Tag: Historical
Guardians at the Wall
Guardians at the Wall has now been proof-read, beta-read and copyedited, and will be finalised in early May ahead of a planned 1st June launch. It might be released earlier if ready – I'm looking at Friday 28th May as a possible early release date.
I'm in the process of arranging book blog appearances in June. I've decided to not go wide and just put it out as an Amazon exclusive in Kindle e-book, paperback and Kindle Unlimited.
Every independent author needs favourable reviews to entice casual browsers to make a purchase decision, so if you are defined interested in reading and reviewing it on Amazon (and/or Goodreads) please email me to request a pdf (for ipad); epub (for Kobo reader) or mobi file (for Kindle) so you can get started.
Guardians at the Wall blurb:
A group of archaeology students in northern England scrape at the soil near Hadrian's Wall, once a barrier that divided Roman Britannia from wild Caledonian tribes.
Twenty-year-old Noah makes an intriguing find, but hasn't anticipated becoming the object of desire in a developing love triangle in the isolated academic community at Vindolanda. He is living his best life, but must learn to prioritise in a race against time to solve an astounding ancient riddle, and an artefact theft, as he comes to realise his future career prospects depend on it.
In the same place, 1,800 years earlier, Commander of the Watch, Centurion Gaius Atticianus, hungover and unaware of the bloody conflicts that will soon challenge him, is rattled by the hoot of an owl, a bad omen.
These are the protagonists whose lives brush together in the alternating strands of this dual timeline historical novel, one trying to get himself noticed and the other trying to stay intact as he approaches retirement.
How will the breathless battles fought by a Roman officer influence the fortunes of a twenty-first century archaeology dirt rat? Can naive Noah, distracted by his gaming mates and the attentions of two very different women, work out who to trust?
Find out in Tim Walker's thrilling historical dual timeline novel, Guardians at the Wall.
timwalker1666	Amazon Kindle, archaeology, blogpost, Books, Britain, ebook, Hadrian's Wall, Historical Fiction, History, RomanBritain, Romans, The North, UK, Writing	Leave a comment May 6, 2021 1 Minute
My new book, Guardians at the Wall, is due out on 1st June. It's a dual timeline historical novel, set at Hadrian's Wall. The main protagonist is Noah Jessop, a student undergraduate on a dig, who digs up a carved stone goddess. His professor, Maggie Wilde, identifies it as Brigantia, the protector of the local tribe, the Brigantes. This is the first of a few objects that connect the contemporary story to the historical account of Centurion Gaius Atticianus, in second century Britannia, that runs parallel through the novel.
Launches on 1st June
I'll share some of Professor Maggie Wilde's research into the goddess Brigantia with you. The name of the tribe, 'Brigante' means 'the high ones', suggesting they were a dominant tribe over lesser neighbours, and Brigantia fulfils the function of being the high goddess over all others, the great protector of her people. The Romans recognised this and were keen to co-opt her into their belief system, twinning her with various deities including Minerva, Fortuna and Caelestis, the latter a North African moon goddess who was also co-opted by the Romans, from whom we get the word 'celestial'.
Whilst the archaeologists are looking for meaning in their finds, Gaius is gifted the goddess statuette and presents it to his wife, Aria. Her reaction surprises him, as she is from a southern tribe and regards the Brigantes and their deities as foreign. She reminds her husband that their household is watched over by the water goddess of her people, Sulis, twinned with Minerva, and she won't countenance having a rival deity in the house. Incidentally, the Roman name for the city of Bath was Aquae Sulis – 'the waters of Sulis'.
This was too much for Gaius, who stalked off for a warming bath after a hard day in the saddle splitting enemy skulls. Aria picked her moment, one night, to return the offending goddess to her people.
The picture shows a stone altar carving of the goddess Brigantia, here twinned with the Roman goddess, Caelestis, that can be found in the Museum of Scotland.
