Even the strongest state is vulnerable to its past
2020, Roma Nova. Carina Mitela investigates a potential rebellion but discovers the long-buried secret that ignited the attempted uprising links directly to her own powerful family.
1683, Vienna. As Europe struggles against the Ottoman onslaught, Honoria Mitela leads her troops into the desperate battle to save besieged Vienna. The fate of Europe – and of Roma Nova itself – hangs in the balance.
1849, Central Italy. Statia Mitela’s impulsive act saves one life but jeopardises Roma Nova’s very existence and threatens her descendants with public disgrace, financial ruin and permanent exile.
Three stories of the women of the Mitela family, descendants of the founders of Roma Nova, bound by blood and courage.
📖My Review ..
It’s always fascinating to return to Roma Nova and the alternate world which this talented writer has brought to life in a series of well written novels. This collection of three novellas allows us a glimpse into three very different time frames which all have one thing in common, they all feature strong and decisive women of the Mitela family. The challenges faced in each of the three stories reaches out to both present and past but with a definite common denominator, that of strong women doing their best to survive and thrive in a complicated world.
The first story, Revolution introduces us, in 2020 to Carina Mitela, an officer in the Praetorian Guard Special Forces, who in the guise of a market researcher is looking into the threat of seditious rebellion however, in the course of the investigation Carina discovers an unexpectedly shocking link to her own family.
The second story, Honoria’s Battle takes us into seventeenth century Vienna and introduces us to Honoria Mitela, who, in her role as chief intelligencer, interrogates a potential spy working for the Ottoman Empire. With the Siege of Vienna in 1683 as its focus the story cleverly integrates Roma Novan activity within a real period in history which has personal consequences for the Mitela family.
The third and final story, The Idealist, opens in the present with Carina Mitela being given a piece of secret family information which leads her to an ancestor, Statia Mitela in revolutionary Italy in 1849. As head of the family Statia is drawn into a difficult situation which will have far reaching consequences for the a Mitela family well into the future.
HEROICA gives us three strong and decisive women in three fascinating novellas which feature the best of Roma Nova’s involvement in history and politics, all told with the authors fine eye for detail and a comprehensive understanding of how the Roma Nova world fits into this alternate narrative.Those who are familiar with this series will recognise Carina Mitela however, this fascinating trilogy of stories adds a little more flesh into how the Mitela family has been involved in political and familial strife throughout the whole of Roma Novan history.
My thanks to the author for my e-copy of this book
Suppose Roma Nova, the last remnant of the old Roman Empire, had struggled through to the 21st century – a tough little country with tough, resourceful people?
Apulius, a young tribune sent to a backwater in 370 AD for having the wrong religion, encounters the fiery Julia.
What does his lonely descendant, Silvia, labouring in the 1980s to rebuild her country, make of the Italian architect supervising the reconstruction?
Can imperial councillor Galla stop the Norman invasion of England in 1066?
And will Allegra, her 21st century Praetorian descendant fighting her emotions, find her way to her own happy ending?
My thoughts about it...
There's something quite intriguing about reading a set of short stories which have links to a book series which has really captured my imagination. Roma Nova Extra does all that is good in short story writing, which is to share enough information so that new readers can be lured in and encouraged to find out more, whilst at the same time allowing those who are familiar with the novels, to find something new to enjoy.
There is no doubt that this author has made the complicated world of Roma Nova come alive, from its original concept in the novel, INCEPTIO and now through to ROMA NOVA EXTRA this set of short stories cleverly combines a blend of past, present and future. The power and inherent danger of ancient Rome combined with an altogether alternate way of looking at history captures the imagination with both clever story-telling and wonderful characterisation.
It’s always a real treat to scurry back to the Rome of this author’s imagination, and in the first short story, of ROMA NOVA EXTRA, I was delighted to find myself in AD 370, an innocent bystander at the meeting of Roma Nova’s founders, in a clever little story about a girl in a marketplace. Throughout the collection, there are lots of lovely touches, and I won’t give any of the game away by recounting too much, however, I was delighted to find that the author’s alternative 1066 story, which was previously published in a collaboration with other historical fiction writers, 1066 Turned Upside Down, also finds its worthy place in this collection.
