A Shield in the Shadows

By L. A. Racines

Description:

In 405 AD, a raid by a band of marauding Huns destroys a Christian village in the heart of barbarian Germania. Among those forced to flee are the pastor and his strong-willed sixteen-year-old daughter, Theona. They lead a tiny group of survivors on a quest to find a new, safer place to settle, and ultimately join a massive invasion into the Roman Empire assembling on the banks of the Danube River. The invasion is led by Gothic king Radagaisus, described by ancient writers as "a worshiper of demons". His drive to conquer the tempting lands across the river is fueled by his anger at Rome for abandoning the old pagan gods and adopting Christianity as the new state religion. What will he do when he finds that among the thousands of people joining the invasion, he is harboring Christians? And what will Theona do when she quickly draw the interest of Radagaisus's impetuous son, Roderic?
Young Gallic aristocrat Marius Ausonius, unaware of the looming threat, joins the Roman Army to train as a tribune. Too soon after his training, he and his cohort are thrust into the eye of the storm when they must defend one of the key strongholds blocking Radagaisus and his hordes.

The lives of Marius and Theona become intertwined in a rescue attempt that will have far-reaching consequences for both of them and their people.

"I FOUND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO PUT THIS MANUSCRIPT DOWN -- A VERY RARE OCCURRENCE. I ENJOYED THE HISTORICAL ACCURACY, AND WHAT A TALE THIS IS. WONDERFUL STORY TELLING!"
(Nick Harris, President and Publisher, Collins Publishers Canada 1974-1986)

Book Takeaway:

A SHIELD IN THE SHADOWS has been described by many people as 'exciting', 'romantic', 'informative', 'intriguing' and 'a real page-turner'. Readers will enjoy the story and learn a lot about a period of Roman history that is very poorly known by modern Westerners.

Why the author wrote this book:

I have dear Christian friends in a number of countries around the world and have sometimes thought that I have more in common with them than with my secular neighbors. As I grew older, I began to think also about my Christian brothers and sisters who have lived in centuries past, too. They have lived in very different cultures and have very different understandings about the meaning of life, their duties and their faith, and they faced very different trials and dangers from ours, and some that were the same. Someday we will all be together before the Throne of God.
What will we talk about? What will we have in common? What will we learn from each other? Words of prophecy from six young people in 2003 launched me into the adventure of research, prayer and writing that brought about this novel, the first of four set between 405 AD and 415 AD during the turbulent years of the major barbarian invasions across the Rhine and Danube Rivers, the Sack of Rome, the insurrection in Britain and Gaul, the years of wandering as a captive with the Goths by Princess Galla Placidia, the sister to two Roman Emperors, and the circumstances that lead St. Augustine of Hippo to write City of God. Above all I wanted to explore what it was like to be an ordinary Christian living through all of this and trying to keep my balance and my faith in God.