This time I’ve got something terrific for those who love
history and learning about other cultures.
Part of the joy of reading epic fantasies is being
transported to larger-than-life times, places, and events. Part of the joy of
being an author of such books is developing those epic settings.
And there’s a secret to developing such worlds. A little trick
that every pro writer I know uses. For example, J.R.R. Tolkien used it in The
Lord of the Rings. George R.R. Martin used it in Game of Thrones. John
Flanagan used it in the Ranger’s Apprentice and Brotherband
series. The trick is to not start from scratch, but to use a real-life time and
place as a guide and inspiration.
The setting of The Game of Thrones was inspired by
the real-life War of Roses. The setting of The Lord of the Rings was
inspired by many things in the real-life Europe. Ranger’s Apprentice was
set in a fictional version of England. I know a pro author who used India as
the inspiration in one of his series. Another one used Florida. I used the East
Coast of America as the creative start for the setting in my first epic
fantasy.
Starting with a real place is a wonderful method for coming
up with a world. You learn things about a time and place, then take those
details and let your imagining run wild. And I’ve been doing that with a new
series. It’s called The Drovers, and the world is inspired by the area
of The Black Sea during the height of the Roman Empire.
This means I get to read all sorts of things about ancient
Romans, barbarians, and pirates. As a writer, I’m particularly interested in
the details of the daily life of those living in that time. What was it like to
be there? What did they eat and drink? What were the dangers and concerns? Now,
I’ve read and enjoyed a lot of historical daily-life books. But I recently read
one that was unlike any other I’ve read in this genre, and it was a pure
delight. I couldn’t put it down.
It’s called 24 Hours in Ancient Rome by Philip
Matyszak. And it shares a day in the life of the people that lived there,
but Matyszak does it in such an entertaining way. Most of these types of books
are purely informational. They’ll having chapters on eating, travel, sleeping,
hunting, going to market, etc. It’s a topical approach full of facts.
Matyszak, on the other hand, doesn’t list out the facts.
Instead, he tells factual stories from the points of view of twenty-four
different people in that society. There’s a chapter telling a vignette about a
watchman during one hour of the evening, the baker during another, the carter,
the slave girl, the mother with a sick baby, the senator, and more. Each person
gets one hour of the day. Each story transports you to that specific person’s
world so you feel like you’re there.
And these aren’t boring stories. I was on the edge of my
seat, gobbling each up. When you finish, you feel like you actually traveled
into the past. It was amazing. Matyszak layers in tons of facts and quotes. You
get all the interesting details you read these types of books for. You just get
them in such a fascinating way.
If you love history and learning about other cultures, if
you’ve ever wondered what ancient Rome was like, I’m positive you will love 24
Hours in Ancient Rome. Give it a try. When you finish, you might actually
find yourself going back to read it again and share unexpected bits with friends
and family.
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John D. Brown is a local, award-winning novelist who
writes action-packed thrillers and epic fantasies. Find his latest at johndbrown.com