Roma Nova Extra is a new venture into the world of short story writing by this clever author and I am sure that it will act as a tantalising taster into the fascinating world of Roma Nova.
By clicking here you can read a guest post by Alison Morton about how she overcame her fear of writing short stories.
About the Author
Alison Morton writes the award-winning Roma Nova thriller series featuring modern Praetorian heroines. She blends her deep love of Roman history with six years’ military service and a life of reading crime, adventure and thriller fiction.
All six Roma Nova full-length novels have been awarded the BRAG Medallion. SUCCESSIO, AURELIA and INSURRECTIO were selected as Historical Novel Society’s Indie Editor’s Choices. AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie Award. SUCCESSIO was selected as an Editor’s Choice in The Bookseller. CARINA is a novella set between INCEPTIO and PERFIDITAS.
A ‘Roman nut’ since age 11, Alison has misspent decades clambering over Roman sites throughout Europe. She holds an MA History, blogs about Romans and writing.
Now she continues to write thrillers, cultivates a Roman herb garden and drinks wine in France with her husband.
Jaffa
has been reading the Roma Nova thrillers since 2013. He’s graciously allowed Jo
to share. When I first met them I was a nervous newbie, unsure what a book
blogger was and what they did. However, before writing I’d run a business and
been an arch-networker, so I reckoned the way was to be polite and honest. After
all, I was pitching for a place in the bloglight.
Jaffa
and Jo welcomed me and guided me about what was needed. On Wednesday 10 April
2013, I was thrilled out of my socks to
see INCEPTIO here on a well-known blogger’s site. And there were comments!
I nearly fainted.
Well,
over the intervening years Jo and Jaffa have invited me back to talk about PERFIDITAS,
SUCCESSIO,
AURELIA,
INSURRECTIO
and now RETALIO. All six books are set in an imaginary Central European state
about the size of Luxembourg, but one that’s remarkable in two ways: firstly,
it’s the last remnant of the Roman Empire to survive into the modern age, and
secondly, it’s a more or less egalitarian society which although very Roman in
nature and values is run by women.
The
first three books, set in the present, feature Karen Brown who reverts to her
birth name of Carina Mitela and takes on crazy killers, betrayal and a nasty
nemesis from the past, all while engulfed by a passionate love that doesn’t run
smoothly.
The
second three books – AURELIA , INSURRECTIO and RETALIO – go back to the late
1960s to early 1980s when Carina’s grandmother was a young Praetorian officer
hunting smugglers and trying to prevent Roma Nova being taken over by a
charismatic, but brutal, demagogue.
We’ve covered a lot of ground with interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews
and giveaways. This year it’s RETALIO, the sixth book and the third part of the
second trilogy within the Roma Nova series. It’s the endgame of a strong and
many layered antagonism between Aurelia Mitela and Caius Tellus that’s
political as well as individual. As Aurelia says, “With Caius, it’s always
personal.” More below!
But
I really want to thank Jo and Jaffa for their support over four years,
especially in taking on that newbie in 2013. Book bloggers don’t always get the
consideration they deserve and I’d like to leave you with some tips for
interacting with them.
1.
The overriding one is simple. At a business seminar in a past year far,far
away I was in an invited audience when the keynote speaker – a stellar level
marketing guru – was introduced. He bounced onto the stage full of energy
with an all-teeth smile that was reflected as a twinkle in his eyes. After an
effusive, positively sycophantic introduction from the event organiser, the guru
looked at us all and said, “You all expect me to give you strategy, tactics,
funnels and segmentation. You know all that already or you wouldn’t be here.
I’ll give you the true secret.” We sat up and leaned forward. He smiled again
and said, “Be nice.”
2. I’d add to that, “Be professional.” Have an author photo in a sensible size
250-500 Kb, not 2.9Mb, ditto your book cover image and any photos which should
be sent separately, never embedded in the text of your post. Photos should be
royalty free, your own or public domain images, or if taken from Wikipedia
under a Creative Commons licence, credited.
3.
