Octavian's Light

Published 2024

Passion, power, betrayal and love, Octavian’s Light is a compelling saga set in the most brutal of Roman times.

Oline’s life is shattered when her home village in Gaul is raided by Romans, and her daughter Mischella is born into slavery in Italy.

Octavian is unexpectedly adopted by Julius Caesar whose sudden assassination catapults the eighteen-year-old to vast wealth and power, eventually becoming Rome’s first emperor, Augustus. There are wars, plotting amongst rivals, bouts of sickness, his wife Livia’s scheming, and an extraordinary meeting with Queen Cleopatra.

Former street urchin Riccar has a skill that enables him to closely witness Octavian’s incredible rise throughout their long lives together, and he becomes perhaps the emperor’s only true friend.

An ancient world is revealed as the lives of slaves and an emperor unexpectedly intertwine in a novel that combines meticulously researched history and unforgettable characters.

Octavian's Light is an historical novel about the first Roman Emperor Augustus, told mainly from the point of view of his personal slave artist Riccar and his women. It starts in 47BC and runs through to Octavian’s death in 14AD, -a very eventful sixty-one years.

Octavian had an unbelievable career: a nineteen-year old in sole, uncontested charge of many legions, a twenty year old consul of Rome...the youngest in history, also countless honours, awards, titles and positions; eventually becoming a living god to many. All this success, despite recurrent sickness, many stumbles failures and setbacks!

Octavian had so many names, titles and ranks throughout his long life. These names are often combined with Caesar, the name of his adoptive father. This eventually became a rank or position, in its own right, becoming to mean ruler. (In modern usage Czar, Kaisar etc.) To avoid confusion, Octavian is the name I have used throughout.

This novel is wrapped around recorded events of Octavian’s life and reveals how people lived in ancient Rome; the attitudes and outlooks of the many strata of that society, from aristocrats, equestrians and plebians to slaves, both men and especially women. The novel has many strong female characters who continually push against the boundaries that are imposed on them by this culture.

Octavian was a distant young relative of the Dictator Julius Caesar who, quite unaware of his coming assassination, adopted and bequeathed much of his estate to Octavian, a somewhat rash teenager, at that time. The great man’s death hurled the Roman world into chaos and instability for more than a decade. Civil war became a recurrent background to life in the Roman republic for many years afterwards.

To begin with, very young Octavian was not taken very seriously by the elites and prominent familias of the great city, but by sheer guts, cunning, persistence, luck and willpower he eventually dominated all, at just the age of thirty-one. Octavian then proceeded to rule virtually unopposed for a further, long forty-one years, establishing the Pax Romana. All this despite recurrent bouts of serious sickness which could have derailed his rule at any time! Over the years, he essentially formed the template for the administration and organization of the Roman Empire....which was essentially used by all succeeding emperors.

This Roman story has many haunting parallels with our modern world. Rome was continually awash with “fake news” as rivals and familias vied for advantage. Rumours continually flooded the city and empire. Inflation, rising food prices, extreme income inequality, immigrants, housing problems, excessive litigation, marital instability, divorce and contested elections were all normal then. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

I hope I am able to take you back to those times.....