(picture source: pinterest board)
timwalker1666	archaeology, blogpost, Books, Britain, Hadrian's Wall, Historical Fiction, History, RomanBritain, Romans, Writing	Leave a comment Apr 8, 2021 Apr 17, 2021 1 Minute
Author Interview with Tim Walker
Q1. Tell me about yourself – biography, career, likes, dislikes, hobbies etc…anything you would like to share about yourself? Any fun, interesting facts? Please insert a photograph if possible. Thanks for inviting me to your blog again. I'm Tim Walker, an independent author based in Windsor, UK. My career background is in marketing, journalism and […]
timwalker1666	Fiction Series	Leave a comment Jul 28, 2020 Jul 29, 2020 1 Minute
A Fresh Look at King Arthur
Arthur Rex Brittonum… a novel of Arthur.
Kindle/paperback- http://mybook.to/ArthurRex
ibook/kobo/nook/other-
https://books2read.com/Arthur-Rex-Brittonum
A story of an imagined, historical Arthur, freed of the glitz and glamour of the Camelot legend.
No round table – instead Arthur hosts his councils of tribal chiefs in 'Arthur's Roundel', the Roman ampitheatre at Caerleon.
No Holy Grail – instead the pre-Christian search for the Treasures of Britain, and an encounter with the 'talking' Head of Bran.
Arthur is accompanied by Welsh folklore (pre-Medieval) knights, Bedwyr, Kay, Lucan and the sons of Gawain – Agravane, Mador, and Gaheris, who all belong to the earliest incarnations of the Arthurian legend.
Arthur's peers are 'real' historical tribal kings and chiefs of the late 5th/early 6th centuries, including, Meirchion Gul; Owain Ddantgwyn; Cadwallon; Geraint; Vortipor; Cyngar and Caradog.
Arthur's enemies are names plucked from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle – Cerdic; Octha (son of Hengist); Icel King of the Angles, and, for a bit of fun, Beowulf, the legendary Angle warrior and slayer of monsters.
Father (later Saint) Asaph is Arthur's chaplain, and literary monk, Gildas, appears as a dour novice.
timwalker1666	Amazon Kindle, arthurianlegend, blogpost, Books, Britain, Dark Ages, ebook, Fiction Series, Historical Fiction, History, King Arthur, legends, Literary, Myths and Legend, Novel, Writing	Leave a comment Jun 19, 2020 1 Minute
Was there a 'real' Arthur?
Was Arthur a real historical figure? Many believe that buried beneath the legend is a real sixth century leader of Briton resistance to the settlement of Anglo-Saxons.
Tim Walker's compelling book series, A Light in the Dark Ages, reaches its climax with his telling of Arthur's story, based on historical evidence of an early sixth century warlord who unites Briton tribes in opposition to Anglo-Saxon colonisation.
The legend of Arthur grew in the years after his death, becoming grander and more exaggerated with each telling. By the ninth century, monk Nennius attributed 12 winning battles to Arthur in his 'History of the Britons'.
In the Middle Ages, the legend was further embellished with the addition of Christian virtue, the search for the Holy Grail, knights in shining armour, a round table, Camelot, and a love triangle involving Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot.
Arthur Rex Brittonum, Tim Walker's new telling of Arthur's story, launched on 1st June 2020. The paperback edition can be ordered here:
http://mybook.to/ArthurRexPaperback
order the ebook of Arthur's story here:
http://mybook.to/ArthurRex
timwalker1666	arthurianlegend, blogpost, Books, Britain, Dark Ages, ebook, Fiction Series, Historical Fiction, History, King Arthur, legends, Myths and Legend, Writing	Leave a comment May 17, 2020 May 23, 2020 1 Minute
Is Science Killing our Legends?
Reflections on Legends by Tim Walker
I recently appeared via Skype (taking the place of Mary Anne Yarde who was unable to take part) on a Sky UK Television studio panel discussion (YouTube link below). The programme was appropriately called 'Round Table', and this edition was concerned with discussing the relevance of legends in contemporary times, given that scientists are now claiming to have disproved the existence of the Loch Ness Monster. Has science killed Nessie? …And, by extension, can it kill off our favourite legends?
