Welcome to the End of Empire.Set over two hundred years from now, in a world very much like Imperial Rome, this is the story of General Peter Black, the last decent man, as told through the eyes of his devoted (and illegitimate) daughter, Justa.Raised on battlefields, more comfortable in the company of hard men of war than with women or other children, Justa must keep the truth of her birth hidden. Her father regards her as an embarrassment, a reminder of his one and only indiscretion. Yet she is a remarkable woman - one whose keen mind wins her an education at the feet of Emperor Mathias the Glistening himself. All his life, General Black served the noble emperor, and, out of loyalty to the father, continues to serve his son after Mathias' death, even as the son's reign degenerates into an insane tyranny worthy of Nero or Caligula.As the rule of the empire passes from father to son with disastrous results, a strange metal plague begins slowly destroying the empire's technology, plunging the realm into chaos and the world into war. Amid the destruction and upheaval, General Black must decide whether to turn his back on the men and institutions who never loved him nearly as much as he did them, or whether to save his most trusted ally and adviser, his best friend and only real family."The Martian General's Daughter" is a gripping tale of a world at war; of cunning strategies and vile politics; of bravery, foolishness, and excess. It is at once a stirring military adventure, a cautionary tale of repeating history, a cutting satire, and a heartbreaking examination of the joys and pain inherent in the love between a father and child. Judson's previous novel was selected in multiple best-of-the-year lists. With "The Martian General's Daughter", he offers another must-read epic destined to take its place in the canon of science fiction, and sure to appeal to readers of everything from Orson Scott Card to Walter M Miller, Jr.From Publishers WeeklyDespite its pulpish title, this erudite and intriguing novel is more in the tradition of Robert Graves than Edgar Rice Burroughs. By the 23rd century, when a nanotech plague has crippled the world's hardware, much of the northern hemisphere is under the mostly capable and benevolent control of the U.S.-descended Pan-Polarian Empire. But Emperor Mathias the Glistening is dead, and the empire is in the hands of his increasingly psychotic son, Luke Anthony. The balance of power is controlled by Gen. Peter Black, a former sergeant who rose from the ranks to lead the imperial armies. Judson (Fitzpatrick's War) chronicles the last glories of the empire as viewed by Black's illegitimate daughter, whose own rise from unwanted embarrassment to valued adviser and aide parallels her father's career. The story might be familiar to today's readers from the film Gladiator, but the parallels it draws between Roman and American cultures are both perceptive and disquieting. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"A witty, learned, amusing, and sometimes moving retelling of ancient truths which I read at one gulp." -- *S.M. Stirling, author of The Sunrise Lands and In the Halls of the Crimson Kings*"If Suetonius had written Golden-Age SF it might have read something like this excellent novel... Judson's empire. . . is the most detailed, compelling, and believable rendering of the way actual empires work since Gibbon's Decline and Fall. The novel is also a wonderfully judged character study, a highly readable narrative, often witty, sometimes cruel . . . but best of all is the narrator, the general's daughter herself--a diffident and modest individual who is nonetheless vividly and marvelously alive, strong, and likable. I enjoyed all of it enormously, and read it pretty much in one go." --*Adam Roberts, author of Gradisil and Splinter*

For 18 centuries after his death, Maternus has waited for the bureaucracy of Hell to find his records. Now, in a bid to claim his soul, an angel and a demon argue over the fate of the Roman soldier. The decision is made to bring the warrior back to life, not in Ancient Rome, but in modern day Colorado. There he must complete three seemingly impossible challenges laid out before him, under the ever watchful eyes of the celestial duo. Without a sword and shield to protect him, the soldier must rely on his wits coupled with a bit of divine inspiration (found in the strangest places) as he faces unfamiliar customs in this strange new life. Fortunately, the warrior is blessed with a weapon he did not have in his previous life — the ability to read! With books in hand, the ancient Roman soldier begins his quest for a second chance!ABOUT THE AUTHORTheodore Judson grew up in western Wyoming. A graduate of the University of Wyoming, Judson has dedicated his life to teaching. He began writing after his wife’s death, publishing Tom Wedderburn’s Life (2002), Fitzpatrick’s War (2004), and The Martian General’s Daughter (2008). His short story The Sultan’s Emissary appeared in the anthology "Sideways in Crime".Praise for Hell Can Wait“A striking, unusual and effective combination of the profound and the humorous”. — S. M. Stirling, author of "Island in the Sea of Time" "This book attracted my attention with the Roman soldier cover and kept it with its back-cover copy about a Roman soldier who finds himself 1800 years in the future trying to survive in modern-day America." — Shauna RobertsBook DescriptionIn a bid to claim his soul, an angel and a demon argue over the fate of an ancient Roman soldier.The decision is made to bring him back to life, not in Ancient Rom, but in modern day Colorado. Here he must complete the seemingly impossible challenges laid out before him, under the watchful eyes of the celestial duo.Without a sword and shield to protect him, the warrior must rely on his new-found ability to read, and a little bit of divine inspiration in this humorous tale of the power of a second chance.