# Zombies and Ancient Rome - Together at Last. Free 8/9/12 - 8/11/12



## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

De Bello Lemures, or the Roman War Against the Zombies of Armorica is my new Kindle title, on sale now for $2.99.

Amazon Description:

"This time, the isolated farmhouse is a Roman villa.

A recovered Latin text tells the story of a struggle between Roman legionaries and the undead in 185 AD. Lucius Artorius Castus leads an expedition to Gaul to defeat a rebellion against the rule of the Emperor Commodus - and gets more than he bargained for when his enemies rise from the dead to fight again. The power of the zombie horde is amplified by the chaos of Ancient Rome's competing religions and superstitions, and the terror the undead bring in their wake foreshadows the incipient medieval darkness already creeping into the world at the end of Rome's Antonine age. Richly annotated, this mashup of survival horror and alternate history takes the reader on a bracing journey into one of ancient Rome's dark corners."

The gigantic stacks of old Penguin Classic and Oxford University Press DTB's in my library were one of my inspirations for this book. One day I realized how much I really, really loved them, and wanted to frame a genre story inside their "format" as an homage to them. Like those DTB's, a lot of this book's content is in footnotes, so I have to warn you that to you'll have to use the Kindle "click for footnote" method if you want to get the full flavor of this book. But if you don't mind that, and if you also love alternate history, horror and/or zombies, this may be a book for you.

I am blogging about my experience promoting this item for the Kindle, and about future projects, at http://thomasbrookside.blogspot.com/

Thanks!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Thomas--

Welcome to KindleBoards and congratulations on your book!

We invite you to use your book cover as your avatar and have links to your book and website in your signature. Although self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar, most of our authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KindleBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles!

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_The fine print:
Please add to this thread when you have news about your book rather than start a new one, it helps the members who are trying to follow you. You may have a separate thread for each of your books. You may respond to all posts, but if there have been no member posts, we ask that you wait a week before "bumping" the thread by posting back-to-back posts of your own. And we ask that Amazon reviews not be repeated here as they are easy to find at your book link. Also, full reviews from other sites should not be posted here, but you may post a short blurb and a link to the full review instead. All this, and more, is included in our Forum Decorum. From time to time our site rules may change; be sure to check Forum Decorum for the current guidelines and rules. _


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I wanted to update this post to show that the Kindle price for this title is now $0.99.

Also, I have checked out the Kindle preview for this title, and it's really too short. If you'd like a longer preview than Amazon provides, there's a substantial preview posted in .PDF format at this link.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I just wanted to update this thread to indicate that a new, expanded preview of this book is available now at Scribd.

The generic Kindle preview is pretty short, and the Scribd preview is about 3x as long.

You can view the preview at Scribd here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/23716525/Preview-Dbl-Dec


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## koland (Nov 24, 2008)

Is it on Smashwords?


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

thumbs up on this one, I really liked it.  Its a nice companion to the Meditations by Marcus Aurelius


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Thank you very much, Nathan!

Koland,

I'm sorry, it's not on Smashwords. I tried to join up there, to try to get on B&N and to try to participate in the ebooks for the troops program, but I discovered that Smashwords does not allow you to upload a book that includes footnotes. Since this book is set up as a _faux_ nonfiction work, there are a considerable number of footnotes, and that boxes me out of Smashwords this time around.


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## Nathan (Nov 13, 2009)

let us know if you ever make a print version of this.  I have a brother overseas who would love this, but does not have a way of reading ebooks


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Nathan:

There actually is a paperback version now through CreateSpace.

If you click on the Amazon link in the original post in this thread, you can find the paperback version in the "Other Formats" box on the Amazon product page.

Thanks!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I just wanted to update this thread with the information that the Google Books preview is also now live for this title.

Thanks!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I'd like to thank everyone who has purchased this title so far.  It's currently at #25 in Horror/Occult, #15 in Fantasy/Historical, and #3 in History/Ancient/Rome.  I'd kind of like to take Gibbon down, so if anyone has been toying with the idea of taking a nibble on this...