Send everything in a good week ahead of your date. As a blogger myself I know
it takes time to fiddle around laying everything out properly. Insert any
hyperlinks cleanly into your document and send your social and buying links in
with your bio. Nothing more annoying than having to go chasing round the
Internet for somebody’s Facebook or Amazon page.
4.
Make a note in your calendar of the day of your guest spot. If the blogger
doesn’t send you the link on the day (most do), make sure you go and look, just
to check everything is perfect and later to see if there are any comments. And
check back in the next day or so. Reply to every comment – you may pick up some
new fans! Do leave a thank you to the blogger in the comments.
5. And a final one that should have been first chronologically. If you are
looking for a review, it’s worth remembering that although book bloggers love
reading, their ‘To Be Read’ piles are probably higher than the London Shard
building. It may take a few months to get to your book, so plan ahead if you’d
like a review around a particular time.
Maybe
Jo and Jaffa have some tips to add, but that’s my pennyworth!
***
Huge thanks, as always, to Alison for this guest post today. It's been a real pleasure to have worked with you and to have had the chance to feature such a fascinating alternate historical adventure series on the blog.
My own advise to bloggers is always to be professional. Make sure that blog posts are written up and posted on time, on the date specified, and that everything is put together in an easy to read manner. I always, thank the contributor, as without their input, the blog would just be all about me, and that was never the intention when I started out with Jaffareadstoo. I welcome guest posts and interviews from authors as they can give a unique perspective on what it is like to write a novel and how it feels to see it published either independently or by a recognised publisher.
Like all book bloggers, Jaffa and I blog because we love bringing interesting stories to a wider audience and if we can help, in some small way, to increase awareness of such talented writers, like Alison, along the way, then that is real bonus and an added pleasure. As Alison so rightly points out, most bloggers have To Be Read piles bigger than the Shard and my own TBR pile is no exception, a new set of bookshelves acquired in October last year is already full to bursting, and the new 2017 family of review books, which arrive on a daily basis, much to the dismay of my postman whose postal bag is usually filled with packages for me, are already as high as the Eiffel Tower.😃
All I want to add is that bloggers simply can't read books as speedily as genies appear from a bottle, sometimes we might take months to get round to a book which is stored in an e-folder or on a bookshelf, but rest assured your book is never forgotten and will be reviewed ...one day.
Our twitter header reads Jaffa and I love to curl up together with a good book. Jaffa turns the page, while I read all the big words. What I should also add is...sometimeswe just can't read quick enough !!!
~***~
More about Alison
Morton
Alison Morton, writes the acclaimed Roma
Nova thriller series featuring modern Praetorian heroines. She blends her
deep love of Roman history with six years’ military service and a life of
reading crime, adventure and thriller fiction.
The first five books have
been awarded the BRAG Medallion. SUCCESSIO, AURELIA and INSURRECTIO were
selected as Historical Novel Society’s Indie Editor’s Choices. AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 HNS Indie
Award. The sixth, RETALIO, is out on 27 April 2017.
A ‘Roman nut’ since age 11,
Alison has misspent decades clambering over Roman sites throughout Europe. She
holds a MA History, blogs about Romans and writing.
Now she continues to write,
cultivates a Roman herb garden and drinks wine in France with her husband of 30
years.
RETALIO
Early 1980s Vienna. Recovering from a near fatal shooting, Aurelia Mitela, ex-Praetorian and former foreign minister of Roma Nova, chafes at her enforced exile. She barely escaped from her nemesis, the charming and amoral Caius Tellus who grabbed power in Roma Nova, the only part of the Roman Empire to survive into the twentieth century.
Aurelia’s duty and passion fire her determination to take back her homeland and liberate its people. But Caius’s manipulations have isolated her from her fellow exiles, leaving her ostracised, powerless and vulnerable. But without their trust and support Aurelia knows she will never see Roma Nova again.
Ever wondered what might have happened if William the Conqueror had been beaten at Hastings? Or if Harald Hardrada had won at Stamford Bridge? Or if Edward the Confessor had died with an heir ready to take his place? Then here is the perfect set of stories for you. ‘1066 Turned Upside Down’ explores a variety of ways in which the momentous year of 1066 could have played out differently.
Written by nine well-known authors to celebrate the 950th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, the stories will take you on a journey through the wonderful ‘what ifs’ of England’s most famous year in history.
