For this, I commend them and support their endeavors. They have sound reasoning, for these men and women believe it is their job to create the settings with words alone. I have read some historical fiction authors who’ve said that they choose not to put any maps in their work or to use only the bare minimum.

Nonetheless, I hope these few words of gratitude I offer are read by many fans so that it is clear that any success I’ve been fortunate enough to garner is chiefly due to my associating with patient and talented individuals. Thank you often feels unsatisfactory when it comes to praising the partners that were involved in getting a book from my head into the hands of faithful readers. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission. In the sixteenth century, William Shakespeare discovered the dramatic potential of the great figures of the late Roman Republic, with Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Mark Antony becoming the main characters of plays that have defined, in part, our perception of the Roman world.NORSEMAN RAIDER. Interest in ancient Rome as a literary subject is certainly not exclusive to our times. To be deemed historical (in our sense), a novel must have been written at least fifty years after the events described, or have been written by someone who was not alive at the time of those events (who therefore approaches them only by research). When does “ contemporary” end, and “ historical” begin? What about novels that are part historical, part contemporary? And how much distortion of history will we allow before a book becomes more fantasy than historical? There will never be a satisfactory answer to these questions, but these are the arbitrary decisions we’ ve made. There are problems with defining historical novels, as with defining any genre. Richard Lee, the founder of the Historical Novel Society, provides a good definition of the genre: Historical fiction is one of the most popular narrative genres, not least because it allows the reader to delve into the past and discover the culture, lifestyle, or political thought of a certain historical period in an enjoyable and interesting way.

Reception, Recovery, Reinvention of the Ancient World in Current Popular Culture The Present of Antiquity, 185‑219

Wald Afire by Jason Born