Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator
WORK NOTES: with Morgan Grant Buchanan
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 8/10/1965
WEBSITE: http://claudiachristian.net/
CITY: Los Angeles
STATE: CA
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY: American
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born Claudia Ann Coghlan, August 10, 1965, in Glendale, CA; daughter of Hildegard (director of Giorgio Beverly Hills) and James Michael Coghlan.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Actor, writer, director, producer, voice-over artist, and the CEO and founder of the C3 Foundation.
WRITINGS
Contributor of short stories to anthologies, including Forbidden Love Issue 2: Wicked Women.
SIDELIGHTS
Actor and writer Claudia Christian and Australian science fiction writer Morgan Grant Buchanan collaborated on the “Wolf’s Empire” book series about a futuristic Roman Empire. Born August 10, 1965 in Glendale, California, Christian is also a director, producer, voice-over artist, and founder and CEO of the charity organization C3 Foundation. She is best known as playing Commander Susan Ivanova in the science fiction television show Babylon 5. In 2007, Christian published her autobiography, My Life With Geeks and Freaks, in which she offers a poignant and often humorous account of her life growing up, acting, and encountering science fiction fans. She also published two short stories by Under The Moon. Born in Australia and raised in Beaumaris, Buchanan is a writer of science fiction and historical fantasy, and is a teacher of Taoist philosophy tai chi and meditation.
Babylon Confidential
Christian and Buchanan met on the movie set of Barrier where she was acting and he was writing. They discussed other projects they could do together. Buchanan agreed to collaborate with Christian on her 2012 memoir Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and Addiction. Leaving behind a troubled childhood, Christian left home at seventeen to go to Hollywood. She appeared in several television shows before landing the role of strong female leader Commander Ivanova in the innovative science fiction series Babylon 5. After the series, she began drinking, and in 2005 moved to London. During her career behind the scenes, she engaged in bisexual affairs with billionaire Dodi Fayed before he dated Princess Diana, Braveheart actor Angus Macfadyen, rock stars, and supermodels.
Addicted to alcohol and doing cocaine, she suffered betrayal, stalking, shootings, extended periods of unemployment, and the suspicious death of her ex-husband. She tried rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous which didn’t work. Then she found a low-cost alternative treatment called The Sinclair Method, known for its high success rate, that saved her life. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called the book a “Soap-operatic memoir of a minor screen and TV star’s slow descent into booze-fueled hell and her long, slow road back to recovery.” Bob G. Cannon II commented on the Quisqualis Web site: “It presented a well told story of acting, some interesting behind-the-scenes details of productions I have enjoyed and ended with a strong feeling of victory over near insurmountable odds.” The book is not all depressing, as a writer online at Babble on Project noted: “Alongside the lows there are a dizzying array of highs: friends, lovers, parties, successes and celebrations are documented in equal detail.”
Wolf's Empire
Turning their sights to fiction, Buchanan and Christian cowrote Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator in 2016. Set 7,000 years in the future, the Roman Empire has expanded to cover the galaxy. Christian declared to Paul Weimer in an interview online at Skinny and Fanty Show: “We both love history and thought it would be exciting to create a strong female kick-ass protagonist. We work well together and wanted to do something more fan-centric this time around, a sort of ‘thank you’ for supporting ‘Babylon Confidential.’” She said the book series will have the scope of Babylon 5.
In the story, Accala Viridius from one of the noble houses vows vengeance against House Sertorian for the murder of her mother and brother. She becomes a gladiatrix to hone her fighting skills and is forced to participate in the Empire’s civil war. Finding the story full of clichés a writer in Publishers Weekly said that the world-building is flimsy, and as-you-know exposition “detail bog down the novel in ways that the occasional action sequence fails to disrupt.” Nevertheless, a Speculative Herald Web site contributor commented: “I think the authors have managed to combine the ancient and the new in a remarkable way. The story has a very large scope.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
California Bookwatch January, 2013, review of Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and Addiction.
Kirkus Reviews October 15, 2012, review of Babylon Confidential.
Publishers Weekly April 4, 2016, review of Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator, p. 63.
ONLINE
Alex’s Reviews, http://alexcat-reviews.livejournal.com (March 6, 2017), review of Babylon Confidential.
Babble on Project, http://babbleonproject.tumblr.com/ (March 1, 2017), review of Babylon Confidential.
Babylon Confidential Web site, http://www.babylonconfidential.com/ (March 1, 2017), author profile.
