My second publication with SpecFicWorld (after "Hermaphrodites are from Mercury") will be in the 'All-Zombie Anthology (a working title), and quite in the opposite direction from that earlier tale. Instead of the future, "Pax Silenti" takes us into the classical past, to the seat of power of ancient Roman Empire. This is basically a retelling of the Second Roman Civil War... but with zombies! (Don't you think zombies just make everything better? I know I do.) Julius Caesar has been assassinated in the Forum... but a little mishap like untimely death isn't about to keep Caesar down for long. The blood has barely cooled that the dictator perpetuus is muching on the flesh of his foes, and naturally spreading his condition throughout Rome, and beyond. As the zombies spread like a plague across Europe and into Asia, it falls to the major historical figures of the time--Marc Anthony, Cleopatra, Augustus--to try and contain the menace before the Old World collapses into the eternal night of undeath... if, indeed, such a thing is possible.
I've tried my best to be accurate in my depiction of both the time period this story is set in and what we know of the historical figures, or their common literary depiction. Shakespeare's seminal take on the characters is, of course, referred to, although I've sought out a grittier, more realistic depiction in keeping with the dark subject matter (or as realistic as legionnaires fighting zombies can be). The premise might seem funny, but I strove to make the story a serious consideration of the impact of Romero-type zombies in antiquity and alt-history, with due consideration paid to matters of geography and contemporary technology. I knew a lot about the time period from my studies, but I spent a goodly amount of time researching this one to make sure I had the dates, language and the all the rest correct, so I hope it pays off and makes you, the reader, feel like you're actually there on the bloodstained battlefields of Macedonia or on the roiling seas at the Battle of Actium. |
