As his new book, Napoleon’s Spy, takes Ben Kane into a new era, we talk to him about his latest novel, researching historical fiction, and his next project. Ben also offers some tips for new writers.
King, your last book, saw the end of your Richard I Lionheart trilogy. Is it a wrench to leave Richard – and, of course, Rufus – behind?
Yes and no! I did leave the door open for a follow on novel at the ending of King. Not to give anything away, but the reign of King John followed, and years later, of course, we have Magna Carta. A fourth novel had never been a reality at this stage, however, so a potential sequel will have to wait. While a little sad to move on, I was also champing at the bit to start the Napoleonic novel.
You’ve leapt forward centuries with your next novel, Napoleon’s Spy. Can you tell us a little about the new book?
Of course. It’s about a dissolute half-English, half-French young man who somehow finds himself blackmailed into joining Napoleon’s Grande Armée on the eve of its departure for Russia. Setting a novel during this vast, doomed invasion was simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying, the former because so many first-hand accounts survived (over 150), the latter because I had to start from scratch with my research.
What’s it like moving from a period you’re well known for to a new one? Exciting – or daunting?
I first did this with the Lionheart trilogy. After years of wanting to write non-Roman novels, when given the chance, I found it frankly terrifying. More than a dozen years of writing Roman books meant that I know the period pretty well, and I had perhaps 3 months to research the 12th century before starting Lionheart.
Suffice it to say, my desk was covered in open textbooks during the writing of all three books. Going through the experience, however, was really good for me. I jumped into writing a Napoleonic novel with gusto, and found it a breath of fresh air.
I am finding the Viking period just as much fun, while continuing to research as I write. I think I have broken the hoodoo of sticking to one time period!
How do you approach historical research?
With a great deal of rigour and enthusiasm. It’s all about textbooks for me, as many of them on the subject in question as possible. I currently have about 20 on the go with my latest work in progress. For years now, I have approached academics for advice and critical input. Having my manuscript read by an expert in the field before it goes to press is a vital part of the process, and hopefully avoids too many egg-on-the-face moments afterwards.
While researching Napoleon’s Spy did you come across anything bizarre or surprising?
Many, many times. Some of the most bizarre were from one of my favourite research texts, Men of Steel by Michael Crumplin, a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.
An account of medical and surgical procedures during the Napoleonic wars, it details from accounts of the time, the most extraordinary wounds suffered by soldiers, and how, against all odds, some survived.
One of the most poignant was the soldier who had two bent silver coins removed from the meat of his thigh. (They had been blown into him from the pocket of the man in front, who had been blown into pieces by a piece of shrapnel or cannonball.) When shown the coins, the poor man assumed he was thought to have stolen them. ‘No, sir, they’re not mine!’ he cried, only to be amazed by where they had actually come from.
Do you think historical novelists can add to our understanding of the past?
Goodness, I hope so! I write about the past because I love it, but it’s really important to me that readers learn about whichever time period the book is set in. Lots of people learn about history from TV programmes, which are notorious for taking liberties with the (known) truth.
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I, and every historical novelist I have ever talked to, go to real lengths to keep to the facts as we know them. If they deviate from history, they acknowledge it in an author’s note, etc. See also my answer to the research question.
What advice would you give someone starting to write historical fiction?
Read about your selected time period, more than you have ever done. Look into every aspect of life, not just warfare, say, or politics, but how people lived, what they ate, drank, their living conditions, social norms, religion, and so on. Visit historical locations relevant to your novel. Attend re-enactment events if you can, or research them online – these can be spectacularly informative.
A bit of fun – if you could time travel for one day, what time and place would you go to? And what object would you bring back?
I used to think that a bird’s eye view of the Battle of Cannae, 216BC, would be amazing, just to see Hannibal’s remarkable tactics, which saw his 50,000 strong army annihilate a Roman force of more than 80,000 men. I have since decided it would be too distressing!
Perhaps a tour of first-century AD Rome, to see its architectural splendour. What would I bring back? If it existed, the equivalent of the Encyclopaedia Britannica – to fill the innumerable holes in our knowledge of everyday life in ancient Rome.
And what’s next? Are you working on a new book?
Absolutely, I am. Viking this time, or more correctly, Norse. Set in Ireland too, which is a real joy, being Irish. The history of the Viking/Norsemen in Ireland is quite different to Britain, which might surprise some readers.
Instead of setting up their own kingdoms and existing in a state of almost constant strife as was the case in England, for example, the Norse settled fewer areas and also mixed with the native population to an extensive degree.
For many years, it was normal for wars between the Irish to have Norsemen on both sides. I am also having fun revealing other less well known aspects of Viking/Norse society, such as the attitude to gays, transgender individuals and people of colour.
Napoleon’s Spy by Ben Kane is published on 25 May, 2023.
Kenya born, Irish by blood and UK resident, Ben Kane’s passion for history has seen him change career from veterinary medicine to writing, and taken him to more than 60 countries and all seven continents.
Eleven of his novels have been Sunday Times bestsellers, and his books are published in 12 languages; a million copies have sold worldwide. In 2016, his research was recognised by Bristol University with an honorary Doctor of Letters degree. Ben Kane lives in Somerset, where he writes full time.
Get a taste of Ben’s writing; read the beginning of his last novel, King, in this exclusive extract for Historia.
Images:
- Photo of Ben Kane © Colin Thomas: supplied by the publisher
- Gunshot fracture of the leg, one of Sir Charles Bell’s watercolours of wounds sustained by soldiers at the Battle of Waterloo, 1836: Royal Army Medical Corps Muniments Collection via the Wellcome Collection (CC BY-NC 4.0)
- Napoleon in burning Moscow by Adam Albrecht, 1841: Wikimedia (public domain)
- Vikings arrive at Dublin in 841: Picryl (public domain)
