Newly reprinted by Front Street Books, Frontier Wolf by Rosemary Sutcliff is an historical fiction set in fourth-century Roman Britain. It tells the tale of Alexios, a Roman centurion who is demoted for rash action during a barbarian attack. As punishment, he is sent to the farthest end of the empire to command a tiny fort on the British frontier. His new command of border scouts, the Frontier Wolves, are ruthless and unwelcoming, but Alexios sets out to win their respect and find a place for himself among them. When a joke becomes a tragedy, however, the young centurion must face the hardest decisions of his life, and set his past to rest.

Weaving together themes of friendship and responsibility, Frontier Wolf is a characteristic example of Ms. Sutcliff's lyric prose and effortless command of historical detail. The book is highly accurate, but never ponderous in its correctness, as some historical fictions are. Rather, Ms. Sutcliff keeps her carefully constructed setting firmly in the background, focusing instead upon compelling characters and an exciting plot.

Once again available in print, Frontier Wolf offers Sutcliff's vivid world of Roman Britain to a new generation of readers.