Author: thomasmdbrooke

Game of Thrones: What makes the novels so good?

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  picture from sidereel.com Gravitas – One of the problems that fantasy novels often face is that books from this genre are not taken as seriously as novels from other genres.  This is completely unfair and does a disservice to a great and vibrant genre that has so many fantastic and imaginative authors.  However, as unfair as this may be, this reputation still persists.  Game of Thrones doesn’t suffer from this prejudice as much as some novels however.  So how has George R R Martin managed to gain gravitas from a cynical world?  The answer in part is due to the complex family histories and rivalries that course through the books, so reminiscent of the power struggles of Medieval Europe, such as the War of the Roses in Medieval England.  The Wall is clearly identifiable as an extreme version of Hadrian’s Wall, and the tourneys and heraldry of the knights are believable because they are so recognisable from the history of our world.  The complexity and research put into these books are so rich and thorough …

Coming up on the site soon! Game of Thrones!

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Coming up on the site soon! Recently, I have been writing quite a few posts on historical fiction, so I think it is about time I turned my attention back to fantasy.  A while back I discussed the importance of The Lord of the Rings to the fantasy genre, and the impact that both the books and the films made.  This week I will be addressing the other hugely successful fantasy series that now is rivaling Middle Earth in popularity.  I am of course talking about George R R Martin’s magnificent Game of Thrones.  The first post coming out later this week, will concern the novels in the series.  I will discuss what made the Game of Thrones books so popular and how George R R Martin managed to create such an exciting and vibrant world.  The following week I plan to write a post on the impact of the Television series, how this may affect the legacy of the novels, and how the fantasy genre could now be viewed differently thanks to the overwhelming …

The Coming- Part 2 by Alan R Lancaster

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A couple of months ago, Alan R Lancaster kindly submitted a post for this site, that described the coming of the Vikings into the British isles. In this post he continues his history, and sets the scene for the later invasion of William the conqueror in 1066.  So over to Alan…. Thomas M D Brooke THE COMING – 2: EADWARD & GODWIN On Eadward’s accession he called Earl Godwin to task about the killing of his younger brother Aelfred a few years earlier when Harold Knutsson held the throne as regent for Harthaknut in 1036. Godwin had intercepted Aelfred on his way via Guildford to see his mother Emma, then in Wintunceaster (Winchester). Aelfred was taken from Godwin by Harold’s men, blinded and then murdered. To atone for his part in Aelfred’s fate Godwin had a ship built, decorated and manned at his expense to give to Eadward.            The king accepted the gift, grudgingly. Next Godwin had his daughter Eadgytha married off to Eadward, who assented to this dynastic connection, although also grudgingly. So Eadward found …

ROMAN MASK SALE!

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A very merry Christmas to you all! I hope readers of this blog all have exciting plans for the Christmas season.  I’ll be spending Christmas day with my family, and then straight after, I plan to travel north, to my cottage in Northumberland.  The reason for this trip is to work on the sequel to my novel Roman Mask.  I’m really excited, and have lots of plans and ideas to develop.  It’s really important for my writing process to get off to a good start. Several days with just me and the (new) dog in the Northumbrian hills is just what is needed to start the long journey. In celebration of Christmas, I have decided to reduce the price of my novel Roman Mask until the December 31st.  After this date, the price will revert back to its normal pricing structure, so get it cheaply now whilst you still can!  Unfortunately this offer only extends to the kindle version as changing the price on the paperback is impossible (without me losing money!) as the margins are so …

The Gladiator!

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Ancient Rome’s gladiators have both fascinated and horrified generations of historians in equal measure.  The concept of the gladiator came from the funerals of rich and powerful, where slaves were forced to fight as a funeral gift for the departed shade.  Ambitious politicians, such as Julius Caesar, realised what a powerful tool these fighters could be in gaining popularity from the masses, and the gladiator was born. The Romans loved to match gladiators with different fighting styles against one another, in order to produce the most dramatic and exciting contests.  Therefore there were a number of different types.  Here are ten of them: lottie52occache.wikia.com Thraex “The Thracian” Relatively lightly armoured, the Thraex carried a curved blade, small round or square shield, and helmet.  He was given small leg greaves as well, but the rest of his body was otherwise unarmoured and therefore a tempting target.  The Thracian needed to be light on his feet and be able to rely on his dexterity to survive in the arena. hotdog.hu Murmillo “The Sea Fish”  Often matched against the lightly …

Graham Clews – Eboracum!

