My book ‘Roman Mask’ has won an award!  Hooray!

My novel has won Readers’ Favorite 2016 Gold medal award for Fiction – Action!

Reader’s Favorite has become the fastest growing book review and award contest site on the Internet. They have earned the respect of renowned publishers like Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Harper Collins, and have received the “Best Websites for Authors” and “Honoring Excellence” awards from the Association of Independent Authors. They are also fully accredited by the BBB (A+ rating), which is a rarity among Book Review and Book Award Contest companies.

It was a complete surprise, as I never even considered myself being an award winning novelist.  So how did this come about?  Well, when I released Roman Mask just over a year ago, I decided I needed to get an impartial review from a world recognised body, who are known for complete impartiality and honest reviews.  So despite a lot of nervous trepidation, I submitted Roman Mask to Readers’ Favorite, and was delighted to receive 5 stars!

As my novel did well, I was given the option of submitting it to their International Book Award Contest.  This features thousands of contestants from around the world. In addition to reviewing for some of the biggest names in the literary industry, as well as first time independent authors, the award contest has featured entries from NYT best-sellers, as well as celebrities like Jim Carrey and Henry Winkler.

And my novel came in first place for Fiction – Action, giving me the much converted Readers’ Favorite Gold medal you see here! How exciting is that?

 

If you want to read what Readers favorite said regarding my novel – here it is:

Roman Mask by Thomas MD Brooke is a fascinating work of historical fiction. Brooke uses artistic expression to create a fictional historic account of the battle of Teutoburg. The battle that proved that Rome was not invincible and Germany would not simply bow down to Roman rule. Brooke is a fluent and eloquent storyteller. He illustrates the trauma of battle in his main character, Cassius, who displays all the symptoms of modern day PTSD. As a reader, I became emotionally entwined with Cassius; his fear, inner turmoil, his search for courage and love, his heart and soul injury as a result of betrayal were all depicted with extreme sensitivity. All of the characters were brilliantly written; they grow, evolve and intersect with each other masterfully.

The setting captured the essence of the ancient landscapes of the time period. The images revealed the collision of Roman civilization and Germanic tribal rule. What intrigued me the most was the theme of the narrative – living a lie is easy when hiding behind an illusionary mask. Both the protagonist, Cassius, and the antagonist, Julius, are written as testimonies to this deceptive idea. In all reality, living a lie is not easy at all. Furthermore, once the masks are removed, the truth is exposed. Cassius sums it up poignantly: “I forgot who I was, and I’d rather be the man I am now than go back to living that lie.”

If you would like to more information from Readers’ Favorite, or want to read their full reviews for Roman Mask, you can find their site here.