THE PATH OF CHAOS
by Tom Haward
GENRE: Dystopian Alternate History
BLURB:
It is the year 2030, and the Roman Empire never fell. Emperor Nero II rules half the world, but half the world is not enough for the unpredictable Emperor.
Britannia is a Roman outpost. London Bridge is lined with crucified bodies. The streets are patrolled by soldiers in high-speed, horseless chariots. Nero views Britannia as a vital but fractious asset for his planned invasion of the Republic of Indigenous America.
Boatman King was born out of rage. A rage that propels him to try and destroy the Empire. He’s not alone: he leads clandestine rebels fighting to drive the Empire from Britannia. These rebels are his weapon, which he hopes will obliterate Nero and the entire Empire.
Rebellion, though, comes at a steep price. Olivia, Boatman’s wife, is caught and crucified on London Bridge by Nero’s son, Maximus, who is intent on flushing Boatman from hiding.
Instead, Maximus draws Maverick ‘The Beast’ Kirabo, Boatman’s fearsome second-in-command, a champion gladiator who now fights for Rome’s dismay, not their entertainment.
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Excerpt:
The general consensus among many Brits was that although they didn’t like Roman rule, they guessed it was better to brush themselves off and make the best of a bad situation. After all, as long as they were still allowed to have a pint or two after work then who cared whether it was a corrupt politician or Roman emperor calling the shots? With this in mind, Nero eased off the terror to a degree. Yes, he still crucified people on the streets, because it was easier than worrying about trials, but he found the British were quite happy to plod along without trying to make too much fuss. This made him happy as he didn’t have to spend too much time or energy on thinking about Britannia.
Everything had changed though. Everything had changed when Boatman stepped into the limelight. Boatman challenged the status quo and inspired rebellion. He was the catalyst of a very un-British uprising against a very ruthless and terrifying emperor. Nero II obliterated anyone who even dared speak against him. He despised criticism and found it offensive that someone would ever see his rule as anything but majestic. Augustus had warned Nero that to try to obliterate Boatman was futile. He needed to reach out to the rebel leader. Nero dismissed his father’s advice as the ramblings of a dying man. The only way to live was to respect the authority of the emperor. To criticize was a sin.
Interview with Tom Haward
How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
I’ve written four novels, but The Path of Chaos is the first book I’ve managed to get published. The Path of Chaos is definitely my favourite because it’s a culmination of two decades of trying to get published and fulfil that dream. I’m so proud of the pages, but there’s also a sense of the book representing my dream to be a published author, which definitely makes it my favourite book.
If you’re planning a sequel, can you share a tiny bit about your plans for it?
I’m definitely planning a sequel and it’s a current work in progress. It follows on immediately from the events of The Path of Chaos and expands the scope of the world these characters inhabit. It also introduces a new character who is briefly touched on in The Path of Chaos and their importance in the power play involved in the Empire.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
Each book is aiming to build a bigger and bigger world, with each character growing more complex as more elements of their lives are revealed. I see each book, in essence, as chapters of a much larger piece of work.
How did you come up with the title for your book?
Up until I emailed the completed manuscript to my publisher, the book was entitled The Walk of Chaos. It didn’t sit right with me though and then I realised it wasn’t about an individual character’s journey, but more about the ideological path of chaos a number of my characters are taking, which is how I finalised the title.
How long did it take you to write this book?
I started it in 2016 and wrote the first 20,000 words in a a few weeks. I then abandoned it until 2021, when I was signed my Cinnabar Moth and it took me about 6 months to complete the book.
What does the title mean?
The Roman Empire still rules the world and is considered to be organised and pragmatic to be able to rule the world, but the Emperor and the rebels are actually chaotic in their actions and motivations. The Path of Chaos represents the tension between characters who think they are getting everything right and the reality of their actions.
What did you learn when writing the book?
It’s amazing what I can achieve. I wrote the book whilst navigating the joy and fear of being a new dad and also running my family business, which is an oyster farm (I’m eighth generation oysterman), so I was proud of what I can do!
What surprised you the most?
How the book ended. I had a completely different idea on how I wanted the book to end and it naturally took a different path (no pun intended) and I was surprised how much happier I was with the ending I wrote.
Have you ever killed off a character your readers loved?
Not yet. The Path of Chaos does have a death in it, which some readers have shown their unhappiness about, but it wasn’t a character…
What do you do to get inside your character’s heads?
I put myself in their situation. Not so much the physical situation as that’s too dystopian, but rather the situation of what I would be feeling under extreme stress and use that to understand what would be their natural reactions. Stress makes us behave differently to what we think we would do, and I think that’s important for my characters to have a genuine response.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Tom was born in Essex and at 4 months old he and his identical twin were adopted into an oyster farming family. Tom now runs the business as generation eight of Haward oyster farmers. He has a fiancée, baby daughter and a cockapoo.
Tom has an MA in Creative Writing and has loved telling stories since he was a child, whether verbally or through prose.
The Path of Chaos is his debut novel. He is also working on a six episode comedy screenplay and tweets passionately about his family’s industry and the challenges it faces.
Connect with Tom Haward
Cinnabar Moth Literary Collections
Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Website ~ Twitter ~ Instagram
5 comments:
Thank you for hosting today.
I enjoyed this interview, thanks for sharing
This sounds like a good book and I really like the cover.
Great excerpt and cover.
looks like a fun one
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