All The Write Stuff: Iceni: The Year of Sacrifice

The revolt of Queen Boudica and the Iceni against the might of Rome has echoed down the centuries. Nearly 2000 years ago, during the early years of Roman Britain, Boudica, a victim of Roman injustice, raised the Iceni tribe in rebellion against Rome.

Iceni: The Year of Sacrifice

Iceni Book 1

by Stephen D Owen

Genre: Historical Fiction

Iceni: The Year of Sacrifice is the first thrilling instalment in this historical trilogy.

60 AD. The death of Prasutagus, the Iceni king, leaves his kingdom divided between Rome and his daughters. The Roman Procurator Catus Decianus seizes the entire territory and brutalizes Boudica and her family.

Driven by vengeance, Boudica rallies the Iceni tribe and allies including the Trinovantes, Coritani, and Catuvellauni. As Roman forces are preoccupied in the north, Boudica's rebel army advances on Camulodunum, the Roman provincial capital, where a vastly outnumbered Roman defence struggles to hold.

With the fate of Roman Britannia hanging in the balance, the epic tale of sacrifice, rebellion, and fierce determination unfolds.

GUEST POST

When did you first consider yourself a writer?

I probably first considered myself a writer when I was studying English language and literature. I realised I enjoyed writing and the creative process, using words to form emotion, expression and imagery. I pursued a creative writing course and wrote for the local newspaper. I began to find the discipline of writing every day and this would eventually lead me to writing the novel that would become Iceni: The Year of Sacrifice.

Where were you born/grew up at?

I was born in Bath, a beautiful and historic city in the west of England. I spent my childhood and some of my adult years living in Frome, an attractive market town near the Mendip Hills to the south of Bath. I have spent the last two decades living in Bath and now Bristol. Bristol is a major city in the west of England with a vibrant culture and music scene.

Describe yourself in 5 words or less!

Describe myself? An idealist, yet a realist.

Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?

I would like to think my debut novel, Iceni: The Year of Sacrifice, and the other two I am working on in the trilogy, have the potential to become a movie. The revolt of Queen Boudica and the Iceni tribe against the might of Rome has an enduring appeal. The wronged, rising up against the oppressor. Boudica and the Iceni have been the inspiration for novels, plays, films and drama. Bringing my story of the revolt to the big screen would be my ultimate ambition.

What is something unique/quirky about you?

As well as being a writer and author, I am a gig photographer. I photograph some of the best bands in the business, mostly in Bristol and Bath. The Levellers, Selecter, UB40, Kaiser Chiefs, Texas. I am well placed in Bristol with so many festivals, gigs and star attractions coming here. The Bristol Sounds and Harbour festivals are highlights of the summer.

What do you do to unwind and relax?

My forms of relaxation? I listen to all kinds of music and radio, read extensively, and enjoy a coffee or drink at Bristol Harbour or another chilled setting.

EXCERPT

The air was bitter cold and heavy with tension, threatening more snow. High in the trees that overlooked the track, ravens cried hoarsely.

The first century of Romans, veterans of the colonia of Camulodunum to the south, halted before the circle of warriors, not twenty yards off. Their leader, the grim centurion with the heavy scar etched across his face, advanced a few paces, with the wolfskin-clad standard-bearer at his side.

Behind them, another century halted, shields presented to the front in two ranks, their centurion advancing before the first rank. Behind them, hundreds more Romans on foot, marching in column, moved off the track and formed up in ranks. The mounted Gauls had moved around the far side of the palace. More than a dozen surrounded Boudica and the others, spears lowered.

Even as the Roman veterans and Gauls halted in perfect formation, investing the palace buildings of the Iceni, the mounted leader rode forward from the track.

He halted by the lead centurion and dismounted silently. A soldier moved forward from the ranks and took the reins of his horse. He stood there momentarily, gazing on the Iceni queen and the others.

Calonus and his warriors waited silently, hands on the hilts of their swords. The man narrowed his eyes, drawing his rich cloak about him, his breath steaming on the bitterly cold air.

Then he took a few steps forward, his boots crunching on the snow. The centurion and standard-bearer at his side. Even as he looked on them, Arminus, the priest, saw two more riders moving down the track behind the soldiers, heavily cloaked. He felt his blood run cold as he looked on them. Even though their cowls were drawn over their heads, obscuring their faces, he feared who they might be.

