The Artorian Dynasty Ventures into Mesopotamia


It's hard to believe I'm already reaching the tail end of Emperor Trajan's reign (98 - 117 A.D.). Soldier of Rome: The Road to Mesopotamia (Book Nine of the Artorian Dynasty) released on 21 June 2024. Beginning five years after the end of Soldier of Rome: Traiana Victrix, it follows the opening stages of Trajan's invasion of Armenia and War with Parthia:

During the five decades since the Treaty of Rhandeia ended the War of Armenian Succession, an uneasy peace has existed between the Roman and Parthian Empires. The treaty’s terms dictated the King of Armenia must come from Parthia’s ruling Arsacid Dynasty but can only be lawfully crowned by the Emperor of Rome. Following the passing of King Sanatruk in 110 A.D., King Osroes of Parthia appoints a new Armenian sovereign with neither consultation nor consent of Emperor Trajan. Three years later, he forcibly removes the king and installs another, again without the knowledge or permission from Rome.

Trajan sees this grievous insult as recourse to settle ancient enmities dating back to Rome’s bloody humiliation at the Battle of Carrhae, 160 years prior. Parthia lies weakened by two generations of strife between rival claimants to the title, King of Kings. After seven years of peace, the legions of Rome march to war.

The Road to Mesopotamia currently holds a 4.6 star average rating on both Amazon and Goodreads. It also achieved best-seller status in History of Babylonia & Mesopotamia, a new category for me.


About two weeks after its release, I started work on the immediate follow-up, Soldier of Rome: Tigris and Euphrates, which sees Trajan's Parthian War to its end. As of this blog post (16 September 2024), the completed draft is finished and in the hands of my copyeditor, Dione Benson. Rado Javor is working on the cover art, and should have it finished soon. Release date is not set yet. Though I'm hoping for the end of the month, it may come in early October.

This story carries some personal meaning for me, given my past history. As many of you know, I was in the Iraq War from 2004 to 2005. In fact, my former brigade (the 116th Cavalry) just had a 20-Year Reunion to commemorate this. I did not attend for personal reasons. Plus, those I wish to keep in touch with from my "past life" (as I call it), I already do. Still, it is surreal to think it's been twenty years. In context, I was a freshman in high school when my Dad was twenty years removed from Vietnam.

It's even more surreal looking at how Iraq ties into my writing career, which at the time was little more than a cathartic hobby. My personal feelings about the Iraq War are mostly negative, though my counsellor is quick to stress, "Without Iraq, you would not be the writer you are today." Fair enough. I wrote my very first book, Soldier of Rome: The Legionary, in between missions. Soldiers in the company read chapters as soon as I wrote them. It still trips me out, thinking back to walking through a random squad bay and seeing someone sitting on their bunk, engrossed in my latest.

Two decades later, I'm finishing up my thirty-fourth book, Soldier of Rome: Tigris and Euphrates. This and the previous book cover some of the same ground we trekked 1,900 years after Emperor Trajan led imperial legions down the Tigris and Euphrates to the Persian Gulf. And yes, Tiberius Artorius does make his way to Kirkuk! 🙂 I hadn't looked at most of these pictures in at least a decade (I have hundreds more tucked away on my laptop), yet it was important to remember details--sights, sounds, smells, the fucking heat of summer--to help tell a better story. As my late friend, Brigadier General Rob Lytle once said, "There is no substitute for walking the ground."

Twenty years later, it feels like it all came full circle. Looking back, I am just glad we didn't have to endure the heat of a Mesopotamian summer while wearing metal armour! 😄🥵

Until next time, Happy reading!

Next: Research Historian and Script Writer for Redcoat History

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