The year is 146 B.C. For centuries, war has raged between Rome and Carthage. But now, after a devastating siege, the walls of Carthage have been breached. Its temples have been looted and burned. Its citizens have been massacred. The few survivors have been enslaved.

Rome’s triumph appears absolute. The victors have shown no mercy. The vanquished have lost all hope. But for some, this is not the end of the story. It is just the beginning.

In the desert south of the smoldering ruins of Carthage, a few scattered survivors are still at large, desperate but free. Roman mercenaries are dispatched to hunt them down. When captured, the survivors are subjected to the temptatio, a forced march designed to weed out the weak and crush the will of the strong.

Separated from the other captives, two young Carthaginians are subjected to a special series of ordeals—not only punishments, but temptations as well. One is dubbed the Eagle, the other the Rabbit. The choices they make could lead to the utter destruction of both, or—for one of them—to freedom. But to win his freedom, the Eagle must pay a terrible price.

“The Eagle and the Rabbit” is a timeless tale of power and defiance, cruelty and betrayal, courage and freedom.

Steven Saylor is the author of the best-selling Roma Sub Rosa series featuring Gordianus the Finder, sleuth of ancient Rome. USA Today calls him “A modern master of historical fiction,” and the Sunday Times of London says that “Saylor evokes the ancient world more convincingly than any other writer of his generation.”