false 2512153 40206 James Mace 34 male Meridian, ID 07/2009 11/2009 1654 Terry Pratchett 656983 J.R.R. Tolkien 932179 C.S. Forester 1077326 J.K. Rowling 14033 Winston S. Churchill 44567 Theodore Roosevelt 2 45 43 true 5769969 read 1 true 5427392 currently-reading 1 true 5427391 to-read Blitzkrieg: In Their Own Words: First-Hand Accounts from German Soldiers, 1939-1940 (Hardcover) by Alan Bance]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72180374 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1183577883s/1436464.jpg 2512153 James Mace http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1247346953p2/2512153.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2512153-james-mace Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:54:01 -0700 more...]]> Watchmen (Paperback) by Alan Moore]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66709094 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1238274511s/472331.jpg 2512153 James Mace http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1247346953p2/2512153.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2512153-james-mace Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:32:04 -0700 The Once and Future King (Paperback) by T.H. White]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66708177 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1219625031s/43545.jpg 2512153 James Mace http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1247346953p2/2512153.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2512153-james-mace Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:18:32 -0700 http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/172327-soldier-of-rome-author http://photo.goodreads.com/groups/1219712034p2/7180.jpg 2512153 James Mace http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1247346953p2/2512153.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2512153-james-mace Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:48:31 -0700
Yes, I am a full-time Soldier. I currently serve in the Idaho Army Guard and have been in for over fifteen years. I served in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 and hold the rank of Sergeant First Class / E7. Does being a soldier help me with the mindset of Roman legionaries? Honestly, I would have to say so. One thing that I have found is that when you start researching soldiers from previous wars we really are not all that different. Some people think that the characters in my books resemble a platoon of U.S. Army infantrymen rather than Roman legionaries, yet I can't help but wonder what they are basing this on. Honestly, if it were possible to go back 2000 years and see Roman soldiers interacting with each other on a day-to-day basis we would find that (language barriers aside) they really were not much different than soldiers of today.

My Dad got me interested in Rome about the time I was twelve. He knew I always liked military history, so he started showing me books and such on what he considered to be the best fighting force ever known. He and my Mum are still fans of the series "I, Claudius," and after watching that I had to read the books. Since then I've made the Roman Empire a life study.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.]]> How To Upset a Goliath Book Biz: PublishAmerica: The Inside Story of an Underdog with a Bite (Paperback) by Willem Meiners]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64282338 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1190764684s/1950278.jpg 2512153 James Mace http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1247346953p2/2512153.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2512153-james-mace Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:57:11 -0700 Cartimandua: Queen of the Brigantes (Paperback) by Nicki Howarth]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63977983 http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51s1Mp-mYeL._SL75_.jpg 2512153 James Mace http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1247346953p2/2512153.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2512153-james-mace Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:47:39 -0700 http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/35563-what-field-of-history-interests-you http://photo.goodreads.com/groups/1181280447p2/153.jpg 2512153 James Mace http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1247346953p2/2512153.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2512153-james-mace Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:42:36 -0700 Kernos wrote: "I too find Boudicca fascinating and have read a number of historical fictions and history clips about her as well a primary sources. She is a British icon much like Vercingetorix is a French icon. ..."

Difference being Vercingetorix did not murder 80,000 fellow Gauls during his wars against Rome. He sought to unite the tribes of Gaul rather than kill those who dissented. Had he employed the same "scorched earth" strategy as Boudicca, Alesia would have fallen much easier to Caesar.

The issue I have with Boudicca has nothing to do with her gender; indeed some of history's greatest rulers, such as Elizabeth I, were women. Rather, I find it odd that she is made out to be some sort of icon when in fact most of the people she killed during her rampage of murder were not Romans at all, but were fellow Britons. Yes, I know this term is a bit ambiguous, because there was no united Britain during this time period. Regardless, the merciless killing of 80,000 fellow natives of Britania does not make a hero or heroine in my book. Since the Iceni were at war with Rome, I can understand attacking the Roman legionary and auxiliary outposts, and I can even understand destroying the veteran settlements at Colchester. However, the destruction of Londinium and the killing of its entire populace (about 30,000 people), to include men, women, and children, is abhorrent.

