Nicanor - Teller of Tales.

Set against the fading of Roman power in Britain, this historical romance turns on a young man whose gift is the telling of stories.

What it's about

Nicanor, Teller of Tales takes as its hero a spinner of tales in a Britain still Roman but with the old imperial certainties beginning to crumble. Around his fortunes the novel builds a story of love and ambition amid the shifting relations of masters and slaves, natives and rulers, in a province edging toward change. The narrative unfolds in the manner of the historical romance, rich in period colour and driven by personal passion set against public turmoil.

Themes

The power of storytelling itself is a central concern, along with love across social divides, the pull of freedom, and the vulnerability of a world whose foundations are slipping. The decline of an empire provides the charged backdrop against which private lives are played out.

Why it still matters

Late Roman Britain is a period more often glimpsed than dramatised, and fiction set there feeds a lasting fascination with the twilight of empires. The tale-teller at the centre gives the book a self-aware charm.

Who it's for

For readers of historical romance and of stories set in the ancient world, and for those drawn to the theme of the storyteller.