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## bristolkid (Dec 23, 2009)

Hey tbrookside, I signed up to say that I had read your book earlier this week, and wanted to know if it was the first in a series.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Thanks for the read, bristol. If you get a chance, maybe you could review it on Amazon?

With regard to your question, the ending is both open and closed, in a sense. It's open because the story could obviously continue. It's closed because it would be awkward to use the same framing device over again, and if I don't do so I need to think of another "excuse" to continue the story. I have another project underway right now the progress of which you can follow at my blog http://thomasbrookside.blogspot.com - after that one is done we'll see about whether I can get myself out of the corner I painted myself into on this one.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Just wanted to post that this book has received a new 5-star review on Amazon:



> What I liked best was the description of the campaign itself which forms the background of the story. Suffice to say that life on the second century Roman frontier was nightmarish to begin with, never mind when the zombies arrived. It was in describing not only the actions of the Roman troops and leaders, but also their weltanschauungen that the author really created a world very different from the one we know today. Once that strange and terrible world was introduced,the action involving the zombies was described swiftly and effectively and, if the reader is willing to suspend the usual mistrust of supernatural claims, even quite plausibly. A real sense of jeapordy is created and sustained.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I had originally planned to raise the price of this title on January 1st, but I'm a sucka for Kindle sales and I decided to leave the 99 cent special in place.

99 cents for the month of January!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

It looks like in a few months Amazon's new royalty structure will make me an offer I can't refuse and lead to higher ebook prices down the line - but for right now the price of this title is staying at 99 cents.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

January 31st is the last day to take advantage of the 99 cent price for this title!

In February it will list for $1.99.

Thanks to everyone who made a purchase in January!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

This book has received 2 new 5 star reviews at Amazon!

Reader KHog:


> ...well worth the kindle price. wouldve got 4 stars at regular price as its a bit short for that price. great read if you like the concept of zombies and history having a baby...


Reader Andy:


> As a fan of both Roman history and zombie fiction, this book was a real treat...The author also took great care researching the book, and it shows. The arms, armor, buildings, etc. all feel authentic to the period; in fact, some terms are explained in footnotes - again adding to the authentic feel of this being a translation of a Roman text...


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Author Robert Williams has posted a very gracious 5-star review of _De Bello Lemures_ at Amazon:



> Thomas Brookside's historical/horror novel De Bello Lemures is well written, perfectly formatted, historically detailed, and basically an outstanding read.
> 
> The book is set up as an annotated classics text, with links set up throughout it that provide some historical or literary background of the novel's passages. The author's breadth of knowledge of classical history is impressive. It's a good idea to read through the book entirely at first to immerse yourself in the story, then go back again reading the annotations to absorb the finer historical points.
> 
> ...


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Another 5-star review has been posted on Amazon, this one from an initial skeptic:

Reader "Katey" writes:



> So, as both a Latin teacher and a lover of zombie novels, I must admit right off the bat two things. One: I bought this simply due to the Latin title. Two: I had expectations for it to be rather horrid due the incorrect grammar of the Latin title.
> 
> That out of the way, I was pleasantly surprised to find the book was thoughtfully written, with true horror and true research! The nonsensical title was explained right away in a forward that made a lot of my misgivings go away. L. Artorius Castus' narrative is very compelling, especially the night in the villa. I also really enjoyed the footnote feature, which ranged from explaining obscure terminology for the reader to 'commenting' on the work as if it were a real letter. Very clever and a lot of fun.
> 
> This means nothing to people who are not fellow Classicists, but I think the writing seems a bit Apuleian (must be the supernatural aspect of the story) in terms of style. This is a very good thing in this case and lends a certain "authenticity" to the work as being a translation of a Latin work.