To her credit militarily, she did defeat elements of Legio IX Hispania (it was about three Cohorts, NOT the entire Legion as some would like to believe). However, let us not forget that at the Battle of Watling Street her entire army was routed by the Roman army under Paulinus, whose total force was about 1/10th the size of hers.

Sadly I have not seen any novels written from the Iceni perspective that weren't little more than attempts at propoganda with a 21st century moral spin. However, If you're looking for a great novel about this time period, I highly recommend George Shipway's "Imperial Governor." It is written as if it were the autobiography of the Roman Governor, Paulinus. Normally I do not like books written in the "first person;" however, this is by far one of the best I have ever read. Shipway is very underrated and sadly never got the same recognition as Robert Graves did with "I, Claudius." Granted, Boudicca herself only has a small cameo in Imperial Governor. Though as it is written in the first person, realistically Paulinus never would have met her. However, it does go into depth about another (and in my opinion more fascinating) woman, Queen Cartimandua. Granted, since Cartimandua was a Roman ally from the time of the invasion in 43 A.D., she is not given nearly the same status as Boudicca.

]]> http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/172328-greetings-from-a-historical-fiction-author http://photo.goodreads.com/groups/1181280447p2/153.jpg 2512153 James Mace http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1247346953p2/2512153.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2512153-james-mace Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:03:13 -0700 Your questions remind me of an interview I watched with John Milius, director of the HBO series, “Rome.” He said the intent was to make the audience feel two different things simultaneously. On the one hand you think, “Wow they are so different from us!” And yet at the same time you will find yourself saying, “Wow, they were so much like us!” This allowed the audience to find characters they could relate to, while at the same time appreciating just how different things were during 1st Century B.C. Rome.

Concerning entertainment media about Roman Europe I find that the greatest sin committed in terms of defining the cultures of the time is that more often than not little to no effort is placed on actually learning about the indigenous peoples of Europe and how they really were. So many books and movies play the stereotypical, “NATIVES GOOD / ROME BAD” scenario in which the natives are always peace and freedom loving people (often resembling modern societies in terms of morals and values) oppressed by the tyrants and despots of Rome. This is not only narrow minded and a cheap ploy to snare an audience, but it is also highly inaccurate. Some of the greatest offenders I have found were concerning Boudicca’s rebellion in Britain. This could lead to an entirely different conversation altogether, but you catch my meaning.

Personally, when laying out the value systems of characters in my books I make every effort to make them authentic to the times and at no point do I deliberately try and put a 21st Century spin on things in order for my audience to better relate to them. Yes, I want characters that people can relate to. However, I do not want this to come at the expense of authenticity. Just to give one example is their attitudes towards sex. Granted we as a society may not be quite as casual as they were, though we really are not that far behind. I had a reader one time write to me about how he did not like the fact that the “hero” of one of my stories is having casual sex with random women, to include prostitutes, when there is another woman he is in love with. He said as a Christian he found this to be offensive and that it took away from his ability to like the character. I had to explain to him I cannot place Christian morals towards sex on a Roman legionary during this time as that would kill the authenticity. In Roman society, having sex with a married person was NOT considered adultery in two circumstances: 1) if it was done with a slave; or 2) if one paid for the service. And yes, this applied to both men and women. So if a husband or wife was down at the brothels or spending time behind closed doors with the house slaves, neither felt like they had been “cheated on.” It just was not how they thought back then. (see Florence Dupont’s “Daily Life in Ancient Rome” for more details)

Please let me know if these examples clarify things for you. Suffice it to say, only when we as authors and screenwriters make every effort to show peoples as they really were can we truly find out just how alike and how different we are from those in the remote past. To do otherwise is a disservice to both those we write about and it is an insult to our audience.
]]> The Complete Roman Army (Hardcover) by Adrian Goldsworthy]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63445725 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170542077s/60437.jpg 2512153 James Mace http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1247346953p2/2512153.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2512153-james-mace Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:05:29 -0700