now on Amazon in ebook and paperback. It will be with other distributors later and also available in audiobook probably within the next six months. It's about the triumph and tragedy of Justinian’s reign. Triumph because Justinian’s general, Belisarius, recovered North Africa and Italy from the barbarians. Justinian also created a new law code that would endure to this day. And he built extraordinary monuments, like the iconic Hagia Sophia in modern Istanbul, rivalling the great buildings of Ancient Rome. But all that glitters is not gold. There was also tragedy in his reign, with a mini ice-age that caused famine and bubonic plague. I also suggest Justinian was a ruthless opportunist, and his western conquests drained the empire’s wealth and critically weakened its army. So, rather than restoring Rome’s greatness did he in fact pave the way for its catastrophic collapse less than a century after his death? Of course, if you’ve been listening to my podcasts much of this will be familiar to you. But I hope the book offers more than the podcast – it has nine maps and 17 pictures, a chronology, list of emperors, an index in the paperback version, and the content is not just a transcript of the podcasts, it’s more detailed with some additional material and a more carefully evaluated conclusion. I think the ebook is also really good value at only $4.99 in the US and £3.99 in the UK – probably cheaper than a cup of over-priced coffee! – and certainly cheaper than most other books on the Roman Empire. Paperback is obviously more expensive since I can’t control the printing costs. The links to Amazon US and Amazon UK are in the notes to this and I do hope you’ll take a look, and if you do buy it and you’re feeling generous why not leave a review? I’d love to hear your feedback. Thanks again for your time and talk to you again on the 7th December when we continue with Heraclius’ epic struggle against the Persians.

For a free ebook, maps and blogs check out my website nickholmesauthor.com Find my latest book, Justinian's Empire, on Amazon