The Pict: Rising of the Last Free Men

(in progress)

In my first historical novel, The Pict, a 1st century tribal culture founded on the principles of freedom, peace, and the inherent individual right to self-determination was the foundation of an obscure people's resistance against Roman conquest and domination. The story of that resistance framed the dramatic efforts of one heroic man to act upon his convictions, to stand strong in defense of his homeland, and to sacrifice much in his struggle to succeed in all that he felt called to accomplish.

The Pict was but an outline of the dramatic saga that unfolded in 1st century Scotland (Pictavia, as it was known to the Romans of the time). Tragic and unforeseen personal circumstances led me to polish and publish the book at the stage to which I had gotten it when those circumstances struck. While I'm pleased with the composition, the presentation, and the near-unanimous reception of The Pict, I anticipated and expected the single most common (and valid) criticism it has received: the book is just too short. There is far, far more to the story that must be told. The details of the saga that went untold because of my decision to publish rather than indefinitely delay are all there yet to be told. They will be told.

The critics are right. I've agreed with them from the start. Therefore, as I work through the wreckage of my deepest and most devastating personal loss, as I rediscover the voice of my creativity, I am forcing my focus back to the one thing my dear wife wanted so desperately for me to accomplish. I'm filling in the details of the saga of the indomitable Picts, of the first true Ri na Cruithne (King of the Picts), and expanding their story to the extent that it deserves to be told. The result will be The Pict: Rising of the Last Free Men.

Rising of the Last Free Men will continue to develop alongside my second historical novel, which was nearly 80% complete when I turned my attention entirely to the "completion" of The Pict. I hope you will look forward to the release of Last Free Men, and to the followup saga set in 13th century Europe.

To all who have read The Pict, and especially to those who took the time to tell me what they thought of it, I offer my heartfelt thanks. You have encouraged me to continue to tell the stories I have to tell. My deepest hope is that you will enjoy my forthcoming work far more even than you enjoyed my first.

Review of The Pict, by Mary Lydon Simonsen, Author or Pemberley Remembered

The Pict, by Jack Dixon

Reviewed by Mary Lydon Simonsen,
Author of Pemberley Remembered

"The battle had been raging for almost an hour before the sun broke the eastern horizon. The new light of the rising sun flashed across Cruithne's axe . . ."

Right out of the gate, the book begins with maces and battle axes flying as the Scythians, ancestors of the Picts, an ancient tribe of Scotland, fight the latest of many battles against the hordes pressing in on them from the eastern steppes of Eurasia. Guided by their warrior leader, Cruithne, the Scythians retreat to the west until they arrive at a northern sea where they must take to the water or submit. Thus begins the epic voyage that will eventually take the refugees to the far north of Caledonia.

For a thousand years, a loose confederation of tribes, each with its own leaders, inhabited the Highlands, occasionally joining forces to fight off a common enemy. But their peaceful co-existence ended when the Romans, who had defeated the Britannic tribes to the south, began to march north toward Caledonia. After the massacre of an entire village of the Selgovaii by the Romans, the Pictish tribes once again come together to fight off the legions sent from Rome to conquer them. Calach, a young warrior who possesses the courage and spirit of Cruithne, is chosen as their leader. Outnumbered by the Romans by ten to one, Calach understands that it is only by waging guerilla warfare that the Romans can be defeated.

Other than one major battle, little is known of the Picts' war against Rome except that these primitive people were able to stop the advance of the seasoned and battle-tested Roman legions. Jack Dixon creates a surreal landscape where the eerie sounds of a hundred pipes precede the Picts' attacks on a Roman camp, and phantoms tattooed with demonic symbols emerge silently out of the night to kill their sleeping enemy. But the Romans didn't expand their empire by lying down and playing dead, and Calach pays a personal price in a battle to finish off the Romans.

The momentum of the story builds with each chapter as the warriors arise from the mists of their hills and valleys to fight, retreat, regroup, and fight again, determined to keep the Romans from making any further incursions into their ancient lands.

Over the centuries, the Picts ceased to exist as a separate people, and together with their Celtic neighbors, became the ancestors of today's Scots. Because of the thin historical record and few artifacts yielded by archeological digs, Jack Dixon must spin a tale from his own understanding of the times, the landscape of the Highlands, and the other inhabitants of Scotland who did leave a record. In this he was successful. The sounds of the bodhran drums pulse throughout the book, leaving the reader wanting to know more about the warriors who fought against the might of the greatest empire on earth and prevailed.

iUniverse Book Reviews: 2007 iUBR Awards

My sincere thanks to Tabitha at the iUniverse Book Reviews site for recognizing the cover design for The Pict in the first annual iUBR Awards! I went out on a limb by designing the cover of my first novel from scratch, and I appreciate Tabitha's recognition of my work. Every bit of criticism, and every appreciative recognition means a great deal to an author in search of excellence. Thanks again, iUBR!

Honorable Mention, 2007 London Book Festival

I was pleased to learn this morning that The Pict has won Honorable Mention for Fiction at the 2007 London Book Festival. That's quite encouraging to me, of course. The annual London Book Festival judges books in these categories:

• Fiction
• Children's Books
• Audio / Spoken Word
• Poetry
• Wild Card
• Non-Fiction
• Photography / Art
• Genre-Based
• Comics / 'Zines
• How-To
• Biography / Autobiography
• E-Books
• Teenage

The list of books recognized by the London Book Festival, particularly the winners in each category, might be a good reference if you're looking for good books in your preferred genre.

The Pict, by Jack Dixon

The Pict is my debut historical novel published by iUniverse in August, 2007. I'd be interested in questions, reviews, and criticism of the novel about the enigmatic Picts who defied Roman aggression in what is now called Scotland, in the first century AD.

Synopsis:
An insatiable thirst for conquest has brought the Romans to the shores of Britannia. After easily subduing the southern barbarian tribes, the Romans are astonished by the stubborn resistance of the Cruithne, whom they call the “Picts.”

Although the Picts have always been a loose affiliation of tribes, the extraordinary threat to their very survival now inspires them to unite under the leadership of one indomitable man: Calach.

Can Calach guide the new Pictish nation to victory over the inexorable Roman advance, or will the Empire that has swallowed so many before them determine the Pict history?

Find out! Get The Pict from Amazon.com (US), Amazon.co.uk (UK), Barnes and Noble, or from the publisher (iUniverse).