My thoughts about the book.. It's 1066 but not as you know it..
I'm fascinated by historical fiction
written by authors who wade way through dusty history books and ponder long
into the night about the minutiae of the lives, and times, of historical figures, always maintaining historical accuracy, so that no-on can ever accuse them of changing, or
of rearranging history. It must be a
temptation though, on occasion, to have the opportunity to rearrange events, to
give a voice to that little mischievous murmur that whispers ever so softly… what
would have happened, if only..
In 1066 Turned Upside Down, nine talented historical fiction authors, all at the top of their game in terms of historical fiction, have taken the
facts, as we know them, about the tumultuous events of the year, 1066 and have given us
their alternate versions of events. All of the eleven stories have an air of
authenticity and each combine historical facts with a delightful, alternate twist. All of
the stories are readable in short snippets, little bite sized stories, which
you can comfortably read in one sitting, but which, ultimately, offer a fresh
approach to a time in history that most of us feel we know really well.
Whilst I am familiar with some of
the authors who have contributed, others are new to me, but what convinced me
about the combined quality of this book was just how seriously these committed
authors take their craft. They make history come alive, and with real
conviction turn fact into fiction and fiction into fact, cleverly manipulating events
so that everything you read becomes totally convincing and in some cases you wish it had happened just so..
I’m not going to single out any
one story as my ‘favourite’ as each one brings something different to the feast
and I think the stories should be looked at as a collective whole rather than singletons,
however, it must also be said that each story is complete within itself and stands proudly alone.
It’s a great idea to take something
as momentous as 1066 and turn it completely on its head but in this 950th
anniversary year of the battle of Hastings, it’s refreshing to look at
events in a totally different way and I commend these fine authors for their inventiveness
and obvious enthusiasm for their chosen genre.
Best read with ..Tankards of yeasty
ale and a rich and pungent venison pasty…
And here are the authors :
A foreword by CC Humphries
An Introduction by Joanna Courtney
January - Helen Hollick - To Crown A King
February -Annie Whitehead - A Matter of Trust
March - Joanna Courtney -Emperor of the North
April - Carol McGrath - The Dragon-Tailed Star
May - June - Richard Dee - If You Changed One Thing
July - Alison Morton - A Roman Intervenes
August - Helen Hollick - In the Wake if the Dolphin
September - Anna Belfrage - The Danish Crutch
October - Joanna Courtney - Hold England Firm
November - G K Holloway - The Battle of London Bridge
December - Eliza Redgold - The Needle Can Mend
An Endword by Helen Hollick
You can discover more about the authors and their stories
Her latest novel INSURRECTIO was published on the 12th April
Silverwood Books
12 April 2016
A twentieth century Roman heroine?
Aurelia Mitelacame to life when I was writing the first
Roma Nova book, INCEPTIO.
Then, she was the clever, worldly-wise grandmother of Carina, INCEPTIO’s
heroine. In PERFIDITAS,
six years on, we see Aurelia, now in her mid-seventies, the cool politician and
ex-Praetorian, holding the family together after they’d been falsely arrested:
“[Aurelia to Carina] ‘I’ve been through a
great deal worse. I’m not a little old lady out of some genteel novel.’
No, she truly wasn’t. She’d been Praetorian
Guard Special Forces in her time. Although now in her mid-seventies, she
definitely belonged to the “tough gals” league.
Throughout the first three books, INCEPTIO,
PERFIDITAS and SUCCESSIO, we catch glimpses of Aurelia’s early life, but
even more, a whole range of questions are thrown up. What did she do in the Great
Rebellion nearly twenty-three years before the time of INCEPTIO? Why is she so
anxious when she compares the villain in SUCCESSIO to Caius
Tellus, the brutal ‘First Consul’ who instigated the rebellion all those years
ago? Who was the great love of Aurelia’s life that Carina only learns about in
SUCCESSIO?
In AURELIA, the fourth
book which takes us back to the late 1960s when Aurelia was a tough young woman
just 30 years old. She’s accused of murder while on a mission to Berlin, and
while in remand undergoes a (hostile) psychological assessment. Here’s the
report on her:
Subject is highly rational, quick-minded and
a natural leader. She sees nothing is impossible given enough time and
resources. Subject has the confident personality and willpower to pursue and
implement her goals, easily bringing others with her. A dominant personality.