The leader broke the silence. He spoke in a commanding voice, so that all could hear. “I am Catus Decianus, procurator of Britannia and representative of Nero Caesar himself in the province. He paused. “Which one of you is Bera of the Trinovantes, sometimes known as Boudica, wife to the recently deceased Prasutagus of the Iceni?”

Boudica paused for a moment then stepped forward, leaving her daughters with Arminus and her serving women. She stood alongside Calonus and his warriors.

“I am Boudica of the Iceni.”

The procurator took a few more steps forward, the centurion at his side, looking her up and down. The tension in the air was palpable. Calonus gripped the hilt of his sword as hundreds of Romans stood in silence, watching the procurator and the queen of the Iceni.

The procurator nodded slowly, as if confirming her words in his own mind. “So be it,” he continued. He raised his voice again, speaking to all of them, so that none of his words could be mistaken.

“I am here with the authority of Nero Caesar. As a client kingdom, the Iceni are the subjects of Caesar and must answer to his will.”

He produced a rolled-up parchment from the folds of his cloak. Slowly, he held it up before him.

Boudica felt cold as she realised what it must be. The will of her late husband. The other copy lying amongst his possessions in the palace.

“I received this from a so-called embassy of the Iceni. An embassy that carried the words of the Queen Boudica, wife of the late king and self-styled leader of the Iceni.”

He turned his gaze to her then, his cold, narrow eyes searching hers.

“You are she.”

Boudica remained silent.

“Know this,” he said, “so there can be no mistaking of my words. Your king was subject to the whim of Caesar. A client he may have been in his lifetime, yet now he is dead, his kingdom, his estates, his people are subject to Rome. Rome, and Caesar, are the arbiter and power in this matter. It is the will of Caesar that the Iceni, and the estates of Prasutagus, once king of the Iceni, be brought within the power of Rome.”

There were angry murmurings amongst the followers of Boudica, yet the queen herself raised her hand for silence. Arminus placed his hands on the shoulders of her daughters. He felt a deep foreboding settle upon him. He looked up into the grey sky, searching for Her. For the all- giving one. Danu, goddess of the people. Yet he knew her presence was distant. His gaze fell on Boudica; so much rested on her shoulders.

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Book Links:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Iceni-Year-Sacrifice-Stephen-Owen-ebook/dp/B0DQ5QV8WS

Apple: https://books.apple.com/gb/book/iceni/id6739287284

Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/iceni/stephen-d-owen/9781835741047

The Book Guild: https://bookguild.co.uk/bookshop/historical/iceni

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/iceni-the-year-of-sacrifice-by-stephen-d-owen

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/222465935-iceni

About the Author

Stephen D Owen, an enthusiast of Roman Britain and the Iceni Revolt, wished to bring the dramatic story of Queen Boudica, a druid priest and the Iceni Revolt to life in his debut novel, Iceni: The Year of Sacrifice.

Stephen explains: “The revolt of Queen Boudica and the Iceni against the might of Rome has echoed down the centuries. Nearly 2000 years ago, during the early years of Roman Britain, Boudica, victim of Roman injustice, raised the Iceni in rebellion against Rome.

On 1st of August 1984, millennia later, a mysterious link with the drama of the Iceni Revolt may have been uncovered. The remnants of a male peat body were found at Lindow Moss Wilmslow Cheshire, England.

At first the peat body was thought to be a murder victim, yet in time the body was proven to be far older. As old as the Iron Age in Britain at the time of the Roman Conquest.

Known as Lindow Man, or Pete Marsh, archaeologists and experts were called in. A theory was put forward, Lindow Man was in fact a high-born sacrificial victim. A druid priest, perhaps close to Boudica herself, who was a witness and key to the Iceni revolt.

The discovery of Lindow Man inspired me to write Iceni: The Year of Sacrifice. Was this man a priest?

Fundamental to the fate of Boudica and the Iceni? Although my version is fictional, I decided a good challenge would be to write my version of what could have happened, but I would encourage any reader to look into the history to form their own opinions!”

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Author Links

Website: https://stephendowen.co.uk/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571102875780

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stephen_d_owen/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Stephen-D-Owen/author/B0DRYZJR3C

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/53590808.Stephen_D_Owen