Combining legitimate legends with actual historical events, Marshall Best weaves an epic story that portrays the ancient world as it might have been, a world which the ancient historians recorded as fact; a time when gods ruled the earth and strange creatures dominated the land. It is the era of civilized conquerors exploring distant and primitive new lands. Scant recordings left to us today only touch on the fringe of the fantastic and brutal reality that existed in those distant lands of the west. Into this age, young Guiamo enters the world stage as the great game-changer, and by his hand the gods and beasts become destined to disappear into myth and legend.
Series: The Chronicles of Guiamo Durmius Stolo
by Marshall Best
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-fi Fantasy, Fantasy/Paranormal
Blurb:
In 60 B.C., ten-year-old Guiamo Durmius Stolo, an exceptionally gifted Roman orphan, is abandoned in Gaul . Left to fend for himself, Guiamo is set onto a path of legend. Recognized by the gods as having world-changing talents, he is given a weapon that changes his destiny and the world’s forever. Combining legitimate legends with actual historical events, Marshall Best weaves an epic story that portrays the ancient world as it might have been, a world which the ancient historians recorded as fact; a time when gods ruled the earth and strange creatures dominated the land. It is the era of civilized conquerors exploring distant and primitive new lands. Scant recordings left to us today only touch on the fringe of the fantastic and brutal reality that existed in those distant lands of the west. Into this age, young Guiamo enters the world stage as the great game-changer, and by his hand the gods and beasts become destined to disappear into myth and legend.
Marshall Best is an avid reader, father of six and business owner. In the past several years he has found his love of writing as well. What began as a desire to write a story for his children has evolved into a nine book series.
Marshall has done extensive research into the history behind the legends, people and places of England, Scotland and Ireland involved in his books. He loves being able to weave real people and legends into his stories making them come alive. He is definitely a writer that tends to the details often mapping out timetables, calendars, geneologies, etc. that pertain to his book to ensure that it is as realistic as possible.
Marshall also enjoys putting real life issues into his books, delving into a bit of philosophy while entertaining with orcs, dragons, magic and battles. He is someone who loves a grand adventure but makes sure it's not a shallow one.
Ancient Gods
One of the fundamental background issues in the Guiamo Chronicles are the role of the gods. Today, we typically think of the Roman and Greek gods to be like what we find in movies like Percy Jackson. For instance, Hades is seen as the arch-villain with diabolical powers from the depths of fiery hell. Yet, the Romans record him to be quite the opposite. He was considered by the Romans to be a gentle and benevolent person who cares for the souls of the dead. More importantly, the ancients recognized openly that the gods were mere men who, upon their deaths, were given the honors of godhood. It is a form of ancestor worship.
They gave their ancestors (particularly their inventive ancestors) the position of god, demigod, hero or man based upon the degree of their discoveries. If for instance, someone invented music, they would become the god of music. If someone invented a subset of this, for instance a flute, they would be honored as a demigod. If they invented a lesser thing, such as a particularly beautiful song, they would be a hero. Many of the gods were great inventors and are described as so in the ancient writings. Even the Egyptians recognized much of this. They divided their own history into four ages. The age of the gods, the age of the demigods, the age of the heroes and the age of the pharaohs.
Now in ancient Britain, the gods were found in the hundreds. They would also be an ancestor honored with godhood. Their domain might simply be over a particular stream or well, or perhaps a village, or if they were significant enough to the entire tribe, they would be a great tribal god. But in truth, the gods of old were mere men and women who were honored with godhood.
This is how they are portrayed throughout the Guiamo Chronicles and I think the reader will find this very intriguing.
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