One of the points I was keen to make was that the dictionary definition of 'legend' – a traditional story or myth; traditional literature; famous person or event; stories about such a person or event; inscriptions – understates the concept. A legend is a story whose origins are lost in the hazy mists of time, and therefore cannot be conclusively proved or disproved. They endure because their themes are re-interpreted by each age through re-tellings that reflect the values, fears and hopes of that age, and their appeal is partly held by the element of the unknown that add an air of mystery.
In reading about the origins of the King Arthur story, I became fascinated by the blurred boundary between historical fact and storytelling. The oral tradition of remembering great heroes and their deeds, who often protected a fearful community from an external threat, delivered through bardic praise poems, songs and dramatic performance, often has a root in factual events and real people. But by their nature, the feats of the hero are exaggerated and he is 'bigged-up' to make for a more engaging story. The bard, after all, was singing for his supper. The feats of an heroic warrior is a recurring theme in many of our favourite legends including Beowulf – the earliest epic poem in the English language; George and the Dragon and Robin Hood.
George and the Dragon is a meshing together of two stories – that of an early Christian martyr and a British folk tale about a brave warrior called Gaarge who is hired by a village to save it from 'a giant worm'. The story of Arthur was cobbled together by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the twelfth century from mentions of a heroic resistance leader in the fifth and sixth centuries in earlier Welsh chronicles and folk tales, although it is accepted by historians that he piled onto Arthur's shoulders the deeds of other unnamed heroic figures in a political gambit to create a super-warrior who opposed the Saxons, and thus please his Norman readership.
However, there are echoes of a real Arthur in the writings of a monk called Nennius, accredited with writing The History of the British People in the ninth century, who talks of the twelve battles of Arthur, and describes Arthur as leading the combined armies of the Kings of the Britons against Saxon invaders, naming his opponent as Octha, the son of Hengist (deemed to be a real historical figures) as the King of Kent. Although Arthur, Britain's first superhero, has a toe-hold in history, the legendary figure was deliberately created by Geoffrey to flatter his Norman lord and sponsor, goading the defeated Saxons with the tale of a noble king who lead the Britons in resistance to the coming of the Anglo-Saxons. In contrast, the dispossessed Saxons built up their own legendary folk hero in Robin Hood, who protected the common people from the tyranny of a Norman lord. There are grains of truth in the half-remembered stories that underpin these legends, kept alive by reflecting the values, fears and hopes of each generation, for whom the stories are slightly customised.
Legends persist because they are part of the fabric of our cultural identity, our sense of who we are. Witness a basic, sixth century warlord Arthur, seized upon by later generations who embellished him with Middle Ages chivalric and Christian virtue, presenting him as a just and devout ruler who kept the peace and protected the people from external (often pagan) threats. These are similar attributes now given to superheroes that have captured the public imagination in our contemporary popular culture. They are recurring themes in human society – the need for justice, order, peace and protection. Arthur, Beowulf, Saint George and Robin Hood provide these reassurances, and that is why they are enduring legends in British culture.
I've no doubt that Nessie will survive the glare of science and endure in popular memory and belief, despite scientists declaring that the only non-fish DNA found in the loch is that of eels. So, why not a giant eel? After all, the pre-runner of dragons in early folk lore are 'giant worms'.
Tim Walker's A Light in the Dark Ages book series starts with…
Kindle/Paperback
i-books/Kobo/other
Ambrosius: Last of the Romans
Uther's Destiny
Arthur Dux Bellorum
YouTube Link to TV Show
timwalker1666	Books, Britain, Dark Ages, Fiction Series, Historical Fiction, History, King Arthur, legends, Myths and Legend, Romans, UK, Writing	Leave a comment Oct 4, 2019 3 Minutes
Who Was Ambrosius?
This article has been written to provide background information to the release of a new historical fiction novel, Ambrosius: Last of the Romans, by Tim Walker. Download the e-book from Amazon here:-
http://amazon.com/dp/B06X9S7XQ7
http://amazon.co.uk/dp/B06X9S7XQ7
Ambrosius Aurelianus, to give him his full name, was a high king of the Britons in the early Dark Ages, some time after the exit of the Romans in the year 410. The exact dates of his reign, chronological details and physical evidence remain scant, and we must rely on the written accounts of three monks – Gildas (c. 650), Nennius (c.750) and Bede (c. 790), as well as the more fantastical History of the Kings of Briton by Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1140). The Britons shared a culture and language with similar Celtic tribes across northern Europe, a language similar to modern day Welsh.