Strategic thinker, curious, innovative, able
to grasp and deal with problems with determination and precision. Energetic and
excellent communication skills, happy to confront and negotiate with others.
Intelligent enough to recognise other people’s talents, and work with them.
Requires challenges and even failures, or her self-confidence could easily turn
into arrogance and condescension.
Personalities of this type cannot tolerate
inefficiency or those whom they perceive as lazy or incompetent. They can be
chillingly cold and ruthless when the situation arises, operating purely on
logic and rationality.
This is a slant on the classic ENTJ
personality profile from the Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator, a psychometric test system popular in business
to indicate psychological preferences about how people perceive the
world and make decisions. I needed to make the report negative for the story,
but positive aspects of this type of personality are that they are conceptual
and global thinkers, able to see connections where others don’t, and to think
ahead. Couple this with the intuition and sense of fair play many ENTJs
possess, it can make life frustrating for this personality when people around
them don’t grasp things the way they do. Of course, this conflict is a
gift for a writer…
In essence, Aurelia is a blood-and-bone Roma
Novan whose values are based on traditional ancient Roman ones; tough, loyal
with a strong sense of duty and fully aware of her responsibilities as head of
a great family. But her desire to keep all the balls juggling in the air
with precise timing leads to her being riven by guilt if she doesn’t
perform a hundred per cent.
Aurelia
Aurelia has one big vulnerability, her love
for her frail daughter, Marina. This vulnerability, and willingness to
sacrifice everything for Marina, is also her greatest strength, along with her
determination to serve her country.
Is she sympathetic? Yes, because under all
that resolution and toughness, she is still a human being who experiences fear,
love, despair and grief. She bitterly misses the strong comradeship of her
earlier military career, and is exhilarated when going back into action. And
then, there is her devotion to her life-long love, elusive though he
sometimes is…
INSURRECTIO, which came out a few days ago,
is set twelve years later. Aurelia’s
nemesis has returned and is not only intent on destroying her but also on grabbing
power in Roma Nova. Whether Aurelia can summon enough inner strength to
challenge him, preserve her inner core and survive is the question at the heart
of INSURRECTIO.
Even before she pulled on her first set of
combats, Alison Morton was fascinated by the idea of women soldiers. Brought up
by a feminist mother and an ex-military father, it never occurred to her that
women couldn’t serve their country in the armed forces. Everybody in her family
had done time in uniform and in theatre all over the globe.
Busy in her day job, Alison joined the
Territorial Army in a special communications regiment and left as a captain,
having done all sorts of interesting and exciting things no civilian would ever
know or see. Or that she can talk about, even now…
But something else fuels her writing…
Fascinated by the mosaics at Ampurias (Spain), at their creation by the
complex, power and value-driven Roman civilisation she started wondering what a
modern Roman society would be like if run by strong women.
Alison lives in France with her husband and
writes Roman-themed thrillers with tough heroines.
Even before she pulled on her first set of combats, Alison Morton was fascinated by the idea of women soldiers. Brought up by a feminist mother and an ex-military father, it never occurred to her that women couldn’t serve their country in the armed forces. Everybody in her family had done time in uniform and in theatre – regular and reserve Army, RAF, WRNS, WRAF – all over the globe.
So busy in her day job, Alison joined the Territorial Army in a special communications regiment and left as a captain, having done all sorts of interesting and exciting things no civilian would ever know or see. Or that she can talk about, even now…
But something else fuels her writing… Fascinated by the mosaics at Ampurias (Spain), at their creation by the complex, power and value-driven Roman civilisation started her wondering what a modern Roman society would be like if run by strong women
Now, she lives in France and writes Roman-themed alternate history thrillers with tough heroines.
Late 1960s Roma Nova, the last Roman colony that has survived into the 20th century. Aurelia Mitela is alone – her partner gone, her child sickly and her mother dead – and forced to give up her beloved career as a Praetorian officer.
