North London writer’s new book on Germanic tribal hero
Added: (Fri Jan 20 2023)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
A retired businessman from North London is hoping his excessive university research will lead to the spotlight being turned on a forgotten hero from history.
King Gaeseric led a mediocre Germanic tribe to greatness during the fifth century.
But he, along with the rest of his Vandal and Alan supporters, rarely get the recognition they deserve for bringing an end to the Western Roman Empire.
Now, Edmund Karlsson hopes to bring Gaeseric’s heroics to the fore with a gripping debut novel, The Vandals: The Migration to the Rhine.
The Birkbeck graduate explained: “ The Vandals were an insignificant Germanic tribe with an undistinguished military record who lost most of their battles.
“How this small tribe survived a great migration from modern day Hungary to Africa, and then went on to rule a Mediterranean kingdom, so powerful it could sack Rome, is an incredible story.
“The creative part of The Vandals: The Migration to the Rhine was to find plausible links between the few known facts on the Vandals’ migration.
“There is little doubt that the main character Gaeseric was an inspirational figure.
“If one man can be held responsible for the fall of Rome then the Vandal King Gaeseric would be the choice of many historians.”
Ancient history has become big business in recent years with countless novels, films and television shows recounting the exploits of the Romans, Vikings, Ottomans and Saxons.
But many of the lesser tribes have generally been ignored by novelists and screenplay writers.
Karlsson admits it was this lack of attention which drew him to the exploits of the Vandals and King Gaeseric.
He explained: “My dissertation for my History degree was on the Vandals.
“I chose this subject partly because there was only a limited number of primary sources to read and partly because the Vandals get relatively little coverage in English language literature.
“The first lockdown struck as I was starting my dissertation and I ended up doing far more research than the 10,000 word project needed.
“By the second lockdown I had resolved to turn my excess research material into an historical novel.”
The Vandals: The Migration to the Rhine has already reached number two in Amazon’s Ancient History charts.
Edmund’s gripping novel has been described as ‘well-written’ and ‘very interesting’ by critics.
Told by narrator Scuta – Gaeseric’s fictitious half-brother – The Vandals: The Migration to the Rhine is a compelling adventure which doesn’t shy away from the complex tribal politics of fifth century Europe.
Edmund is currently working on the second of his planned six-book series about The Vandals.
For more details, visit Amazon and search for Edmund Karlsson, where the paperback and Kindle formats of The Vandals: The Migration to the Rhine are both available.
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