The Eagle and the Wolf

A SUNDAY TIMES HISTORICAL FICTION PICK 2026

'This is the best book I’ve read this year, hands down' Conn Iggulden

'Gordon Doherty has mined the sources, building a convincing and fascinating world … you can almost smell the horseflesh and fermented mare’s milk' The Times As Hun hordes and Germanic tribes maraud through Imperial lands, two legendary men – Attila the Hun and the “Last of the Romans” General Flavius Aetius find their fortunes entangled with the chaos. Flavius Aetius, a noble Roman son, is an outsider in a savage land. He has been banished, given as hostage to the barbaric Huns and sent to the edge of the world.

What the Huns do not know, however, is that his father and mother have been murdered in a coup. He is an orphan, with no value at all. His life hangs on a lie.

In this new harsh world, he manages to find one grudging ally, a young boy named Attila.

A brotherhood is formed. One that, the shamans foretell, will shatter the world.

'The best book I have read in quite some time' Simon Turney, author of the Marius’ Mules series

'The Eagle and the Wolf is a captivating, engrossing tale and I adored it' MJ Porter, author of the Tales of Mercia series

'The Eagle and the Wolf is historical fiction at its most epic' Matthew Harffy, author of the Bernicia Chronicles

'Doherty combines real history with vivid imagination in a way few can rival' Anthony Riches, author of the Empire series

'Highly recommended, and I can’t wait to read on' Alex Gough, author of the Mark Antony series and the Outcasts of Rome series

'A beautifully crafted historical fiction novel' Peter Gibbons, author of the Viking Blood and Blade trilogy

Readers love The Eagle and the Wolf:

‘Exceptional … An excellent novel, with great attention to detail, and hopefully more to come’

‘A cracking yarn, both atmospheric and entertaining’

‘A master of writing historical fiction’

© 2026 HarperCollins (Audiobook): 9780008771539

Release date

Audiobook: 20 August 2026