But her country needs her unique skills. Somebody is smuggling silver – Roma Nova’s lifeblood – on an industrial scale. Sent to Berlin to investigate, she encounters the mysterious and attractive Miklós, a known smuggler who knows too much and Caius Tellus, a Roma Novan she has despised and feared since childhood.
Barely escaping a trap set by a gang boss intent on terminating her, she discovers that her old enemy is at the heart of all her troubles and pursues him back home to Roma Nova
Alison, welcome back to Jaffareadstoo
Thank
you for having me on your blog today, Jo and Jaffa. I love visiting you both!
A reader asked me the other day how long I took to
write my books. Well, it’s been not
quite six years since I typed the first scene of INCEPTIO, the first Roma Nova
story, although it was March 2013 before it was published. The second,
PERFIDITAS was out the following October and SUCCESSIO, which completed that
trilogy followed in June 2014. Sound very fast, doesn’t it? But Roma Nova has
been bubbling away in my head for decades. When it burst through in late 2009,
Roma Nova the country was fully formed and its inhabitants developed as
characters. Then I had to learn the craft of writing novels!
History runs in my veins. When I touch a piece of
Roman concrete, pick up a Samian ware dish or stare at a first century fine
mosaic, I am spellbound. The modern mini-state of Roma Nova and its inhabitants
are real to me – I’ve lived there for years.
In the city
I’ll come clean. I’ve travelled through much of Europe
and walked across fields, through towns and up mountains similar to those in
Roma Nova. I’ve smelt pines, touched olives and grapes in warm sunshine and
know what it’s like to freeze in a European winter in the middle of a military
exercise, so the lives of my heroines Carina and Aurelia draw something from my
own. Combined with this, I’ve devoured thrillers since I could read and always
liked to outthink the book’s author. When I couldn’t, it was a huge pleasure. I
vowed that if I wrote books, I would write ones that surprised, or not at all.
North of the City
Jaffa asked me how I held it altogether over three and
now four books. The answers are managing change, a reasonably good memory and a
large folder of spreadsheets.
Firstly, managing change… My novels progress in time; the characters
mature as life hands them trouble, challenges, conflicts and dreadful choices.
They marry, gain promotions, have children, form new friendships and discover
unwelcome things about themselves, but also strengths and virtues they never
dreamed about. Sometimes they just have to endure. This is what we all have to
do in life, but perhaps not at the adrenaline level of Carina and Aurelia!
The memory question… This simply comes from being immersed in
Roma Nova for so long! If I have the slightest doubt about a meeting a building
or a character’s hair colour, I go back and check in previous books. Luckily, in
the digital age, this is a matter of seconds.
And spreadsheets… These are especially useful for tracking
ages, births, marriages and deaths of the characters, particularly in
relationship to each other. Nobody wants an eleven-month pregnancy or a
thirteen-year-old father! A glance at the spreadsheet will tell you exactly how
old all the characters are at a given point in the series.
AURELIA, although the fourth book in the series, starts a new
three book cycle within the Roma Nova series, so new readers can start
here. The next book in the series is
half drafted and the one after that is planned out. And there is still so much
about Roma Nova’s heroines that I have to tell you…
If women were in control, the world
would be a whole different place, and in the Roma Nova series of alternate history
books, Alison Morton sets out to prove this theory.
In this latest instalment
we go back in time to the Roma Nova of the 1960s and follow the story of
Aurelia Mitela, a young woman who has suffered devastating loss. Thinking that
her career in the Praetorian Guard is over, Aurelia is sent to Berlin,
ostensibly to track down those responsible for syphoning away Roma Nova’s life blood;
its silver reserves. What then follows is a tight and well controlled mystery
which takes the reader on a roller coaster of a journey through the politics
and procedures of an alternate reality which feels as completely realistic as
the world we stand in today.
Aurelia is a feisty protagonist,
full of the steel and determination we have come to expect from Roma Nova
heroines. The scoundrels are villainous to the point of complete nastiness and,
in this novel, Aurelia needs to keep all her remarkable wits about her as she negotiates
both a political and personal minefield.
Drawn into this remarkable
alternate world from the beginning, Aurelia is a worthy addition to the Roma
Nova catalogue of work and I am sure that this latest story will continue to enthrall fans
who are as immersed in this series as I am.