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It is always nice to meet someone who shares my passion for the ancient world and it is why I am always delighted to showcase other authors work on my site.  Today I am delighted to introduce Graham Clews who made contact with me and told me about his trilogy on Eboracum, set in ancient Roman Britain.  I have attached the description to the first novel of the trilogy, ‘The Village’ and underneath Graham has written a few words about the series, and why he felt impelled to write it. Thomas M D Brooke From the time Cethen Lamh Fadha and his sharp witted wife Elena see a Roman ship slam into their village dock, to the clash of arms that takes place almost two years later as a result, their life is an uprooted trail of turmoil. Led by a Brigante king who, at times, seems to be an affliction that rivals that of the Romans, the couple find their paths reluctantly crossing that of Gaius Sabinuis Trebonius, senior tribune of the Ninth Hispana …

Thinking of writing your first book? This is my writing process.

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Recently a friend of mine sent me an email.  She told me how much she used to enjoy writing, but over the years she had let her passion fall away.  She told me that the release of my novel rekindled her desire to write, but was unsure how to start.  She wondered if I could help.  I wasn’t sure if I could, as I have absolutely no idea whether my method of writing could be of any use to anyone other than myself.  But I figured it couldn’t hurt to try, so I sent her a breakdown of the process I use in constructing a novel.  There are no big secrets here, so if anyone else is interested in how I write, this is it.  I must make it clear that different writers, have different methods, and I don’t pretend to have all the answers. This is just the process I use when writing. Please forgive the informal and personal tone of this post, remember, it was written in the form of a letter originally. …

Shades of Time. A new novel by Sandra Dennis

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What is it that connects us to the events of the past? We can certainly learn history through literature or other forms of media, but sometimes the connection goes much deeper than this.  This is especially the case if we have a local or family connection to those same events.   Is it through the memories passed down the generations? Or Possibly through items left behind,  such as pieces of jewelry or family heirlooms?  Or maybe it is the land itself which forms an intrinsic bond with those who live in its hills, fields, and forests – a link that remains over the centuries? This is the intriguing subject of the new novel ‘Shades of Time’ by Sandra Dennis.  She has very kindly offered to write a guest post on her novel and why she felt compelled to write it, so I’ll pass you over to her… Thomas M D Brooke   The discovery of an Anglo-Saxon brooch brings forth spirits from the past in search of revenge… I had to write ‘Shades of Time’, there was no getting away from this story which was inspired by …

Eight alternatives to swords

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A great swordsman is a wonderful asset to any historical or fantasy novel, but it would be a pretty ordinary literary world, if the only weapon we ever came across in such literature was that versatile and elegant weapon.  Variety is a virtue in itself when it comes to writing, and just as the Roman’s discovered in their gladiatorial contests, sometimes matching opponents with contrasting weapons and skills often made for the best shows.  Take for example the unarmoured Retiarius armed with net and trident, matched against the heavily armoured Murmillo with sword and shield.  I have no tridents in this list, but I have a few options to arm your literary characters with. victorbrenntice.hubpages.com The Mace. In the Dark ages, only the richest of warriors could afford chain mail, and therefore it was relatively rare.  However as we approached the 11th Century this form of armour became more common and therefore protagonists often found that more damage was inflicted by heavier concussion weapons rather than penetrative or edged weapons such as swords.  The mace …

Sunday update! Sequel, great review, and a give-away.

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Sunday update! I’ve started work on a sequel! It’s been a while since I’ve had some news on my own writing, so I am delighted to tell you that I have now started writing the sequel to Roman Mask.  It will obviously be a long project, so don’t expect anything soon, but at least it is on its way now.  You may be wondering why it has taken me so long before even starting this book, but before I could begin, I needed to do mountains of research for this particular story.  I will keep the story-line to myself for now, but rest assured that Cassius will be back and I hope that this novel is as exciting and as well received as Roman Mask.  I still plan to be just as committed to this blog as you have come to expect, so you can still look forward to weekly posts on historical and fantasy novels.  Speaking of Roman Mask, I received an excellent review for my novel on the website Tometender last week.  The …