forms the historical background to the trilogy. The arrival of Rome's legions, first under Julius Caesar, then Aulius Plautius in the first century is well documented, but the end of Roman rule in Britain remains forever in shadow, 'illuminated' only by contradiction and legend. The action of the series spans the period 367-415AD, the beginning of what historians, with some justification, used to call the Dark Ages. It was the twilight of a civilisation that had lasted for nearly five hundred years and Britain would never be the same again. This book documents the little we know, from written records and from archaeology and gives a snapshot of a world that was on the brink of vanishing. is an invaluable accompaniment to the series, providing insights that are not possible in historical fiction. As a standalone history book, it provides a fast-paced, easily-understood account of one of the least known eras in British history.