The Path of Revenge

 

 

THE PATH OF REVENGE

Tom Haward

GENRE:  Historical Fiction/ Alternative History

 

 

The rebellion is in hiding. It has been a year since Boatman King attempted to overthrow the Empire, but instead had to escape London with his wife and their closest allies.

Not all of Boatman King’s allies are in hiding. Maverick “The Beast” Kirabo is on a mission to finish what he started on the streets of London. The former gladiator has a score to settle and revenge to unleash: Rome will fear him as they once adored him.

Despite its failure, Boatman King’s rebellion has spread disquiet in Rome’s political circles. Grand Protector Faust dispatches a pair of hunters to search the country and bring Boatman and his followers back to London for reckoning. Although Faust is the official face of Rome’s leadership, Emperor Maximus is thirsty to stamp his mark on the world and step out from his dead father’s shadow.

Unbeknownst to Faust and Maximus, a terrifying presence is watching the unrest and relishing in the vulnerabilities it’s causing.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

It was a chilly Autumn morning with barely a breath of wind. He gazed over to the other side of the channel to see a seal lazing on the mud. A heron landed a few metres away from Boatman, unperturbed by the man’s presence. It only took ten minutes to leave shore and get to the oyster beds by boat, but it felt like a wilderness. For a moment, Boatman felt like the trauma and stress of the past few months had evaporated, out here in this tiny wilderness. 

“I definitely prefer hitting a Roman in the face to this.” Tobias’s words brought Boatman back to reality. 

“Being out here is good for the soul,” said Boatman. 

“What the fuck happened to your soul? It’s muddy, wet and cold. If I wanted that combination, I would have gone to fight in the Aestii region.”

“You need an open mind, Tobias.”

“No, I need to be somewhere hot. I used to have a gorgeous, golden tan. Do you remember that? Do you remember my tan? I looked good.” Tobias looked down at himself, mud splattered up his oilskin overalls, “Now I look like a pale hobo.”

“Did Maverick know where your off switch was? Because it would be really handy right now.”

“I came out here with you. Voluntarily.”

“Only because Bella didn’t want you.”

“I’m offended she didn’t want me to go with her.”

“She’s hunting birds. It needs to be done quietly. As in, no constant talking,” said Boatman.

About the Author:

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 The Path of Chaos (Cinnabar Moth Publishing) is his debut novel, which was released August 2023. The Path of Revenge is the sequel in The Path of Chaos series and will be released August 6th 2024.

Q&A With the Author: 

Who is your favorite author and why? 

John Connolly, author of the Charlie Parker thrillers is my favourite author. I love his poetic prose. He writes with an effortless beauty even when describing horrible things; it’s a real skill. The characters Maverick and Tobias in The Path of Revenge are a love letter to Connolly as two of his characters, Angel and Louis, inspired me to create them. 

What is something unique/quirky about you? 

I’m an oyster farmer in my ‘day job.’ My family have been farming oysters in Essex, England since the 1700s which makes me eighth generation oyster farmer. Our oyster farm is on a little island in England and we harvest around one million oysters every year. 

What was your inspiration for writing this book? 

I had an idea for a multiverse novel when I was studying for my Masters in Creative Writing in 2016. This multiverse novel was going to have a Western reality, a Victorian reality and a Roman reality. The Roman aspect drew me in the most though, and I wrote The Path of Chaos from it. I realised how big a world I could create and The Path of Revenge is that extension of the world I created. 

What did you enjoy most about writing this book? 

I loved creating the main villain in The Path of Revenge. I wanted to write a character who was truly terrifying, but also compelling. I loved building his world and exploring what lengths he would go to to achieve his aims. I loved getting excited about what I would write next about him. 

Do you have any other books you are working on that you can tell us about? 

I’m working on a couple of books. The first one is the follow on from The Path of Revenge and it will conclude The Path of Chaos series. It’s fascinating for me to see where events are leading to and what will happen to Boatman and those he’s up against. I think readers will be excited about the direction Book 3 is taking. 

I’m also working on an idea for a family drama. It’s completely different to The Path of Revenge and focuses on the dark underbelly of narcissism within a family unit. 

Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans? 

It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to write and to have a publisher willing to support that writing journey. It’s humbling to have people want to read my work and not only read it but enjoy it and want to read more of what I do. I’m very thankful and hope The Path of Revenge grabs people and they want to share with everyone they know about it. 

Website: https://tomhaward.co.uk/

Twitter: https://x.com/HawardTom

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomhawardauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hawardtom

Amazon Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Path-Revenge-Tom-Haward/dp/1962308138/ref=sr_1_1

GIVEAWAY

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