Michael A. Ventrella, https://michaelaventrella.com (February 27, 2013), Michael A. Ventrella, “Interview with Actress and Author Claudia Christian.”
Quisqualis, http://www.quisqualis.com/ (March 1, 2017), Bob G. Cannon II, review of Babylon Confidential.
Skinny and Fanty Show, https://skiffyandfanty.com/ (June 16, 2017), Paul Weimer, “Interview with Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan about Wolf’s Empire.”
Speculative Herald Web site, http://www.speculativeherald.com/ (August 4, 2016), review of Wolf’s Empire.
Weekly Review, http://www.theweeklyreview.com.au/ (July 24, 2014), Teresa Murphy, “Bayside writer Morgan Grant Buchanan grounded, despite galactic adventures.”
Interview with Actress and Author Claudia Christian
Posted on February 27, 2013 by Michael A. Ventrella
MICHAEL A. VENTRELLA: I am tremendously pleased to be interviewing Claudia Christian today. As you probably already know, Ms. Christian is an actress best known for playing Ivanova on one of my favorite TV shows of all time, Babylon 5! claudia_christian_24147 She’s done much more than that, of course, and her more detailed bio and filmography can be found here. Today, however, we’re here to discuss her new book!
Ms. Christian, I’ve just finished your new book BABYLON CONFIDENTIAL. This does not read like a typical Hollywood tell-all, but instead as a very personal diary of sorts. Do you feel you accomplished what you set out to do?
CLAUDIA CHRISTIAN: I wanted to spread the word about The Sinclair Method and save lives, so far I have accomplished both!
VENTRELLA: You’re very forthcoming about your alcohol addiction and quite candid about other parts of your life. Did you ever say “Nah, I’m not going to talk about that”?
CHRISTIAN: No, I did not. I don’t believe that you can expect people to buy into something unless you are 100% honest. besides, there is so much shame attached to addiction that I wanted other addicts to see the worst that I have been through so they could not only relate but also forgive themselves.
VENTRELLA: The title seems both a tribute to Babylon 5 but also the BABYLON HOLLYWOOD books that I used to read years ago. How did you choose the title?
CHRISTIAN: Morgan and I threw around titles for awhile then submitted them to the publisher, this one won.
VENTRELLA: The last few chapters of the book are almost a guide for those in a similar situation. Have you heard from readers who were inspired by your tale to change their lives?
CHRISTIAN: I have indeed! I have dozens of people on TSM and have helped support them, guide them and am thrilled to say that they have a nearly 100% success rate!
VENTRELLA: The book reads like a rollercoaster – disappointment followed by great times followed by tragedy … Was there ever an attempt to sugarcoat something?BABYLON CONFIDENTIAL
CHRISTIAN: I’m not one to sugar coat things though I did lighten a few experiences to save face for other people. No need to be cruel in a book. I tried to be honest, period.
VENTRELLA: Was writing the book painful or cathartic?
CHRISTIAN: Both!
VENTRELLA: How did the writing cooperation work with Morgan Buchanan?
CHRISTIAN: Fantastic … thank God for Skype!
VENTRELLA: Are you happy with the reception the book has received (Reviews, sales, comments, etc.)?
CHRISTIAN: I am indeed though I wish more mainstream media would pick up on TSM.
VENTRELLA: I first became aware of your work through Babylon 5, one of the best science fiction shows on TV. Ivanova was everything we wanted in a strong leader, and many of us were tremendously disappointed when she didn’t appear in the final season (where she should have been captain!) Anyway, sorry, let me get on with this; I could gush about how well written, acted, and directed that series was for this entire interview.
At one point in the book, you make the comment that writer/producer J. Michael Straczynski (who you call “Joe!”) felt that if an actor was giving him trouble, he could always write a way to get rid of him – and in fact, that happened a few times. Is that what happened to Marcus Cole (who played Jason Carter)? ( I hope not, because that death was a great scene and deserved to be there!)
CHRISTIAN: I cannot comment on things that JMS did simply because I am not in his mind…W22 114
VENTRELLA: More importantly, do you think that happened to you? You did not date him as he apparently wanted … I know the 5th season was not close to that incident, but do you think that he might have fought more for your return otherwise?
CHRISTIAN: I had another job and we could not work out the schedule. It’s in the book very clearly stated how it went down.
VENTRELLA: There were a few follow-up B5 films and sequels after the 5th season. Have you ever been asked to be in any of them?
CHRISTIAN: No … I only did the two TNT Babylon 5 films after the series ended and those were both fun.