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## Jasonmh (May 7, 2009)

Wow, I have to say this was not what I expected.  I was expecting something poorly constructed and campy, but I found it really, really well done.  Excellent job.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Thanks a lot, Jason!

Is there any chance of my begging my way into an Amazon review?

I know what you mean about the camp.  That's been my real marketing challenge.  The zombie subgenre is made for camp.  In fact, one could almost call it a "reader expectation" bordering on a demand.  Luckily that's changing now, due to the work of a few prominent names...and the work of some less-prominent indies.

The funny thing is that when I sat down to write it, I was going for "fun".  I just wanted to write a straight-up zombie survival story, but with swords instead of M-16's.  But then I couldn't stop myself from adding in the period detail, and the literary references - and then that meant that I needed the foreword, and the footnotes - and yadda yadda yadda, the whole project ran away on me a little.


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## Jasonmh (May 7, 2009)

tbrookside said:


> Thanks a lot, Jason!
> 
> Is there any chance of my begging my way into an Amazon review?


Done. Really an outstanding story. I sure hope there is more to come, either another story, or that you will expand this story into a full length book.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Jasonmh said:


> Done. Really an outstanding story. I sure hope there is more to come, either another story, or that you will expand this story into a full length book.


I really appreciate the fact that you took the time to post such a gracious review.

Right now, I am in the middle of a different project - but this story is not over yet!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I'd like to thank everyone who downloaded this book.  I can tell from my sales pattern that I get some sales from this board, because there's a little bounce in sales once a week when I find a way to bump this thread!

Any feedback that any readers have would be appreciated!

Thanks!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I had to edit the thread title again to reflect my move up to $2.99.

I'm thinking this is the price point that will dominate Kindle sales in the future, but it's still scary.

The market agrees - no one has bought at that price yet.  It's only been a few hours, but it's still a bit nerve-wracking.

It doesn't help matters that Amazon has messed up the description by doubleposting one of the reviews and says it will take 5 days to fix.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Today's featured author

Thursday: Thomas Brookside - De Bello Lemures, or the Roman War Against 
the Zombies of Armorica

http://www.theindiespotlight.com

Come up and read and leave a comment.

Edward C. Patterson
& Gregory B. Banks


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

This sounds pretty interesting. I might have to check out that sample, as well.


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## scottmarlowe (Apr 22, 2010)

The premise sounds great. I'm not a big zombie fan, but I love ancient Rome. Nice mash-up idea!

I've got it added to my reading list. Thanks.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

So I received a 4-star review, blowing my streak of 5-star reviews.

I think I took it pretty well. [There was no wailing or gnashing of teeth.]

Some people think you can get a better feel for a book from its 4-star reviews than from the 5-stars, so here goes:



> I have been looking for interesting, well-written, zombie stories, and this one certainly fits the bill. A Druidic curse seemingly unleashes a plague of zombies on some Roman soldiers after the Romans put down a revolt in ancient Gaul. The story covers the first terrifying night of survival and the battle the next day to destroy the zombies before the infestation can spread to more populous areas and the rest of the empire. By the way, these are the traditional slow and dumb zombies--just the way I like them.
> 
> The author writes in the style of a recently discovered and translated ancient text, complete with footnotes to explain Greek and Roman terms, customs, and myths. You get the thrill of feeling that you are reading a true account of an event lost to history until recently. It is very well-done, though a little short. The ending (the resolution of the battle) felt a little abrupt, but that is just a minor quibble. I also got the feeling that the author is not a big fan of Christianity with the way some of the characters are presented, but I could just be misinterpreting those scenes. The author left it open for a sequel, which I would certainly and quickly buy and devour, so to speak.


I'm a little concerned that the reader thought that the book was deliberately anti-Christian. The narrator/protagonist is a nonChristian Roman military leader in the Antonine age, and I think the reader perceived the character's prejudice as my own. I guess that means the character was pretty convincing!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

UNRV.com, an ancient history themed site, published a review of _De Bello Lemures_ this week:

http://www.unrv.com/book-review/de-bello-lemures.php


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

This book was in limbo from the republishing process for several days, but it's definitely back and available again now!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

De Bello Lemures recently sold its 1000th copy since release.