My thanks to the author for
sharing her work with me.
**Interview and international book giveaway with Alison Morton coming soon to the blog**
The idea of an alternate Tudor history
has long fascinated me. There’s always been the hopeful glimmer of
what might have happened had Anne Boleyn not miscarried of the boy who would
have been her saviour. In The Boleyn
King, Laura Andersen imagines what English history would have been like if,
indeed, Henry and Anne’s son had survived.
The boy king, Henry IX, known as
William, is about to come into his majority leaving aside his mother’s brother,
George, who has acted as the young king’s regent, since Henry VIII’s death.
William’s mother Anne Boleyn , now the dowager queen, still retains her charismatic hold over the English
court.
What I found fascinating in this interpretation,
and we must remember that this is indeed historical fiction, was the way that life at the
English court was presented in such realistic detail, with the major historical
characters still keeping the faults and foibles for which they have long since been known.
Mary, is still aloof and largely unmanageable, whilst Elizabeth remains the shrewd
operator, hopelessly, in love with Robert Dudley.
The story is told through the
eyes of two main protagonists. Minuette, is a sweet and loving creature, closely attached to Elizabeth as one of her ladies in waiting, and Dominic, William’s
closest male confidante, all have been friends since childhood. Now in
early adulthood, this story charts their lives and loves, the dangers they all face
from being so close to the crown and of the people who would see them all destroyed.
Overall, this is very readable romantic
historical fiction. It delivers a nice blend of deadly intrigue combined with shades
of romance, which I found to be quite refreshing. The story kept my attention from
the beginning and, if I’m honest, being a Tudor purist, I enjoyed it, rather
more that I thought I would.
The Boleyn King is the first in a
series of alternate Tudor history novels:
It was far too quiet. Only an occasional owl call, the odd flutter of feathers and pitter-patter of a small night creature. Sure, the training area was literally kilometres from anywhere, somewhere called Norfolk, but a hundred people couldn’t stay that quiet, not even – arguably – the best special forces in the world. Beside me, the two centurions, Livius and Paula Servla, were motionless; I couldn’t even hear them breathe. I peered through the face veil hanging from my helmet. My eyesight was still good at thirty-nine, but I didn’t see a thing in the dawn light. I relaxed; we had a full five minutes before we needed to move.
I’d been crazy to agree to take part in this exercise; I’d sat at a desk for too long. Commanding Operations did not mean taking part in every exercise. It’d been my vanity that made me put myself down for the ultimate – training with the British special forces. No, against them. Even more insane. I was no slouch and worked hard to keep my fitness up, but I really should have left it to the super-fit like Paula and Livius and, of course, Flavius. But a small country like ours didn’t refuse such invitations twice and the competition to be picked for this exercise had been near lethal.
Each year we invited a small number of allied countries’ special troops to Roma Nova to take part in our annual fitness-for-purpose exercise; thanks to our legate’s connections, there’d always been some British. Very effective and highly competent, they were reserved at first, like they’d swallowed some kind of ‘how to behave abroad’ manual, but by the end of the week, they’d usually relaxed. But this was a first for us to have an exclusive exercise with them, and on their ground.
The first night we’d arrived, we’d had all the ‘swords and sandals’ cracks in the bar from those who’d never met us. Sandwiched between New Austria and Italy, people thought Roma Nova was a cross between the Sound of Music and Gladiator with a dash of Ruritania thrown in. But when their commander welcomed us formally the next morning, he told the assembled host troops aboutour sixteen-hundred-year traditions and that the Praetorian Guard Special Forces were just as fearsome as they’d heard. And that Roma Nova had survived, clawing its way through the centuries, was in no small part down to the Praetorians. The British grunts tried not to appear impressed, but I saw a little more respect in their eyes after that.
Livius lifted his index finger a few millimetres from his rifle and glanced over at me. I gave a hint of a nod. Ahead of Paula and me by a body length, he started crawling forward. Using our elbows, we pulled ourselves behind and a little to each side of him across the forest floor covered in pine-needles. Three others, Allia, Gorlius and Pelo, followed in the same arrow formation. Reaching the crest of the washed-out shallow valley, we spread out behind it and froze.
