The year is 43AD ...In Southern England, Caratacus, war chief of the Britons,  watches from a hilltop as the scarlet cloaks of the Roman legions spread across  his lands like blood. In Rome, Emperor Claudius, newly risen to the imperial  throne, dreams of taking his place in history alongside his illustrious  forebears Caesar and Augustus. Among the legions marches Rufus, keeper of the  Emperor's elephant. War is coming and the united tribes of Britain will make a  desperate stand against the might of Rome. The Emperor has a very special place  for Rufus and his elephant in the midst of the battle - as a secret weapon to  cow the Britons with the visible manifestation of Rome's power. "Claudius" is a  masterful telling of one of the greatest stories from Roman history, the  conquest of Britain. It is an epic story of ambition, courage, conspiracy,  battle and bloodshed, and confirms Douglas Jackson as one of the best historical  novelists writing today.