The closest in time of the surviving accounts of events in the fifth century come from the gloomy On the Ruin of Britain by Welsh monk Gildas, written around the year 550. Here is what he said about Ambrosius:
The poor remnants of our nation… that they might not be brought to utter destruction, took arms under the conduct of Ambrosius Aurelianus, a modest man, who of all the Roman nation was then alone in the confusion of this troubled period by chance left alive.
The Roman legions marched away between 409-410 never to return, and the Britons were left to defend themselves from various 'barbarian' raiders – the Angles, Saxons and Jutes from modern day Denmark and northern Germany, are not deemed to be invaders because they were employed to fight by an early high king named Vortigern (quite possibly a continuation of a tactic employed previously by the Romans). They clearly developed ambitions to settle having seen how green and pleasant England's countryside was in comparison to their own salty marshes. They were also under pressure in their lands from other barbarian tribes pushing westwards.
Geoffrey of Monmouth is responsible for popularizing the legend of King Arthur and his knights, although there are earlier mentions of Arthur in the writings of Nennius in the eighth century. He more or less has a fifth century line-up of kings of Britain, starting with Constantine, who 'wore the purple', presumably as a provincial governor, and who was quickly murdered by 'cruel and sly' Vortigern. Vortigern is then defeated by Ambrosius Aurelianus and his brother Uther Pendragon. Uther then succeeds Aurelius, and is in turn succeeded by his son Arthur, with much sorcery from Merlin thrown into the mix. All of this is unproven in terms of hard archaeological facts. What happened where and when and who were the key players remain unanswered questions.
Taking up the story of Ambrosius from Geoffrey of Monmouth, we find the sons of Constantine, Ambrosius and Uther, arriving in Britain from Gaul with an army to confront Vortigern. He was already unpopular with the people for his brutal acts, constant wars and for employing Saxons to fight in his mercenary army:
As soon as news of his [Ambrosius's] coming was divulged, the Britons, who had been dispersed by their great calamities, met together from all parts… having assembled together the clergy, they anointed Ambrosius king, and paid him the customary homage.
The brothers defeat Vortigern in battle and pursue him to his fortress, called Genoreu, where their attempt to burn him out results in his death. Ambrosius is then the unchallenged high king of the Britons, and ready to form resistance to the spread of the Saxon, Angle and Jute colonists, under brothers Hengist and Horsa.
Therefore, the Saxons, in fear of him, retired beyond the Humber, and in those parts did fortify the cities and towns… this was good news to Ambrosius, who augmented his army and made an expeditious march towards the north.
Geoffrey goes on to describe the two armies meeting in battle on a field called Maisbeli, though to be somewhere in South Yorkshire. Again, a date and exact location of this battle is unknown. Another major battle in the late fifth century between the Britons and the Saxons often mentioned is Badon Hill, but again where this is and on what date it happened, and who commanded the Briton army – Ambrosius, Uther or Arthur – remains unknown.
It is widely thought that Geoffrey of Monmouth had supplemented the written sources of information he could muster with a fanciful imagination, perhaps also setting down folk legends that had been passed by word of mouth for generations. It is a masterful work, and all the more tantalising for the sparseness of other historical evidence of those misty days after the Romans departed and before Saxon kingdoms were established.
In my historical fiction series, I have woven a family saga – the Pendragons – taken from the writings of Gildas, Nennius and Geoffrey, surmising that if King Arthur was a real military leader who may have died around the year 537 at the Battle of Camlann (as mentioned in two sources), then there is 127 years of mayhem leading up to this point from the date of the Roman's departure. My guesswork is that Vortigern ruled some time from 410-440, followed by Ambrosius, perhaps 440-470, then Uther from 470-500 and Arthur from 500-537. This is a conjectural framework for my storytelling in my three-part series, A Light in the Dark Ages.
