The year is 84 AD. The Roman Empire has consolidated control over Lower Britannia, including Wales and the troublesome Isle of Mona. This land is their final frontier, and there are vast lands yet to be taken. Most notably, Caledonia remains to the north, untamed, defiant, and shrouded in damnable mist. Agricola's edict is clear: the intractable tribes in the Highlands must be taken.
The Pict tells the exciting and imaginative tale of how one enigmatic man united the scattered and reclusive Pictish tribes of ancient Scotland (Pictavia) into a loose but resilient confederation in a dramatically successful bid to stave off Roman conquest. The Pict explores the invasion's impact upon the culture and the future of this fiercely independent people, and upon the man who so effectively led them to war.
The Pict was first published in August, 2007. It's an historical novel of Pictish Independence. If you enjoy historical fiction or early Scottish history, you might like this tale of the dramatic courage and resilience that established a firm foundation for the future of the Scottish nation.
Excerpt:
Calach stood. His anger was surfacing, and he felt suddenly seized by the demons he had been struggling to contain. Sioltach stared at Calach in admiration as he quickly translated his words.
“Why have you lost one legion, soon to be followed by another? Look, and see! Your soldiers are wide-eyed Roman lads, fighting beside non-Romans who were your enemies longer than they have been your slaves. They are bewildered by a strange and frightening land. They are bound to you not by loyalty, but by fear, and when their fear ends, only hatred will remain.
“For all of your pomp, you have none of what inspires men to victory. Your soldiers fight for nothing but the glory of an empire that has crushed their own nations and tribes. They have no wives to inspire them, and no parents to mock them should they shrink from battle. They have no country, or if they do it is not Rome, and it is in ruins.”
Agricola paled. He was certain that he would die at the hands of this man whose spirit he could not comprehend.
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