VENTRELLA: What is your one favorite scene or episode from B5? (I have a prediction but I want to see what you think…)
CHRISTIAN: Death incarnate!
VENTRELLA: Thought so. (Here’s a link for those of you who are unaware).
You’ve done voice-overs in commercials, Disney’s “Atlantis” and video games such as Skyrim. How does this kind of work compare to being in front of a camera?
CHRISTIAN: You don’t have to look good when you record!
VENTRELLA: Why do you think “Atlantis” wasn’t a bigger hit for Disney?
CHRISTIAN: Too dark and old school for these little kids nowadays … they like pink and frosting… 🙂helga
VENTRELLA: And what is it about the name “Sinclair”? There was Captain Sinclair in “Babylon 5”, and then your character in “Atlantis” was named Helga Sinclair, and then you were finally able to break your addiction with The Sinclair Method. Coincidence?
CHRISTIAN: Who knows?! Conspiracy theorists arise!
VENTRELLA: In BABYLON CONFIDENTIAL You spoke of some terrible experiences with crazed fans at conventions and the like. (I do a lot of conventions and sadly, there are indeed people like that who attend, although the vast majority are wonderful people.) Do the good experiences outweigh the bad enough to make attending the conventions worthwhile?
CHRISTIAN: Of course the good outweigh the bad …I love the fans.
VENTRELLA: You also wrote a small book called MY LIFE WITH GEEKS AND FREAKS which does not seem to be available any more. What was that about?
CHRISTIAN: My experiences at conventions. It was a love letter to the fans, really.
VENTRELLA: Will that become available again?
CHRISTIAN: I think so.my-life-with-geeks-freaks-claudia-christian-paperback-cover-art
VENTRELLA: Did your publisher purposely use “Star Trek” font for the book cover as a kind of inside joke?
CHRISTIAN: Probably…
VENTRELLA: When I read about the avant garde film “Tale of Two Sisters” I thought it might be so-bad-it’s-good worth renting, but after reading the reviews on IMDB, all of which pan it completely, I’ve changed my mind. That must have been a very interesting experience. Do you feel that was the worst film you’ve been in or is there something else out there you dislike more?
CHRISTIAN: Thinking a film is bad is subjective; some people like that film … I have no idea what the worst film I have ever done is but I’m sure no two people would agree on that.
VENTRELLA: I had never heard of the British TV show “Starhyke” until reading your book and now I want to see it! It’s apparently never been released on DVD in America although I was able to find some clips on YouTube. That looks like it was a lot of fun. Why wasn’t there a second season?
CHRISTIAN: Lack of funds.
VENTRELLA: Then there’s “Taboo.” Tell me about that! How did that come about?
CHRISTIAN: I love making music…..taboo
VENTRELLA: Do you plan on doing any more music?
CHRISTIAN: Not really, too busy with other projects and I am not a very good singer; I just did it for the fun of it.
VENTRELLA: You mention your huge personal library. What do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors?
CHRISTIAN: I love historical fiction and biographies. I love CJ Sansom, Peter Ackroyd, Bernard Cornwall, Neil Gamain, Edward Rutherfurd, etc. etc.
VENTRELLA: Have you ever read any of the Babylon 5 books? Do you ever go “Ivanova would never do that!”?
CHRISTIAN: No I have not, I’m not a sci fi fan.
VENTRELLA: What other projects are you working on? When will we see (or hear) you next?
CHRISTIAN: Tor is releasing “Wolf’s Empire” in 2014 ,another book by Christian-Buchanan
I am also still working on promoting TSM and will be doing so for the rest of my life, it’s my raison d’etre.
Claudia Christian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Claudia Christian
Honl claudiachristian headshot20090.jpg
Claudia Christian in June 2009
Born Claudia Ann Coghlan
August 10, 1965 (age 51)
Glendale, California, US
Nationality American
Occupation Actress, director, writer, singer, musician
Years active 1984–present
Spouse(s) Gary DeVore (m. 1988–92)
Website "Official Site"
Claudia Ann Christian[1] (born Claudia Ann Coghlan;[2] August 10, 1965) is an American actress, writer, singer, musician and director, known for her role as Commander Susan Ivanova on the science fiction television series Babylon 5.[3][4][5] Her main charity work is publicizing the Sinclair Method as a cure for alcoholism.[6]
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
3 Claudia Con UK
4 Charity work
5 Filmography
5.1 Film
5.2 Television series
5.3 Video games
6 Writing
7 Discography
8 References
9 External links
Early life
Christian was born in Glendale, California, the daughter of Hildegard (née Christian), who worked as the director of Giorgio Beverly Hills, and James Michael Coghlan.[7][8][9] Her mother is from Germany and her father has Irish ancestry.[10][11] She was raised in Connecticut and England.[10] She has two older brothers and currently resides in Los Angeles and London, England,
Career
Christian's first role on television was a guest appearance on Dallas, followed by a series regular role as Melody Hughes on the short-lived drama Berrenger's. She performed feature film roles such as a stripper possessed by an alien serial killer in The Hidden (1987), a police department psychologist Susan Riley in Maniac Cop 2 and as model Hexina in Hexed (1993).