Part one, Abandoned! tells the story of Marcus Aquilius, a half-Roman half-Briton auxiliary cavalry commander who is left behind by accident in 410 when his legion marches away from the town of Calleva Atrebatum (modern day Silchester in Hampshire). He organizes the defence of his town from a roving Saxon army, as they revert to Briton tribal leadership, and Marcus adopts his mother's name – Pendragon.
Part two, Ambrosius: Last of the Romans (just released) is the story of Ambrosius Aurelianus, who returns to Britain in 440 as an experienced soldier to confront high king Vortigern over the murder of his father. He finds Marcus in Calleva, who, as an elder of the town, guides him through the murky political waters of tribal jealousies and divisions. In time he becomes king, that much is already told, but what happens to him, and how does the succession pass to his brother Uther?
Part three – Uther's Destiny, is a work in progress. Together, they build up to the coming of Arthur, a story too well known to be re-told with any conviction. I choose to end with Arthur as a boy, and his destiny stretching before him. He is the intended Light in the Dark Ages; but having read about the exploits of Ambrosius Aurelianus, the Divine One, I'm now of a mind to give him the title.
timwalker1666	Amazon Kindle, Books, Britain, Dark Ages, ebook, FICTION, Fiction Series, Historical Fiction, History, King Arthur, Myths and Legend	Leave a comment Mar 1, 2017 5 Minutes
Sir Greed and the Knights of Exploitation
Sir Greed banged his fist on the round table, "Bring me truffles!" he thundered, as the serving staff in BHS livery went scurrying. "'Tis treachery! The May Queen talks softly of helping the poor, yet it is the avowed intent of this fair kingdom to crush their will and keep them in grinding poverty, lest they get ideas and organise resistance!"
Sir Greed rode out on his black stallion
He rode out of Castle Green at the head of his personal escort and made his way to the commission of poor men to give evidence for his alleged misdeeds. His squire, a mean and indolent fellow called Chappell, rode beside him.
"Chappell, heed my words. These villains will ask why I favoured thee with half my lands, to which you must reply, 'My Lord put me in charge of the upkeep of the serfs in good faith, but I lacked the knowledge of my wise master to manage the estates and provide for their welfare'. Got it?"
"Yes, my Lord. And I shall remain in your favour by not mentioning that you stripped the silver and gold from all the holy places to pay for your new royal yacht." Sir Greed glared at his snivelling underling, knowing full well that his deviousness and avarice had bound him to the villain.
"Look, my Lord! The May Queen awaits you before the humble parliament shed."
"Good day, my Queen, to what do I owe this pleasure?" The portly knight said, quivering in his saddle as he attempted an ungainly bow.
"It is no pleasure of mine, Sir Greed! I have come to warn you not to mock my councillors and give truthful evidence, for I intend to reform this kingdom and reverse the culture of theft and oppression that has become your hallmark."
"My Queen, I will doff my cap and tell them what they want to hear, but we both know your kingdom is based on a wealthy elite exploiting the serfs for personal gain, aggrandisement and displays of riches. For every rich man, there must be hundreds of serfs to support him, working his fields for a pittance, fighting his battles, and being grateful for a rat-infested hovel to live in and a handful of grain to feed his lice-ridden family."
The May Queen eyed him with a cold, well-practiced withering look, and answered in a low and threatening voice. "That may be how we want it, Sir Greed, but we must at least make a show of appearing to care for the welfare of the legions of poor, for without their labour, our kingdom would falter and we would not be able to continue our lavish lifestyles… beware the dangers of arrogance and cruelty! They have been the undoing of many Lords, and I will move swiftly to strip you of your titles if you do not play along with our mocking game of deception and false hope for our minions!"
Sir Greed, suitably chastised, went before the commission, and smiled like a devious crook as he rebuffed charges of dishonesty, avarice, and cruelty to his people. For in truth, the commission had no powers to strip away his lands or titles, merely the power to chastise and humbly request some coins for the alms box.
Sir Greed and Squire Chappell rode away, laughing at the powerless rage and frustration of the councillors, and dismissing the paltry amount paid into the alms box.
"We shall recover our outlay with higher taxes, my Lord," the heartless squire quipped.
