By Tom Haward (Guest Blogger)
Lisabet: Welcome to Beyond Romance! The Path of Redemption sounds very intriguing. So, why Rome? I've read quite a lot of alternative history, but it usually involves periods with which people are more familiar. Ancient Rome already has a mythic quality.
Tom: I think the mythic quality is what drew me to writing novels based on Rome. I wanted to break that mythic quality apart and explore the very human and fragile underbelly of Rome. The Path of Redemption gets really stuck into Rome’s fragility and vulnerabilities. This book is the third in my trilogy of novels exploring the rule of Rome in the near future and therefore highlights Rome’s weaknesses whilst trying to use all its propaganda to convey unrelenting power. And that’s what empires do: manipulate optics so the masses stay compliant.
I really liked that tension of power over people and trying to keep people ignorant to the fact that power is, a lot of the time, simply a perception which has no real substance. I always think about bullies at school who were perceived to be powerful and scary but flaked when their power was questioned. Empires are the same. One small rebellion can be like a butterfly effect and topple a Caesar.
The Path of Redemption explores that fragility and how a lot of power is more about ego and Rome is a massive projection of ego!
And that lack of familiarity was appealing to me too, because it meant I could show a little more flair with the history of Rome. I was able to mess with timelines and famous people’s places in history to make it appear ‘normal.’ Those who know their Roman history would, hopefully, nod to the shifts in the timeline and those who don’t know their history would still find it fascinating without being bogged down by it.
I think, ultimately though, writing novels based on Rome was about a romantic desire to fuse the ancient and modern together. I loved writing about ancient Roman traditions and shoehorning modern sensibilities into them.
I also loved thinking about how Roman would have responded to geniuses of humanity and what that would have potentially looked like. My particular favourite from The Path of Redemption is the history of Nikola Tesla and how his life affects America. It feels very relevant right now!
Blurb
With Grand Protector Faust missing and Caesar dead, Senator Frigus is trying to hold the fraying threads of the Empire together by keeping this information secret. The Empire is already fragile, and if the truth spills onto the streets of Rome and beyond, the Empire could crumble.
Faust is prisoner of the giant Bjorn Askå and his cellmate is the rebel leader, Boatman King. Abducted by Askå, they’re now part of his grand plan to rule the entire world, with the Empire his next target. Can Faust and Boatman forge an alliance or are their own ambitions stronger than any desire for a truce?
A continent away, Bella, Maverick and the other rebels have escaped to the RIA where they lick their wounds from the disaster of Faust and Askå’s attack on their underground headquarters. They believe they have covered their tracks and hope the 35, leaders of the RIA, will equip them to take the fight to Rome again, this time with the advantage of surprise.
Olivia King, though, is tired of the fight. Traumatised from being tortured at the hands of Maximus Nero and conflicted about her husband’s relentless desire to crush Rome, she is unsure whether she has the energy to keep fighting those who have caused her so much pain.
With the world and its people in turmoil, one thing is for certain: chaos remains in a world needing redemption.
Excerpt
Southwark London 2030
Marcus flipped his eyepiece up and walked away from the vantage point he’d found for spying on what Maximus was doing. There were other crosses lining London Bridge, but in the cold January night, the bodies nailed to those crosses were quiet. If any were still alive, they were conserving energy, swapping between trying to breathe and trying to push themselves up on their nailed feet so their lungs were able to intake some life-saving oxygen. The orange glow of street lights showed the odd misty puff of breath feebly forming and then dispersing, like death swatting away the attempt at clinging on to life.
Indeed, the early morning, just before the arrival of dawn, was quiet. Quiet didn’t mean calm and he was feeling the pulse of adrenaline rushing through him. All the soldiers around him were because if they were guarding the son of Caesar then there was a good chance rebels would be appearing. It wasn’t guaranteed, but Maximus wanted to make a show of crucifying someone and he believed twenty-five soldiers as his protection was a necessary element to that.
When Marcus and his comrades were called up to be ready to go immediately, a few soldiers pulled out their phones and texted their loved ones saying they were going on a dangerous shift and to be prepared. Marcus scoffed at their fear and told them so. The response was that Marcus was new to this city and he should prepare himself for encountering Boatman King or The Beast, because that encounter would likely be his last on this earth.
About the Author
Tom was born in Essex and at 4 months old he and his identical twin were adopted into an oyster farming family. Tom now runs the business as generation eight of Haward oyster farmers. He has a fiancée, a baby daughter and a cockapoo.
Tom has an MA in Creative Writing and has loved telling stories since he was a child, whether verbally or through prose.
The Path of Chaos was his debut novel. He is also working on a six episode comedy screenplay and tweets passionately about his family’s industry and the challenges it faces.
Website: https://tomhaward.co.uk/
Twitter: https://x.com/HawardTom
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomhawardauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hawardtom
Buy Link
https://www.amazon.com/Path-Redemption-Tom-Haward/dp/1962308375/ref=sr_1_1
Tom Haward will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
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