Wallia’s Quest Book 1 – Beyond the Donaws: A Goth’s Fight for Freedom in a Roman World

“My name is Wallia, and I am a Goth.” With these words, Wallia begins the story of his forty-year quest for freedom from Rome and a homeland for his people. In this first book of the series, Wallia is a determined teenager eager to make his mark as the son of Athanaric, the pagan leader of the Goths.When the Romans attack his people, Wallia goes to war with his father and distinguishes himself in battle. But then, in defiance of his father, Wallia becomes a Christian. Disowned by Athanaric, Wallia flees to his father’s rival, a Christian named Fritigern, and quickly becomes one of his most trusted retainers. Together they face the savage Huns, who drive the Goths from their homeland and force Fritigern to seek sanctuary from the Romans.Although initially accepted, the Goths are betrayed by corrupt Roman officials and driven into rebellion. At the center of the fighting are Wallia and his sister Guthilda — who, like Wallia, has embraced Christianity and forged an unlikely alliance with Uldin, a Hun warrior, that will shape the war’s outcome in unexpected ways.But Fritigern’s own son, Eriulf, sees Wallia as a threat and works tirelessly to destroy him. Caught between a patron who treats him as a son and a rival determined to eliminate him, Wallia must make a series of difficult choices to preserve his honor and secure a permanent homeland for his people.Wallia’s Quest is the fictional autobiography of one of late antiquity’s most pivotal yet overlooked figures — a barbarian leader whose actions helped bring down the Western Roman Empire. Written by a West Point graduate, military history award winner, and retired officer with a master’s degree in Military Arts and Sciences, this completed five-book series offers a rare and authoritative perspective on one of the most consequential turning points in world history. Read more