In 1994–1998, she appeared as Commander Susan Ivanova, one of the series leads, in the first four seasons of Babylon 5. She left unexpectedly when contract negotiations for the fifth and final season – aggravated by the possibility that there would not be one – broke down. J. Michael Straczynski, the series' creator, maintains that she chose to leave on her own. However, Christian stated that she did wish to return for season 5, but was rebuffed and let go when she requested a small reduction in the number of episodes she would appear in.[12] She appeared in the fifth season's series finale, which had been filmed during the fourth season, when it seemed likely that the series would end prematurely.
She posed nude for Playboy magazine in October 1999, appeared in two episodes of Freaks and Geeks in 2000, and appeared in the 2002 She Spies episode, "Spy vs Spy". In 2004, she returned to the live stage (and to Laguna Beach, California, where she had attended high school), starring in the United States Premiere of Michael Weller's play What the Night is For, with Kip Gilman, directed by Richard Stein, at the Laguna Playhouse. She starred in the BBC comedy series, Broken News in 2005. She also plays Janine Foster, mother of Peri Brown, in the Doctor Who audio drama "The Reaping", produced by Big Finish Productions released in the United Kingdom in September 2006.
She voices Anne Manx in the full cast recordings for the Radio Repertory Company of America. The science fiction series is currently shown as in pre-production for "Anne Manx 6". In 2010, Christian appeared in the Showtime series Look: The Series.
She also had a music career, having released a solo album, Once Upon a Time, a single, "Taboo", a collaboration with Claudia Cummings, Claudia Squared, and a collaboration with some of the other cast members of Babylon 5 on the album The Be Five.
Claudia Con UK
Christian conceived her own convention, Claudia Con UK, which took place in the United Kingdom on August 13–14, 2011.[13]
"After years of attending conventions where fans were mistreated, told not to touch, photograph, film, eat or breathe…. I decided to throw what I call the 'anti-convention.' My theory is that if you give people freedom and respect they will in turn give you freedom and respect."
Charity work
Christian has been publicizing the Sinclair Method through her book Babylon Confidential,[14] in which she recalls her own experiences with the condition. She made a documentary titled One Little Pill[15] about the method under the auspices of the C3 Foundation, which she founded.[6]
Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1984 Calendar Girl Murders Kara Television movie
1986 Houston: The Legend of Texas Also known as Gone to Texas
1987 The Hidden Brenda Lee Van Buren
1988 Police Story: Monster Manor Officer Babs Altoon
1988 Never on Tuesday Tuesday
1988 Clean and Sober Iris
1989 A Masterpiece of Murder Julia Forsythe
1989 Shannon's Dead
1989 Tale of Two Sisters Liz
1990 Danielle Steel's Kaleidoscope Meagan Television movie
1990 Mad About You Casey
1990 Maniac Cop 2 Officer Susan Riley
1990 Think Big Dr. Irene Marsh
1990 A Gnome Named Gnorm Samantha
1991 Lie of the Twins Felice
1991 The Woman Who Sinner Judy Reinhardt
1991 Strays Claire Lederer Television movie
1991 The Dark Backward Kitty
1991 Arena Quinn
1993 Hexed Hexina
1993 Relentless: Mind of a Killer Leeann Hardy Television movie
1994 The Chase Yvonne Voss
1997 Lancelot: Guardian of Time Katherine Shelley
1997 Mercenary II: Thick & Thin Patricia Van Lier
1998 A Wing and a Prayer Shelley Lowe
1998 Babylon 5: In the Beginning Commander Susan Ivanova
1998 Babylon 5: Thirdspace Commander Susan Ivanova
1998 Snide and Prejudice Renate Muller
1999 Haunting of Hell House Lucy
1999 Running Home Jules Daniels
1999 The Substitute 3: Winner Takes All Andy