After five minutes watching and listening, I nodded and Livius took Allia and Pelo into the trees behind us and set off for the other side of the depression. Raising my hand a couple of centimetres from the sandy ground, I signalled Paula to maintain position here. I grabbed my assault rifle and in a crouching run made my way to the dip twenty metres away at the entrance. I glanced up to see Gorlius scrambling up into one of the trees behind Paula to act as lookout. As he drew one of the new individual cam nets over himself, he disappeared. I pointed my pocket scope up at him. Even his heat signature was pretty near neutral. Expensive but impressive. Now we waited out ten minutes to let the wildlife settle back down.
‘Contact.’ That one word hissed in my earpiece told me Gorlius had spotted them. We’d tabbed to this location by forced march – an old Roman tradition – so we could surprise them. And there they were, walking single file, sweeping their route with their eyes and weapons, watchful, but not wary. Too professional to make any unnecessary noise, they were nevertheless a little over-relaxed.
Their commander sent two ahead to check. Now they concentrated, their weapons raised and arms and legs tensed. Just before they reached the edge of the depression, one turned back to the commander and shook his head.
Livius dropped the two of them in rapid succession. Allia and Pelo launched at the main group from the far point and downed another three between them. Paula slammed the radio operator to earth, pinioning his flailing arms and legs. Gorlius fell on twoothers. I tripped the last one as he tried to escape and jammed my weapon in his throat as he attempted to struggle up. I didn’t need to look at my watch to know we’d done it in under two minutes. Hm, slowing up.
We secured and tagged them. While Livius and Pelo swept the back area for a possible second patrol, Paula scanned their radio with an electronic logger.
‘Can’t see any transmission within the past ten,’ she said, looking up. ‘But I think they check in every thirty.’ She spoke in fast street Latin in case any of these clever boys turned out to be linguists.
I turned to their officer, Lieutenant Wilson, from his jacket tab. ‘Now, Lieutenant, I hope we’re not going to go formal here. I just need you to confirm the time of your next radio check.’
‘Not a chance in hell.’ His eyes half closed and he snorted.
I sighed and signalled Allia forward. From her sleeve pocket she extracted a slim tin containing two syringes and an ampoule, knelt down by the officer, prepared a needle and waited for my confirmation.
Wilson drew back. ‘What the fuck is that?’
‘A fast acting relaxant that‘ll have you chirruping like a mongoose on holiday. No permanent effect, you may be a little disorientated for ten to fifteen minutes afterward. We need to move on now, so I can’t wait for you to have a mothers’ meeting about whether to tell me.’ I nodded and Allia pulled his sleeve up, jabbed the skin and depressed the tiny plunger.
I counted to twenty before I stood over him and asked again, ‘Time of next radio check?’
‘Get—no, not—’ Sweat broke out on his face with the effort of defying the chemical. ‘Twenty, no—, twenty-two. No—’. He dropped his head as if humiliated, but it wasn’t his fault.
We now had a generous margin before any alarm was given. Paula threw the opposition’s radio batteries into the woods. Allia checked out the other captives, but they only had hurt pride and a few bruises. We looped a line through their cable-tied hands, securing it to a tree and left with mildly obscene curses and promises of revenge behind us.
Setting off north at a fast march, we circled around after five minutes to parallel the trail for the exercise headquarters. We’d finished our tasks half a day early. Now we’d eliminated our closest rivals, I figured we’d be the first team back. After three days out in the field, we were looking forward to hot food and a chance to clean up properly.
Allia jogged beside me and I could see a question ready to burst out. She was very young, around twenty, and this was her first time on overseas exercise. I checked the proximity sensor; no biosignatures apart from ours for at least three kilometres.
‘What is it, Allia?’ I whispered. ‘It’s okay, just keep your voice down, though.’
‘Why are they all men, ma’am? I mean, I saw some women at the start, but only a very few and we haven’t come across any out in the field.’
‘Western forces don’t generally have women in front line combat units, and only a few in their special forces. You’ll probably see more in the American military, if you ever go there.’
I saw the disbelief on her face. I smiled at her, but said nothing. I wanted to conserve my strength and wind....