Thank you everyone for all of your support!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

OK, so this turned up as a pirate download at RapidShare.



I guess that means I hit the big time, eh?


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

For those UK customers who didn't want to pay the international price premium at the Amazon store:

This title is now available at the Amazon UK store for 2.25 pounds.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002U829N6/


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

Any zombie concept that makes me laugh out loud, I'm going to check out. Best of luck with it!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Thanks a lot, Harry.

I have the sample of Daemon to get to.  It definitely looks great!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

De Bello Lemures has received a new 5 star review from an Amazon Top 1000 reviewer:



> Clever and Original Take on the Zombie Genre
> 
> I initially thought this book would be a disaster-- like one of the other reviewers, I studied classical literature and I expected this to be sloppy, but it's very well done, clever, and original.
> 
> ...


It's funny - I assumed most of my reviews would be from zombie genre completists, but classicists and history buffs ended up being the real target market.


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## Jasonmh (May 7, 2009)

I absolutely loved this story.  I am still hoping there is more to come


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Jasonmh said:


> I absolutely loved this story. I am still hoping there is more to come


Thanks Jason!

The Kindle file for this title has been revised to include an extended preview of my new release The Last Days of Jericho.

I'm hoping that I can turn the continued sales strength of this book into a promotional tool for the new one.

Gotta keep pushing, right?


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

So when it's time to bump a thread, and you can't think of anything to say to bump it that week, what do you do?

I have Bump Block.

Do you other folks have any kind of system for these situations?


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Exactly.  And did you notice how I phrased it as a question, so that when you answered the question it gave me a free bump?  And then a chance to answer you?


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I'd like to thank all the Kindle readers who have supported this book.

It recently sold its 1400th copy.

Sales, reviews, and tags on this title, many of which came from this site, have moved this book up into the top 5 Kindle titles that come up when you search the store for "zombies".

Thanks, everyone.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I realize this is a Kindle board, but on the off chance that anyone is interested I wanted to make sure I mentioned that this book is now available for the Nook:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/De-Bello-Lemures-or-the-Roman-War-Against-the-Zombies-of-Armorica/Thomas-Brookside/e/2940011831232/?itm=1

Strangely, some Nook user decided to rate the book a 2, even though no one has purchased it through Barnes and Noble yet. I'm hoping that maybe some nice soul who has reviewed the book at Amazon will cross-post their review at B&N...


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I have noted from board discussions here and elsewhere that there are lots of people who are uncomfortable leaving reviews on Amazon.

If you have read De Bello Lemures, I'd love to get your feedback, even if you don't like the Amazon review system. Please PM me here or email [email protected] with any thoughts.

Thanks!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I've been thinking of trying out a $3.99 price point for this title, but promise not to do that in October!

So if you want to pick this up before Halloween, it will be at $2.99 for the rest of the month.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

This is my Halloween weekend bump for this thread!

If you can fit in one more horror title for your All Hallow's Eve TBR list...clicky, clicky!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Any UK readers out there who wouldn't mind posting a review?  I'd love the feedback.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

If zombies attack this weekend, you're definitely not going to be able to buy them off with turkey leftovers.

Zombies aren't big turkey fans.

You might want to bone up on the zombie basics so you don't get caught short.


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## StaceyHH (Sep 13, 2010)

I've heard you can distract them for a few minutes by throwing raw pork at them...


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

StaceyHH said:


> I've heard you can distract them for a few minutes by throwing raw pork at them...


