Novels — Historical and Political

Return of the Roman

by Allan Massie  

“Anyone who has read biographies of Dickens—or indeed his letters—will know how agitated he became when in need of a plot. Well, the historical novel presents the author with at least the outlines of a plot, ready-made. You still have to invent much: incidents, dialogue, encounters and so on. But your journey is mapped out. You know that somehow you have to get Caesar to the theatre of Pompey on the Ides of March, 44BC.”