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The Sword of Attila: A Novel of the Last Years of Rome

Thomas Dunne Books

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Average customer rating: 4 stars

Riding with Flavius Aetius

This book easily carries you into another time and world.The battle of Chalons rightly occupies the centerpiece of the book.It is well done, you feel as if you were right there with the legionaries on a frantic, desperate day. The Huns and Attila are the bad guys here, but they are given due respect as a tough people with their own ethos and honor. I look forward to reading more of his books.

A Fun Read

This book is a historical fiction. I personally don't ever put to much weight into the facts of these books, but I do enjoy the historical settings. The book is a fun light read about the Romans and the Huns. If you don't put too much weight on the "fact" and just look at it as a fun story then you should enjoy this book. Personally I will read another of this author's books.

It's Called Historical FICTION For A Reason

I can't believe all of the negative comments directed at this fine novel by people decrying it's lack of historical authenticity. What ever happened to the idea of "artistic license"? If a reader is desiring truthful history, I'd suggest that they look in the Non-Fiction section instead of the Fiction section. This book can and should be enjoyed for what it is instead of what it is not. I've read numerous such books by different authors and Mr. Ford is as good or better than any. His characters are well developed and interesting. His description of ancient warfare is so vivid that you can almost smell the blood and hear the anguished cries of the wounded. I can't speak for the historical accuracy of his words, but neither will I judge the novel by it. I can say that if you're looking for a great read that will keep you up late at night turning pages, you can't miss with this one. Enjoy the ride.

the sword of atilla by michael curtis ford

this book is well written and very historical and also just a very good story of the life of attila the hun from his younger years on up.michael curtis ford lets you see the country he is writing about thru the eyes of the people there at the time. if you like ancient roman history, this is a great book.

Ford sets up fantastic tableau, but novel cuts short too many elements

Michael Curtis Ford continues to add to his solid body of historical fiction set in the ancient world. "The Sword of Attila" follows three other novels set during various critical periods or episodes of the ancient world. This time, Ford could not have picked a more epic subject - the rise of Attila the Hun and his infamous march against Rome.

Unfortunately, with this subject Ford has bitten off more than he can chew in a mere 330-odd pages. The novel opens at night during a brief respite in the legendary Battle of Chalons, but quickly whisks the reader back to the childhood of Attila and a promising young Roman, Flavius Aetius. Ford struggles mightily to create a powerful bond between these two young men as Attila is sent to Ravenna as a hostage shortly before Aetius is sent to live among the Huns. Ford tries to build the novel into a clash of two great friends as well as two civilizations, but all in all it just doesn't work. Aetius and Attila do not have the same relationship as Caesar and Brutus - there is no great bond and there is no great betrayal. This element of the novel just rings hollow.

Ford also tries to inject a bit too much into the novel. We see a bit of the imperial skullduggery from "I, Claudius," but it is so cursory that we eagerly wish to move on to more enjoyable items. Ford also creates dozens of interesting minor characters, but they pop up for brief moments and then are ignored for chapters at a time . . . often appearing with little or no import.

These are fair criticisms of Ford's work - the scope of the book was too small for his plot. I believe that this would have made a fantastic trilogy for Ford, or perhaps a 750-page epic. But the novel just feels truncated. Other novelists have taken on the ancient world and taken a much tighter focus, and their novels are stronger - see Steven Pressfield. Others simply acknowledge that more pages are required, such as Colleen McCullough, Conn Iggulden, and Mary Renault.

But it is undeniable that Ford's novel has several elements that work. He has done a great job reconstructing a plausible culture for the Huns - of which we know virtually nothing. Ford also has a gift for writing vast scenes showing the Huns marching through the forests of Germany or storming entrenched fortifications. There are several passages that sing.

But ultimately, "Sword of Attila" is unsatisfying. Ford has given us a glimpse of two amazing characters - Attila and Aetius - but an unsatisfying glimpse. While it's true that you "always leave 'em wanting more," we want too much more after finishing this book.

I am intrigued that Ford will soon have published a sequel of sorts to this novel, and based on the strong elements of "Sword of Attila," I will check it out.