Product Description

Calach stood. His anger was surfacing, and he felt suddenly seized by the demons he had been struggling to contain. Sioltach stared at Calach in admiration as he quickly translated his words.

“Why have you lost one legion, soon to be followed by another? Look, and see! Your soldiers are wide-eyed Roman lads, fighting beside non-Romans who were your enemies longer than they have been your slaves. They are bewildered by a strange and frightening land. They are bound to you not by loyalty, but by fear, and when their fear ends, only hatred will remain.

“For all of your pomp, you have none of what inspires men to victory. Your soldiers fight for nothing but the glory of an empire that has crushed their own nations and tribes. They have no wives to inspire them, and no parents to mock them should they shrink from battle. They have no country, or if they do it is not Rome, and it is in ruins.”

Agricola began to grow pale. He was certain that he would die at the hands of this man whose spirit he could not comprehend.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1237817 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 190 pages

Review
Before Braveheart there was Calach!
By Barry Yelton, Author of Scarecrow in Gray
November 21, 2007
Jack Dixon has done an impressive job of writing an historical fiction piece that is highly readable, action filled, and evocative. The book begins with the background story of the Picts, a mysterious people who lived in what is today Scotland. From the distant mists of the past they come fleeing the barbaric hordes from Eastern Europe, which invade ancient Scythia, homeland of the Picts. They make their way across the North Sea, to the British Isles, are befriended by the Scoti of Ireland and settle in the highlands in the north of Brittania.
The book's hero, Calach, leads his people in a heroic David versus Goliath campaign against the invading Romans, with the love of his life, Fiona, at his side. The battle scenes are powerfully drawn. I would rate them R; this is not a book for children under fourteen. Mr. Dixon creates plenty of righteous outrage at the depredations of the Romans against defenseless Pict villagers, which impels his hero to wage merciless war against the invaders.
There is romance, though it is secondary to the primary action, the life and death struggle against the mighty Roman Empire. The last half of the book truly is a page turner, with enough surprises along the way to keep the book from being totally formulaic. I believe anyone who enjoys ancient history should find this an interesting, informative and entertaining work. Congratulations to Mr. Dixon on a fine first novel.

About the Author
Jack Dixon’s lifelong fascination with history inspires him to write stories that bring historical characters to life. He lives in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two dogs.

Customer Reviews

An Epic Waiting to Happen
The Picts were a conglomeration of barbaric tribes scattered over the highlands of Scotland in the beginning century A.D. Mr. Dixon's book is a fictional account of the battles the Picts fought against the Romans, with the central figure of the plot being Calach, a legendary hero chosen to organize and lead his tribes in a war against the Roman invaders. The massive Roman legions so outnumbered the Picts that Calach had to devise ingenious strategies using his homeland advantage and the Romans' ignorance of Pict society. Mr. Dixon's book covers this particular, brief period within the larger era of The Picts.

The only reason that The Pict, Jack Dixon's first book, doesn't easily earn five stars is its short length. Its stylish cover graces a relevant story of ancient history of which few people are aware. The compositional style is competent, if not breathtaking, as the author introduces us to The Picts and takes us on a bloody, emotional journey with Calach in his quest to stem the horrendous Roman tide. Mr. Dixon even includes a Pronunciation Guide to the Pictish Names used in the text, a map of the area, and a postscript describing some of the details of the author's research. These add a look of professionalism to the book and easily indoctrinate the reader into the story. The Pict virtually begs to be a highly detailed, five-hundred-page epic. The large font may be easy on the eyes, but it leaves the brain longing for more. Some people will be quite happy with the book just the way it is, but I suspect that many readers of The Pict will be left wanting more, much more, from this new novelist of historical fiction.

Before Braveheart there was Calach!
Jack Dixon has done an impressive job of writing an historical fiction piece that is highly readable, action filled, and evocative. The book begins with the background story of the Picts, a mysterious people who lived in what is today Scotland. From the distant mists of the past they come fleeing the barbaric hordes from Eastern Europe, which invade ancient Scythia, homeland of the Picts. They make their way across the North Sea, to the British Isles, are befriended by the Scoti of Ireland and settle in the highlands in the north of Brittania.

The book's hero, Calach, leads his people in a heroic David versus Goliath campaign against the invading Romans, with the love of his life, Fiona, at his side. The battle scenes are powerfully drawn. I would rate them R; this is not a book for children under fourteen. Mr. Dixon creates plenty of righteous outrage at the depredations of the Romans against defenseless Pict villagers, which impels his hero to wage merciless war against the invaders.

There is romance, though it is secondary to the primary action, the life and death struggle against the mighty Roman Empire. The last half of the book truly is a page turner, with enough surprises along the way to keep the book from being totally formulaic. I believe anyone who enjoys ancient history should find this an interesting, informative and entertaining work. Congratulations to Mr. Dixon on a fine first novel.

Barry Yelton
Author of Scarecrow in Gray, a Civil War Novel

Well written historical fiction
The Pict is in part the story of the group of tribes who once inhabited what is now northern Scotland in the first century A.D., and is in part the story of one man's struggle to lead this badly outnumbered group against the might of the Roman army. The author has created a smoothly flowing novel, a well-written tale of fiction based to some extent on fact. Through the eyes of the book's hero, Calach, we learn about the Pictish people and what life and war were like during the time they lived. The author is to be commended on his narrative ability and his excellent pacing, as the book quickly picks up steam and does not slow down until the very end. As others have remarked the story could have been expanded a lot more, but this would have risked slowing down the pacing of the book, so this would have likely been a difficult trade-off to make. Overall, a well-written book recommended for any fan of historical fiction writers like Bernard Cornwell.