OK, I can think of a couple of joke comebacks to that straight line, but none that wouldn't probably get me banned.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Another Amazon reviewer writes:



> This took me one evening, and was an easy enough read. The footnotes were helpful and not annoying, as they looked like they might be. The style is great, it has a feel of some old text like it's supposed to. I can feel the consternation and horror of the characters when they discover the "stupid people" following them are not living people at all, but... something else.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Got a three-star Amazon review this week:



> This book was an entertaining read. The author did a good job of recreating the feel of a classical text. The premise behind the book is a faux historical account of a zombie attack during the classical Roman era. The original text has been "restored" and presented to the public in the form of a scholarly paper complete with scholarly footnotes. The presentation is what makes this story stand out from other zombie horror books. You really will get the impression you are reading a long lost piece of history. Unfortunately, the book is too short. I read this in under two hours. A lot of details were never fleshed out and at times the author forgot that the reader may not share his frame of reference in terms of the "historical" facts. So there are these wholes in the story that can be annoying.


I actually have to acknowledge that this a fair criticism. I came at this project with a desire to write "A Penguin Classics book...with zombies" and one of my "inside jokes" was a poke at the Penguin editors' notorious habit of footnoting some very basic things ("Gladius - a Roman short sword") while occasionally failing to footnote more esoteric material. That has the potential to occasionally annoy, I'm sure. But at least the reader was entertained, right?


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

If you have read this title I'd love to get your feedback on Goodreads.

Thanks!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Merry Christmas Kindlers!

Anybody get a new K3 this morning?

I got one, and I am PUMPED.  I finally get to see what this book looks like on a real Kindle.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Another Amazon reviewer writes:



> This story in particular is a refreshing change from the usual zombie fiction, which I enjoy, but have read so many of them they have become cliched. Zombies seem scarier when presented in a differant context. The authors use of footnoted facts added a bit of authenticity to an age old topic.
> 
> My only complaint is that the number of footnotes seemed exessive and slightly interupted my reading. On the other hand, I found those notes to be interesting as well, so no rating points were deducted. I also liked the slightly shorter length of the story, some novels seem artifically extended to satisfy a preconcieved length.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

A blogger writes:



> The author took the conceit one further by formatting it as an academic translation (complete with over 100 footnotes), translator's forward and afterword. I'm not sure this treatment could have survived as a full length novel but coming in around 70 pages it works quite well. In fact, I finished the book both wanting to read more but also knowing that more would probably be both repetitive and ruin the whole thing.
> 
> At $2.99 the thing is a steal...


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Those of you who have read and enjoyed _De Bello Lemures_ might be interested in checking out some of the source material that I drew upon to write it.

For example, Moore Ainsworth O'Brien's _Madness in Ancient Literature_ was a useful resource, both for considering how a poetry-spouting Roman might respond to a phenomenon like zombies, and how a Roman writer might have described his own battle-madness.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

Amazon appears to be discounting this title to $2.51!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I wanted to let the Kindleboards gang know that there's a price increase coming for this title on 03/01/11.  But you can still grab it a $2.99 until then!


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

If any readers are wondering about the Castus-Arthur connection, a great online resource for information about Lucius Artorius Castus is available here.

Linda Malcor's article both makes a very good case for Castus as Arthur, and has a lot of fun historical detail.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

A nice recent book blogger review.


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## RichardHein (Jun 8, 2011)

Picked this up based on the description alone, and hope to read it this weekend.  While some people might feel zombies are played out (I certainly don't), your description makes it sound pretty engaging.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

This title is on sale for 99 cents in July, in both the Kindle Store and the Nookbook Store.


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I just wanted to let everyone know that this title has been enrolled in KDP Select, which means that it is now available for $0.00 for Amazon Prime customers via Amazon's lending program.

Thanks!


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## Steverino (Jan 5, 2011)

Wait, wait.

A zombie novel... with footnotes?!? 

I'm so in.

(Reminds me a bit of _Eaters of the Dead_ - adventure story disguised as scholarly text. Sounds great!)


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## tbrookside (Nov 4, 2009)

I wanted to resurrect my long-dead thread for this title to let everyone know that it's currently free in the Kindle Store.

(Forgive the pun.)

Thanks!


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