Month: October 2015

10 types of Warriors Part 2 – Dark ages to Medieval

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deadliestblogpage.wordpress.com The Saxon.  After the Romans left the shores of Britain, the Saxons started to arrive on its shores.  Fair haired muscular warriors from the North German plain, their progress was allegedly held up by the legendary King Arthur.  But after his demise the impeding tide could only be held back for so long, and eventually the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms of England were formed from Northumbria in the North, through to Mercia in the midlands, and Wessex and Kent in the south. marineinsight.com The Viking.  The English Kingdoms peace was shattered in the ninth century by the Danes, who decided to come Viking and take what was on offer from the rich and prosperous land.  The sight of their dreaded longboats is one of the most feared images from history.  The Vikings came first to raid, but then realised they preferred England to Denmark and settled in the North of England – their progress South being thwarted by Alfred the Great’s Anglo-Saxon Wessex. The Normans.  Contrary to what many people think, the Normans were not actually …

10 great maps of fantasy worlds!

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In no other genre, is a map at the start of the novel as important as fantasy.  I put a map at the start of my own historical novel Roman Mask, but as that map is essentially of Europe with Roman names, I realise is doesn’t really hold the same importance to a reader as a fantasy novel’s would.  A fantasy novel’s map is more than just a piece of cartography, it is a depiction of the world the writer has created in their mind, and a glimpse into a new world.  The rivers, valleys, forests, and mountains can sweep across continents and seas, creating the perfect avenue of escapism that makes the fantasy genre so appealing.  As my cousin used to say to me when we were eleven and first discovering fantasy books, ‘you can always tell it’s going to be a good one by its map, I always judge a fantasy novel by its map!,’ A bit harsh maybe, but that’s eleven year old’s for you, and it shows how important this aspect …

Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom. Can the television series match up to the books?

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As the BBC are about to be showing the new televised series of these novels in the UK, I thought it would be a good time to discuss these books.  For those of you who live outside of the UK, I have no idea whether you’ll be able to watch it or not, but in this day of cable TV and the internet, I’m sure it won’t be hard to find somewhere.  What is clear, is that the television series has a lot to live up to regardless. Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon tales, also known as The Last Kingdom series, begins with the novel of the same name.  It covers the breathtakingly exciting period of history of the ninth century when the Vikings were a scourge on England’s shores.  The English Saxon Kingdoms began to fall to the Danish invaders, one by one, and the large kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia, and Kent are all soon overwhelmed.  But just as all seems lost, one last kingdom stands strong, the Kingdom of Wessex, ruled by the now legendary …

Sunday update! Roman Mask now available in all formats!

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“I loved this book. There’s no other way to say it.” 5 Stars – Readersfavorite.com Up until now, my novel Roman mask has only been available to buy in a paperback version, or for the Kindle device via Amazon.  Although, the kindle device is obviously very popular (I have one myself) there are plenty of other reading devices out there.  So I am delighted to say Roman Mask is now available in all formats, including for the Nook, the Kobo, and the iPad.  The cost remains the same, which ever device is your preference $2.99 USA, £1.99 UK. Buy Roman Mask here! Nook via Barnes and Noble Kobo via Kobo store iPad, iPhone via Apple iBooks Kindle via Amazon In other news, I will continue to write my posts on either historical or fantasy literature, but if anyone else wants to contribute posts just let me know.  I enjoy showcasing other people’s point of views so don’t be afraid to offer your own posts.  You can get in touch through the ‘Contact Me’ section of the website, and I also …

The siblings of Cleopatra, a family like no other….

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Most of us have a vague understanding of the story of Cleopatra, the exotic Egyptian Queen who first seduced the mighty Julius Caesar, before falling for Mark Antony, and the tragic end to her story.  However, most know little of her remarkable family’s story, the descendants of the line of Ptolemy who had ruled Egypt since the time of Alexander the Great.  Their stories are no less remarkable, and more often than not, just as tragic. For the sake of simplicity, where possible, I have listed the characters by their epithet or ‘nickname.’ This was a convention the Greeks first used to distinguish them apart as they all tended to have the same name (A lot of Ptolemys) which is very confusing! leimpresedellamusica.com The Father – Auletes. When Ptolemy XI of Egypt died without a male heir, the next in line was Auletes, who was the illegitimate son of a previous ruler name Soter (by an unknown concubine).  He was then quickly married to his own sister Tryphaena to strengthen the line and his claim.  …

Guest Post by Philip Martin, What’s in a Label?

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This week, I have a guest post to showcase.  Philip Martin has written two books on fantasy writing: A guide to Fantasy and The purpose of Fantasy.  In the post he has kindly donated to be shown on this site, he discusses the merits or otherwise of genre labels.  It was first shown on his own site on fantasy literature.  It’s great to get the opinions of other writers and readers alike (we hear enough from me!) so if anyone wants to write a guest post, drop me a line via the contact me section of my site and I’ll see if I can make a spot.  Many thanks and over to Philip! Thomas M D Brooke Fantasy Books . . . What’s in a Label? BY PHILIP MARTIN How useful are genre labels? Book categories? Age-range banding of books for children or adults? Affixing “labels” to writers, living or dead, is an inept procedure . . . a childish amusement of small minds. . . . at best it overemphasizes what is common to a …