Book excerpt: Flavius Aetius, The Last Conqueror This book brings to life in sweeping color and romance the last years of the Western Roman Empire. It focuses on the remarkable relationship of Empress Galla Placida and the last great Roman General Flavius Aetius. This turbulent relationship, which this historical romance sets squarely as dramatic and star crossed love affair with the fate of Empire riding on it, frames the history of Rome in the throes of decline, but still flickering its thousand-year light on Europe, keeping the encroaching darkness at bay. The brilliance of the protagonists, who faced down the threats of Alaric, coups, religious conflicts, and Attila, is detailed in a sweeping tale of Rome, fighting for its last gasps of air. Characters such as Theodosius, Stilicho, St. Augustine, Alaric, and others fill the panoply and splendor of a dying empire, and the two individuals who struggled, as they saw it, to maintain their world, even sacrificing their love to achieve that end. Aetius and Galla are portrayed as passionate lovers caught in the maelstrom of power and drawn to oppose each other over policy and events, although always in love. Passion and love underscore historical events and the fictional relationship of these two historical characters. It is a full blooded tale that moves through history and romance, blending both in a comprehensive tale of a world in