by Parke Godwin
First published 2014
This historical fiction brings ancient Gaul to life through the eyes of its Celtic inhabitants. The narrative unfolds across the territory the Greeks called Galatia and Romans named Gallia, stretching from Mediterranean shores to Atlantic coasts. Characters navigate a land bounded by the Alps and Pyrenees, where dense forests and marshlands dominate the interior. The story moves between the gloomy cliffs of what would become Brittany and the wind-swept Mediterranean coastline, where spring brings the violent circus winds and summer delivers the sultry auian carrying African miasms. Rivers shape both geography and destiny as the swift Rhone rushes toward the Mediterranean while the Garonne grows mighty with waters from the Tarn, Lot, and Dordogne before reaching the Atlantic. The Loire and Seine carry their own currents to northern seas as the Rhine seeks its wintry outlet. Against this backdrop of natural boundaries and waterways, the novel explores how landscape shapes the people who call this corner of Europe home.
Genres: fiction, historical, historical-fiction, adventure
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: epic, historical-drama
Setting: Galatia, Gallia, Brittany, Mediterranean, Alps, Pyrenees, Rhone, Garonne, Tarn, Lot, Dordogne, Loire, Seine, Rhine
Period: Ancient
326 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform