The Darkness and the Dawn is filled with suspense from beginning to end. It includes an international horse race, a spectacular trial in the most unusual of courts, and one of the decisive battles of all time. This new Costain novel will be compared to his surprise best seller, The Black Rose, which swept the book lists for many months in the 1940s, although this latest work is, in all important respects, much superior. Portraying the days when the might of Attila the Hun hung over the civilized world like a black cloud, the author brings into sharp focus the loves and hates, ambitions and schemes of all the main characters. Here they are in full perspective: Attila, the Scourge of God, his powerful barbarian army, his many wives, his sons, his generals, and his fantastic court; Aetius, the dictator of Rome, the most controversial figure of his time; Honoria, the love-minded princess of the imperial line; Leo, the strong and courageous pope; Nicolan, the hero of the story, and the girl with golden hair who rides the black horse.It is the opinion of the publishers that this amazing story, drawn on the broadest of canvases, is the best historical novel that has come from the pen of Thomas B. Costain.