Historical novelist Alessandro Catorcini has announced the completion of The Shield Triptych, a three-novel historical fiction series connected by a single recurring object-a Roman shield-and by stories centered on soldiers, craftsmen and other figures who often remain outside traditional accounts of ancient history.
"I write about the people the record leaves out," the author said. "The soldiers who survived the battles that made other men famous, and the makers whose inventions outlived their names. The stone remembers the consul. It almost never remembers who built the thing that won."
The three standalone novels, The Hammer and the Shield, The Shield Left Behind and The Farthest Shield, span approximately two centuries, from the First Punic War through the aftermath of the Battle of Carrhae and the historical theories surrounding Roman soldiers who may have traveled as far east as Han-era China.
All three books are now available in English and Italian, while The Shield Left Behind and The Farthest Shield are also available in Romanian.
"I write about the people the record leaves out," Catorcini said. "The soldiers who survived the battles that made other men famous, and the makers whose inventions outlived their names. The stone remembers the consul. It almost never remembers who built the thing that won."
Although the novels share thematic connections, each tells a separate story and can be read independently.
The Hammer and the Shield
Set during the First Punic War in 264 BC, The Hammer and the Shield follows Manius Fabricius, a senator's son whose understanding of shipbuilding conflicts with Rome's traditional ideas about military glory.
After his father and brother die at sea, Manius develops an iron-beaked boarding bridge intended to transform naval combat by allowing Roman soldiers to fight enemy crews at close range. The novel examines invention, warfare and the complicated relationship between the people who create military technology and the leaders later associated with its success.
Available editions:
The Shield Left Behind
The Shield Left Behind begins in 216 BC during the Second Punic War, following Rome's defeat near the river Aufidus.
The novel centers on Titus Labonius, a survivor who struggles with the circumstances of his survival and is assigned to the disgraced legiones Cannenses. His story continues through years of military service and exile as he moves toward the events surrounding Zama and the eventual conclusion of Rome's war with Hannibal.
The book examines survival, shame, endurance and the personal consequences of battles remembered primarily through the generals who commanded them.
Available editions:
The Farthest Shield
The third novel, The Farthest Shield, begins after the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC.
Its protagonist, Lucius Ateporix Vettius, is taken east after the Roman defeat and begins a decades-long journey through Central Asia.
The novel draws on the Lost Legion hypothesis, the disputed historical theory that some Roman survivors of Carrhae may ultimately have reached territory associated with China's Han dynasty.
Rather than presenting the hypothesis as established history, Catorcini uses it as the historical framework for a fictional story about displacement, survival and cultural encounter.
Available editions:
One Object Connecting Three Different Lives
Rather than using a recurring protagonist or a continuous storyline, Catorcini connects the books through the image of a Roman shield.
Across the three novels, the shield serves different purposes: an instrument of war, an object associated with survival and disgrace, and a connection to a past carried far beyond Rome's traditional boundaries.
The approach allows the books to examine Roman history from the perspective of fictional individuals whose experiences take place around major historical events without making those famous events or political figures the primary focus.
"The Mediterranean I grew up on was not a backdrop, it was a workplace," Catorcini said. "Ships got built badly and people drowned. Men walked east because walking east was the only thing left. I wanted to write that world at eye level, from inside a life that history never bothered to write down."
Writing Across Languages
Catorcini was born in Genoa, Italy, and writes in both Italian and English.
He translates and edits his Italian editions himself rather than licensing the work to an outside translator. Two of the three novels have also been released in Romanian.
With the completion of The Shield Triptych, readers can now approach the series in any order because each novel contains its own characters, setting and narrative arc.
The books are available in paperback and ebook formats through their respective retailers.
Full information, sample chapters and edition details are available at www.catorcini.com.
Book Details
Title | Historical Setting | Formats | Editions |
The Hammer and the Shield | First Punic War, beginning in 264 BC | Paperback, ebook | English, Italian (Il Martello e lo Scudo) |
The Shield Left Behind | Cannae to Zama, 216-202 BC | Paperback, ebook | English, Italian (Lo Scudo Abbandonato), Romanian (Scutul Lasat in Urma) |
| The Farthest Shield | Carrhae and the journey east, beginning in 53 BC | Paperback, ebook | English, Italian (Lo Scudo Piu Lontano), Romanian (Scutul cel mai indepartat) |
About Alessandro Catorcini
Alessandro Catorcini is an author of historical fiction focused on lesser-known perspectives from the ancient world. Born in Genoa, Italy, he studied Latin and Greek in school and later continued exploring classical history through fiction.
Catorcini writes in both Italian and English and prepares his own Italian-language editions. He lives in Bellevue, Washington, where he also works as a technology executive.
More information about The Shield Triptych, sample chapters and available editions can be found at www.catorcini.com
Media Contact Details
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