BEN KANE
I’d always been fascinated by military fiction, from Rosemary Sutcliffe’s iconic Eagle of the Ninth to Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series and Wilbur Smith’s African sagas. Coming from a very scientific household, the craft of writing is not something I ever considered as a child. I loved animals, and my father was a veterinarian, so I thought I’d do likewise. After more than a decade in the workplace, a succession of life events – three years travelling, work in Northumberland near Hadrian’s Wall and disaffection with veterinary medicine prompted me to start writing. Although I thought of several time periods to write about, the Roman Republic/Empire was what came naturally to me.
What started as a hobby quickly became an obsession. I wasn’t happy unless I wrote every day, and for several years, I lived, breathed and dreamed about the Romans, all the while working full time as a vet. In 2006, I was fortunate enough to be signed by Charlie Viney, and the real work began! In 2007, after a lot of sweat and tears, The Forgotten Legion went on the market and was snapped up by Preface, a division of Random House, after a bidding war with 5 other publishing houses. It was published in 2008, and was the 8th highest selling debut hardback fiction work of the year. Since then, the sequel, The Silver Eagle, has been released to critical and commercial success. The last part of the trilogy, The Road to Rome, publishes in August 2010.
Currently, I am working on Soldier of Carthage, the first book of a new trilogy set at the time of the Second Punic War, when Rome fought Carthage, and the amazing general Hannibal Barca. It will be released in 2011.
For more information visit www.benkane.net
LATEST BOOK: THE SILVER EAGLE
The Silver Eagle takes us back into the world of Romulus, Brennus, Tarquinius and Fabiola. The book starts off in Margiana, where The Forgotten Legion is still serving its cruel Parthian masters. A bloody attack by Scythian tribesmen leaves death and destruction in its wake, and poses a grave new danger to Romulus and his friends. Soon The Forgotten Legion will meet its greatest threat yet, one which may mean annihilation…or glory. And while there seems no tangible chance of returning to Rome, a new god - Mithras - offers some hope.
Meanwhile in Italy, Fabiola encounters the vicious slave-catcher Scaevola, a man who makes it his sole purpose to hunt her down. Caught up in the riots and unrest which threaten Rome’s very existence, Fabiola must flee to the only person who can offer her protection: her lover Brutus. But he is far away in Gaul with Caesar, desperately trying to quell the massive tribal uprising led by the charismatic chieftain Vercingetorix.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:The Forgotten Legion, Preface/Random House, 2008, St Martin's Press (US), Ediciones B (Spain), Edizione Piemme (Italy), Anubis (Greece), Exmo (Russia, Bullet Books (Poland)). The Silver Eagle, Preface/Random House, 2009, St Martin's Press (US), The Road to Rome, Preface/Random House, 2010, St Martin's Press (US), Ediciones B (Spain).
