The idea behind the Zarapathineon series came about not long after I started writing Stasis None.

The story takes inspiration from the great empires of antiquity, as well as stealing ideas from Feudal Japan, the Mongols, and the struggles throughout Europe – post middle ages.

Although fictional, the main crux of the saga is reminiscent of Greece’s ancient struggles with the Persian Empire mixed with stories of Rome – tales such as Hannibal, Spartacus and Caesar.

In the years passed since I began writing it, you could also add fictional similarities… such as Gladiator and 300, and more recently, Game of Thrones… all of which took similar inspirations.

As well as the above, I think there is an element of my growing up with Star Wars in Zarapathineon too, which when you take away the space battles, is as classically a structured tale of romantic struggle as you could hope for – and I hope as my story progresses, you are left with the cliff-hangers, hopes and fears I used to have growing up with such classic examples of writings and screen.

To be clear, Zarapathineon has no element of fantasy, it is a series dedicated to the struggles of antiquity and real history – stealing many real battles, tactics and strategies, mixing it together with a large dose of quality, fast-paced fiction.

To create it, my writing room is now a wall of maps and storyboards linking a web of territories and characters across a generation. 

Although the story itself is complete, I have a lot of writing ahead before all is released. Spring 2024 will see the second book, Rising, hit the shelves, with the third instalment to follow later that same year.

My hope is this will be a series for many people to enjoy in the years to come.