Anil is an ex-commando living on the streets of New York. When a magic sword lands at his feet asking him for help saving the Roman Empire, he readily accepts. Transported to 1071, will he survive and be the hero who restores glory to the Empire?
It's the year 1071, and the Roman Empire is on the verge of collapse. Romanos IV Diogenes, the emperor, is overthrown by his military general Michael Ducas as nobles rise against the state. Smelling blood, and encouraged by the chaotic state of affairs in Constantinople, foreign powers vie to crush the once mighty Empire.
But not all is lost, yet. The Sword of Emperors, home to an ancient spirit, transports itself to another time and place hoping to find a worthy champion. Ending up in modern-day New York, it lands at the feet of the most unlikely candidate.
Anil is a homeless, ex-operations commando making a living on the streets. Feeling the weight of his failures, all he wants is a chance at redemption. When Providentia, the spirit of the sword, appears to him, it shakes his world. Eager to redeem himself and to make his mark, he accepts the spirit's request for help.
Transported to 1071, he is the Roman Empire's only hope. Will Anil survive long enough to prove himself and restore glory to the Empire or die trying?
Buy your copy now and dive into this exciting and adventurous historical fiction.
Product details
- ASIN: B08HTG6L6Z
- Publisher: Independently published (September 12, 2020)
- Language: English
- Paperback: 578 pages
- ISBN-13: 979-8685633767
- Item Weight: 1 pounds
- Dimensions: 6 x 1.31 x 9 inches
Tell your readers a little about yourself, where you grew
up, where you live now, where you went to school etc.
I was born in India and grew up in the United States, and
studied in the United Kingdom. Currently, I live in Washington D.C. and attended
to the University of Edinburgh and the London School of Economics for my
undergraduate and graduate studies.
What inspired you to author your book?
I had always been interested in fictional literature—more
specifically historical fiction, science fiction, and fantasy novels—and as a
kid, I grew up reading Steven Erickson, Isaac Asimov, and Harry Turtledove. I was
also quite interested in counterfactual historiography and what-if scenarios,
and I thought why not create a novel that combines my interest in an alternate
history with my interest in fantasy. As strange as it sounds, in middle school,
I had a dream, and it left such an impression on me that I decided I had to put
what I had dreamt about on paper. Of course, that was back in middle school,
and as my writing ability matured, the current plot is quite different from
what it was back then, though the essence of what I had dreamt is still present
in this novel.
 | |
|
Where did you get the inspiration for your book’s cover?
The inspiration for the book’s cover came from a graphic
designer who I had hired to help design it. I felt that the sword and the crown
best represented the nature of war and politics in the medieval period.
Who has been the most significant influence on you
personally and as a writer?
A Japanese author known by the pen name Ryukishi 07. He
wrote a horror-mystery novel called Umineko When They Cry, and his
writing style is one that focuses on the idea of the world being a chessboard
and the actors in it pieces. These pieces follow a set of rules and interact
with each other, but they don’t know that they are pieces. In the meta world,
there is the player, and there is the game-master. The player is the reader.
While the game-master is the author, his books emphasize that the story is a
game played by the reader and the author where the author creates an illusion
around the true meaning that he is conveying with the story, and the reader
tries to break through that illusion to understand the truth.
What were your struggles or obstacles you had to overcome
to get this book written?
The biggest challenge I found was that I would have times
where the ideas would just flow, and I would make lots of progress, but at
other times I would be stuck and not know how to proceed. Furthermore having to
go back and edit a 100,000-word storyline by line was also challenging, but I
overcame both challenges through perseverance.
 | |
|
Tell your readers about your book.
It’s the year 1071, and the Roman Empire is on the verge of
collapse. Romanos IV Diogenes, the emperor, is overthrown by his military
general Michael Ducas as nobles rise against the state. Smelling blood, and
encouraged by the chaotic state of affairs in Constantinople, foreign powers
vie to crush the once-mighty Empire. But not all is lost, yet. The Sword of
Emperors, home to an ancient spirit, transports itself to another time and
place hoping to find a worthy champion. Ending up in modern-day New York, it
lands at the feet of the most unlikely candidate. Anil is a homeless,
ex-operations commando making a living on the streets. Feeling the weight of
his failures, all he wants is a chance at redemption. When Providentia, the
spirit of the sword, appears to him, it shakes his world. Eager to redeem
himself and to make his mark, he accepts the spirit’s request for help.
Transported to 1071, he is the Roman Empire’s only hope. Will Anil survive long
enough to prove himself and restore glory to the Empire or die trying? Through
the lens of Anil and various historical figures, we are taken on a journey
entwined with Imperial Constantinople, Hungary, Italy, the Near East, Persia
and the Levant.
 | |
|
Who is your target audience, and why?
My target audience is fans of historical fiction and
alternate history. The book has been written in a style to appeal to all ages,
because I wish to share to the wider world the world medieval byzantine
society. If you were going to give one reason for anyone looking at your book
to read, why should they buy it? The reason why you should buy my book is that
it is able to strike a balance between historical facts, adventure, and story,
and war, leaving an impression in your mind about a once-great empire and the
colorful historical figures who led it, fought against it, and who lived in it.
 | |
|
What do you consider your greatest success in life?
My greatest success in life was when I successfully
completed my undergraduate thesis at the University of Edinburgh. The effort I
put into that thesis from collecting data to writing the final paper, I not
only a learned much about the period I was writing, but I was able to hone my
skills as a writer and thanks to the marks i received in this thesis, I was
able to enter the graduate program of my dream university.
What one unique thing sets you apart from other writers
in your genre?
One thing that sets me apart from other writers in
historical fiction is that I am someone who tries to balance cultural diversity
with character development and plot to create a book that not only tries to
capture the state of a society in the past but does so with a focus on ensuring
that the main and secondary characters grow as the story develops.
How do you overcome writer’s block?
I leave the book for a bit and do other activities such as
going for a walk. I also listen to upbeat music and try to think about where
the story should go next.
What one piece of advice do you have for new authors?
One piece of advice I give to new authors is. In this modern
world we focus a lot on character identity and diversity. While this is
important, make sure that the plot does not suffer as a result and make sure
that what defines your book is not the external features of your character but
who they are internally. This is because people connect far better to a well
developed character than to a caricature. That does not mean you should have
character diversity, but don’t make that be the focus at the expense of
character development. After all, I am sure no author wants Mary Sue’s or Gary
Stu’s in their novel. Tell your readers anything else you want to share. Thank
you for taking the time to learn more about me. I look forward to you’re
thoughts on the novel and this being my first novel I ever published, I would
love it if you do purchase the book to leave feedback.
 | |
|
