The First Roman in Britain: Julius Caesar & the Yellow Water War

the First Roman in Britain:
a new novel by Lawrence Russell
§ 55 BC. Caesar, the Roman Governor of Gaul, is beset by continuous revolts among the barbarian tribes north of the Rhine, the frontier of the Western Empire. A new narcotic called ‘Yellow Water’ is being used as a weapon against the Romans and causes Caesar to accelerate his plan to invade Britain, the place he believes to be the source. To gain further intelligence, he sends a former legionary and gladiator across the channel as a spy. Although strangers, a supernatural dichotomy develops between the two men as they both fall prey to beautiful barbarian women, and are forced to fight for survival in their separate, yet entwined worlds.

Murder, war, and the supernatural. Savage ambushes, brutal reprisals, crucifixions, faceless enemies, and love in unexpected places. Two POVs — Caesar and his conscripted spy Falco — tell the story in a contrapuntal narrative that gradually merges, then separates as each man patrols his side of a mutual destiny.
Here it is: Roman imperial overreach and the brutal march of ‘civilization’. Echoes of today’s angry world? Read this fascinating Alt. history tale and find out.