KINGS OF THE REPUBLIC
A Song of Ice & Fire meets Ancient Rome
HISTORICAL INFLUENCES
The events of this series are heavily influenced by the Late Roman Republic (150B.C.-27B.C.).
However, this story is not set in Ancient Rome. Rather, the world I have created is inspired by it in the same way that A Song of Ice and Fire is inspired by 14th Century England.
In some instance, the events and even the people parallel and are drawn from those in history, but they have been changed and adapted to suit an entirely different world. In a world of magic and monsters and gods and titans, there are huge differences in how culture and history are shaped, and I aim to explore these… and hopefully create a thrilling story along the way.
If you love Roman history, if you adored their politics and their culture, you will love this book.
Galian ‘pugna’ legionary, circa 700 U.C., as seen in ‘War & Peace In the Ancient World’ by John Ward.
The march of the legions, circa 600 U.C., as seen in ‘Galia: All That Was Great And Good’ by Aetonia.
SERIES’ LITERARY INFLUENCES:
I’m writing this series in the style of historical fiction, treating the world and its history as real. For this reason, I’ve chosen to write it from the POVs of multiple characters, told across a period of history rather than a single event. The first book takes place over four years, as does the second, while the entire series will span as many as fifty. In this way, Galia is the main character, and the other characters are used to tell her story.
With that in mind, A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin is a significant influence on this series. The POV style that he uses throughout the series is how I’ve chosen to tell this story. His approach to characters also; real people who are neither good nor bad, protagonist nor antagonist, and who make decisions based on what they need at the time rather than what the story needs, for better or worse. Hopefully, my characters are of a similar moral complexity.
Another huge influence on this series is The Masters of Rome by Colleen McCullough, an epic historical fiction series set in Ancient Rome from 110BC to 27BC. Historically accurate to a fault, this sweeping body of work, which contains seven massive novels, deftly tracks the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Empire. Told from the perspectives of dozens of historical characters, all of whom exist in that same moral gray zone as ASOIAF’s, this series is fantastic. The historical elements of this series, and even some events, have influenced my series greatly.
Government sanctioned destruction of a drakyr daemon, circa 150 U.C., as seen in ‘From The Beginning’ by Patrician Appius Verres Alsia
