On the subject of distances from the Rhine, there is some debate as to the exact location of Aliso, but Haltern looks like a good bet. For the purposes of this book, I didn’t see anything to be gained by nailing my colours to the wall as far as an exact site went. I write stories rather than lessons, and so in this book I have simplified when it suited, exaggerated when it suited, and flat out invented when it suited – there’s nothing in the classical texts about murders in the Fort of Aliso. That’s all from my deranged little mind, and I implore readers to remember that books like this are fiction, and should not be swallowed whole as historical record. There are plenty of excellent non-fiction works about the Roman Army – too many for me to list, in fact. If you’d like to know more about the ones that I use when writing, please feel free to ask me online.
I’ve used ‘supposedly’ a couple of times in this note, and for what I believe is good reason. We only have a couple of primary sources to draw upon when it comes to the siege of Aliso, and even these tend to be written decades or more after the date of events. If you want to hear an unbiased opinion about military campaigns in 2018, then I don’t think that taking news from a single media outlet is a good idea, and I’m sure that this would have applied a couple of thousand years ago, too. Just because there is a surviving record doesn’t make it fact, or even accurate. I’m sure the capacity to bullshit and twist the truth was as alive then as it is now.
The great thing about writing historical fiction is that you get to interpret what we do have – and fill in the blanks of what we don’t – with your own mind. I’m sure that there are plenty of other minds that would fill them in differently to how I do, but great! That’s what makes things interesting.
Micon, Stumps, Titus, and the rest of Felix’s cronies are all fictional characters, but each are rooted in the personalities of soldiers that I was privileged to serve and fight alongside. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to talk with veterans, or to read the accounts that they have left behind, and I am convinced that the spirit and the nature of ‘the soldier’ transcends time. Regardless of the uniform, regardless of the weapons, there is a commonality to the men and women that bear arms and kill.
And killing is something that Felix wished he had seen an end of, but with Arminius and his army undefeated, and with the vengeful legion that he deserted marching towards him, there’s still a lot more blood to shed.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Rowland White, Jillian Taylor, Sharan Matharu, the Michael Joseph team at large, and to everyone at Penguin who made Siege possible; from drawing up contracts to distributing copies, there are so many people involved in the process and I’m grateful to every single one of you.
Bear hugs to my agents Rowan, Rory, and to the extended family at Furniss Lawton. Lots of love to my flesh and blood in Wales. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without the help of all of you, and I rather like what I’m doing, so cheers!
Finally, thank you to all of the historians and archaeologists out there. Any book like this would be impossible without you.
About the Author
Geraint Jones deployed as an infantry soldier on three tours of duty to Iraq and Afghanistan. For his actions in Basra, Geraint was awarded the General Officer Commanding’s Commendation. Upon leaving the military, Geraint worked to protect commercial shipping against Somali and Nigerian based piracy. He now writes full-time and can be found across social media @grjbooks.
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Copyright Page
PENGUIN BOOKS
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Penguin Books is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
First published 2018
Copyright © Geraint Jones, 2018
The moral right of the author has been asserted
Cover photo © Stephen Mulcahey/Trevillion Images
ISBN: 978-1-405-93162-5