As they rode through a dark, foreboding forest, making their way slowly under overhanging trees, their path was suddenly blocked by a band of outlaws.
"Out of our way, vermin," Sir Greed demanded.
The leader of the group, an ageing man with a grey scaggy beard, approached on a mangy nag. "My Lord, I am The Corbineer, leader of, well, one of a number of bands of outlaws in this forest, having been duly elected by my peers, and I must now ask you for your purse, as we have many mouths to feed." He waved a short, bent sword, and encouraged his men to laugh at his boldness.
"Out of my way, scum!" Sir Greed replied, spurring his horse forward and brushing aside the dandy bandit. He rode away on his black charger, closely followed by his whimpering squire. They soon cleared the forest and turned back to see their entourage beaten and stripped of their clothing.
"Shall we ride back to aid our followers, my lord?" the panting Chappell enquired, feigning bravery.
"No need," Sir Greed replied, "There are plenty more where they came from. I shall send a group of knights from the Order of The Exploiters to deal with this troublesome Corbineer. The poor are too divided with their village rivalries to come to his aid. We will not kill him but instead capture him and keep him in our Palace of Westminster as an example to others of how hope of advancement is in vain and they must accept their subservient position in our kingdom. As my Uncle Avarice once said, 'It's their hope that kills 'em'."
They laughed as they rode to Castle Green, oblivious to the cries and screams of their abandoned followers, safe in the knowledge that order had been upheld in the Kingdom of Fear.
To find out about the future of the Kingdom of Fear…
http://amazon.co.uk/dp/B01EGDLHLW
timwalker1666	Austerity, Britain, British Politics, Comment, Corbyn, Corruption, Current Affairs, Dark Ages, FICTION, Historical Fiction, Human Rights, King Arthur, Political Comment, Politics, Satire, Short Stories, Super Rich, Tories, UK, Welfare	Leave a comment Jul 25, 2016 Jul 25, 2016 4 Minutes
When the Romans Left Britain…
Following useful feedback from a reader's group, I have made some changes and ironed out a few glitches to my long short story, ABANDONED! A revised version is now available to download from amazon kindle at the derisory price of £0.99 or equivalent in other amazon territories.
It is part one of an intended trilogy called, A Light in the Dark Ages. I've started working on part two, under the working title Uther's Dilemma, which should be out some time in March 2016. It's loosely based around the idea that King Arthur must have had a grandfather!* Dating of the Arthurian legend places King Arthur as a warrior king fighting Saxon invaders at the end of the fifth century, possibly about 50-60 years after the Romans abandoned their province of Britannia (sorry, Clive Owen!).
My story, Abandoned! is set in a Roman town at the time the last Roman legion pulled out of Britain, at around 420-440 AD. My character, Marcus Aquilius, is entirely fictitious, and I have him as the father of Aurelius and Uther. Aurelius Ambrosius is an historical figure who is thought to have led an army of 'national unity' at around 500AD to victory over a Saxon army at the battle of Badon Hill. His brother, Uther Pendragon, fights at his side. The problem is, no one knows exactly where or when this famous battle took place.
There are few surviving written records of events, and archaeologists continue to look for clues. This obscure period in English history remains partly hidden behind the mists of time, leaving it, for now, in the realm of myths and legends. Uther Pendragon is the supposed father of King Arthur, and the Arthurian legend was mostly written several hundred years later. It is based on stories handed down, a strong legend that refused to go away, and has some resonance with the dark historical events of that time.
*I read somewhere that the supposed father of Aurelius was the Roman Emperor Constantine, fighting in Gaul to defend a shrinking Western Roman Empire…not in my story! What is fact and what is legend?
New revised version now up on amazon kindle…ABANDONED! (Light in the Dark Ages Book 1) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B019D64AH0
Download the free kindle app from amazon to read on any device.
timwalker1666	Amazon Kindle, Books, Britain, Dark Ages, ebook, FICTION, Fiction Series, Historical Fiction, History, King Arthur, Myths and Legend, Romans, Short Stories	Leave a comment Jan 25, 2016 Apr 5, 2016 2 Minutes