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Research is important for every novel, but especially so when crafting a world in which the reader doesn’t live. I’ve written two science fiction and three ancient historical fiction novels and both of these genres required a decent amount of research. I break it down two ways: primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are critical to historical fiction in particular—anything one can find that was documented during the time in which you’re writing is a gem. For The Song of the King’s Heart trilogy, this wasn’t easy, as the story takes place in 200 BCE. Fortunately, I was able to get my hands on Herodotus’s histories, as well as The Tales of Senuhe, a narrative set in the aftermath of the death of Pharaoh Amenemhat I, founder of the 12th Dynasty of Egypt. These allowed me a taste of the ancient world, unhindered by modern assumptions and interpretations.
Excellent secondary sources are college textbooks about the time period in which you’re working as well as research papers by professors of history. In the case of the Great Egyptian Revolt of 200 BCE, because the Ptolemys won the war, they erased much of Ankhmakis’s records, telling the story of the victor, and leaving out my protagonist completely. Other than his name and his father’s name, as well as the date of his arrest, much has been lost. Fortunately, I was able to find a paper written by a professor from UC Berkeley who did his best to create a timeline for the revolt, including some of the major battles. He was able to do this through researching merchant’s logs, tax collector reports, and other official documents such as slave sales in Alexandria. Ankhmakis’s story has survived like a whisper from the past in part due to these primary sources that we can now comb through. I use a combination of books and websites. When using a website, there’s the extra step of verifying the source. This gets harder as standards for publication decline, so I lean more on texts published in universities than websites in general, though many excellent organizations have thorough databases chock full of articles one can look through.
Lastly, I went to museums and walked the Egyptian rooms. It’s incredibly fun to do this and I recommend taking the time to treat yourself to a day or two in the museum. Seeing their clothing, buildings, tools, mummies, and scrolls firsthand moved me in a way that no textbook could. This allowed me to imagine Natasa with bands of gold on her arms and a crown of jewels on her head or Ankhmakis holding his curved khopesh sword and wearing his sandals, strapped tightly up to his knees. Their wigs, makeup, and furniture were clear in my mind after spending the day walking the displays filled with the objects left behind for us to find centuries later.
Overall, research includes a period of gathering primary and secondary sources and then reading those sources, often taking notes, and even drawing scenes when necessary. For those writing in a certain time period, museums provide a perfect writer’s date that not only gives you a chance to see the world you’re trying to create but also inspire you to visit that world in your imagination with your characters.
Prince Ankhmakis has left his beloved Natasa for war and treacherous obstacles block his path to becoming Egypt’s last native king. He is the warrior that the men revere, and his orders are followed without question. He is strong and powerful with Natasa on his side, and the fear that breeds in those around him is more dangerous to Ankhmakis than the swords of the Greeks.
Natasa has risen higher in the mystic arts than any priestess before her—and she is in more peril because of it. All she desires is to assist her lover, Ankhmakis, in his quest to take back Egypt from the Macedonians once and for all, but his jealous queen, his plotting brother, and the truest evil in the world want nothing more than to be rid of her.
Natasa and Ankhmakis fight not only against the Greeks but also those at court who will do anything to see them both dead. Together, Ankhmakis would become a great general and Natasa the mystic healer who saves him. Apart, they may not survive.
The prince of Behdet gazed across the Nile River at the city of Panopolis, its bonfires flickering like beacons in the dark night. A hot wind caressed his sunburnt face. He turned to see his enemy’s army spread out before him, torchlights zigzagging across an island downriver like ants on honey, protecting their city with their mighty arsenal of archers ships. He wanted control of the island, needed it, if he were ever to return home to his lover’s arms. “This war is taking too long,” he hissed under his breath. “My lord,” Min, his personal guard, answered. “It has been a year. It took our greatest ancestor, Pharaoh Amhose I, nineteen years to banish the Hyksos filth from our lands. Prior to his victory, his father and grandfather also battled for independence. Their line of kings fought for over thirty years to take Egypt unto back unto native hands. Our war is young. Be patient.” Ankhmakis turned to his friend and captain, his lips curled. “I don’t want this to take three generations, Min. I will not leave this task to my heirs. I will march upon Alexandria and kill Ptolemy IV with my own hands. We should at least be to Memphis by now. Instead we’re in Panopolis, held back by their army. For the second time, the Inundation is at our backs. If we don’t hurry, we’ll be trapped here when the river floods. Such a failure can’t happen again.”
Her latest project, The Song of the King’s Heart Trilogy, is a series about the last native Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt and his quest to take back his ancestral kingdom from the Ptolemaic Empire. The first two installments, Origins and Blood and Chaos, are available on Amazon. The last novel in the series, Civilization’s End, will be released October 2021.
Website: http://www.nicolesallakanderson.com
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Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteYes, thanks for hosting. Happy researching!
ReplyDeleteThe book sound very interesting.
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