“The period of the late Republic provides unbelievable material for a historical fiction novel”
You’ve built a great readership writing across different historical eras. What drew you to make the leap to Ancient Rome and the world of Julius Caesar for this new series?
The ancient world has always been my favourite part of history to explore. Whilst my readers are more familiar with my books set in the Viking Age and Dark Ages Britain, I think the core elements of those books are present in Caesar: The Commander’s Blade. All of my stories focus on character development, action, and trying to reflect the period as accurately as possible, but in a way that a modern reader can relate to. I have read stories of Caesar and Rome, along with those of Alexander and Xenophon, since I was a boy, and have always dreamed of writing novels set in Ancient Rome. The period of the late Republic provides unbelievable material for a historical fiction novel, so much so that you have to leave out certain elements to keep the book at a manageable page count! Caesar is one of history’s great commanders and personalities, and his conquests mixed with his political career make for a fantastic story. Readers should expect battles, lots of action, and some skullduggery from the Senate and its politicians.
Julius Caesar is one of history's most famous figures. How did you approach portraying him as a young commander before he became a legend?
Caesar’s career followed the cursus honorum, the various roles, ranks and age limits a young Roman nobleman had to complete or meet before he could be considered for senior office. These included military posts and roles within the administration of Rome itself. We know that Caesar’s first real command came in Hispania Ulterior, parts of modern Spain and Portugal. This is where we meet Caesar in The Commander’s Blade. He is young, broke, and in need of glory and funds if he is to continue to climb the political ladder. I have tried to make Caesar the ambitious but confident and capable man he most certainly was. In this book we meet a Caesar cutting his teeth as a general, facing opposition not just from his enemies on the battlefield, but also from powerful men in Rome who would stop at nothing to see him fail.
What research did you undertake to tackle this new era of history in fiction? How did your experience of writing this one differ from your previous series?
Researching the period is the best part of writing a book about the late Roman Republic. There is such a wealth of information out there that I could have researched forever! I started with Caesar’s own works, his writing on the campaign in Gaul to get a sense of how he fought, and how he described the movement of troops, supplies, and how the legion worked. Brilliant books by historians like Adrian Goldsworthy and Tom Holland provide excellent detail, and their bibliographies led me down many interesting paths. The main difference between this book and my previous series is the amount of historical sources available from the time. Despite happening almost a millennium before the Viking invasion of England, Caesar’s period is very well documented, and therefore required more in-depth research to make sure the historical details were correct, which readers expect. For some famous Viking raids and battles we have little more than a one-line entry in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, whereas for Ancient Rome we have various detailed histories and letters from amazing historical figures like Cicero.
Your protagonist, Titus Saturnius Sabinus, is carrying a heavy legacy as the son of parents disgraced and murdered under Sulla. What makes him the perfect lens through which to view Caesar's rising star?
Caesar encountered his own problems with Lucius Cornelius Sulla as a young man, and almost lost his life before his career had even begun. Sulla brought his legions into Rome and seized power, and proscribed his political enemies who were murdered and disposed of. Caesar himself was proscribed, but escaped with his life. In my novel, Titus’s family were not so lucky. That background binds Titus and Caesar together: one is a general and consul of Rome, and the other a legionary desperate to restore his family honour. Due to laws set in place by Sulla, Titus can never recover his family fortunes nor become a senator, so the best he can do is rise as high as he can in the legions, where the rank of Primus Pilum Centurion was a wealthy and influential one. As Titus makes way his through legionary life in the Tenth Legion, where he experiences all of Caesar’s great campaigns. The Tenth was Caesar’s favourite legion, so Titus is perfectly placed to experience Caesar’s adventures from behind his shield.
Without giving too much away, what can you tease about where Titus and Caesar’s ambitions will take them in book two?
In The Commander’s Blade, Titus is with Caesar in Hispania as Caesar tries to win the wealth to make him a consul, the highest political position in Rome. In book two, we catch up with Caesar at the end of his time in office as he embarks on his five-year command in Gaul. That campaign begins his years of battle and conquest, and Caesar and Titus will face impossible odds as they venture north into the lands of Gaul and its untamed tribes...