1999 Final Voyage Max
2000 Love & Sex Woman in gallery Cameo
2000 True Rights Elaine Kilgore
2001 Atlantis: The Lost Empire Helga Sinclair Voice role
2002 Half Past Dead EZ Williams
2002 The Failures Anna
2005 The Garden Dr Cairns
2006 The Dot Man Lieutenant Colonel Dunst
2008 Serbian Scars Meggie Co-producer
2010 Meteor Apocalypse Kate Dematti
2012 Overnight Sandy
2012 Rise of an Exile Hannah Benedict Pre-production
2014 The Writer with No Hands Herself
2014 One Little Pill Herself and as narrator Documentary
Television series
Year Title Role Notes
1984 T. J. Hooker Betty MacRae Episode: "The Lipstick Killer"
1984 Dallas Episode: "Some Do...Some Don't"
1984 Falcon Crest Kate Mars Episode: "Tests of Faith"
1984 Riptide Marion Gordon Episode: "Where The Girls Are"
1984 Hunter Roxanne Hoffmeyer Episode: "Love, Hate, and Sporty James"
1984 Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer Cassie Conroy Episodes: "Elegy for a Tramp", "Shots in the Dark"
1985 The A-Team Cathy Rogers Episode: "Trouble Brewing"
1986 Blacke's Magic Laurie Blacke Episodes: "Breathing Room", "Death Goes To The Movies"
1985 Berrenger's Melody Hughes Series regular
1987 The Highwayman The Highwayman's liaison, Dawn Episode: "Terror on the Blacktop "
1987 Jake and the Fatman Lt. Alex Walker Episode: "Easy to Love"
1987 It's Garry Shandling's Show Sylvia Episode: "Dial L for Laundry"
1989 Quantum Leap Allison Episode: "Play It Again, Seymour"
1990 Matlock Mickey Alder Episode: "The Blackmailer"
1991 Murder, She Wrote Bonnie Jenks Hastings Episode: "Prodigal Father"
1991 L.A. Law Susan Convers Episode: "Speak, Lawyers, for Me"
1991 Dark Justice Dana Hollister Harrison Episode: "To Die For"
1993 Columbo Lisa Martin Feature-length special "Columbo: It's All In the Game"
1993 Space Rangers Marla Baker Episode: "Death Before Dishonor"
1994 Babylon 5 Commander Susan Ivanova Main cast
1997 The Oz Kids Queen Aquareine
1997 Total Security Cheryl Bankston Episode: "Pilot"
1997 Highlander: The Series Katherine Episode: "Two of Hearts"
1999 Freaks and Geeks Gloria Haverchuck Recurring role
2000 Family Law Carla Sims Episode: "Are You My Father?"
2001 Relic Hunter Carson Inez Episode: "All Choked up"
2002 She Spies Tanya Episode: "Spy vs Spies"
2002 NYPD Blue Catherine Lowell Episode "Better Laid Than Never"
2003 Everwood Young Edna Episode: "My Brother's Keeper"
2005 Starhyke Captain Belinda Blowhard Main cast
2005 Broken News Julia Regan Series regular
2007 Nip/Tuck Gwen Episode: "Dawn Budge II"
2010 Look: The Series Stella Series regular
2011 Grimm Mrs. Clark Episode "Let Your Hair Down"
2013 Criminal Minds Agent Gretchen Stern Episode: "Alchemy"
2014 Castle Mrs. Logan Episode: "Law & Boarder"
2014 The Mentalist Greta Fortensky Episode: "Black Market"
2017 NCIS Louise Moreau Episode: "Willoughby"
Video games
Year Title Role
1995 Titan Wars
2002 Summoner 2 Sangaril / Logosarch / Rosalind / Dama Heras
2004 Shrek 2 Fairy Godmother
2009 Pizza Morgana Abbie Positive
2011 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Multiple, including Aela the Huntress, Bryling, Legate Rikke, Sorli the Builder and Wolf-Queen Potema (various other characters)
2012 Guild Wars 2 Female Norn PC[16]
2012 Darksiders II Muria
2012 Halo 4 Additional voices
2015 Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void Rohana
2015 Fallout 4 Desdemona / Mrs. Whitfield / Mistress Mysterious
2016 Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Captain Ferran
Writing
"Revenge is a Bitch to Swallow." Short story. Published in Forbidden Love Issue 2: Wicked Women.[17]
My Life With Geeks and Freaks. Autobiography. Published by Yard Dog Press.
"Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and Addiction" Autobiography.[14]
Wolf's Empire: Gladiator. Novel, co-written with Morgan Grant Buchanan. 2016.
Discography
Claudia Squared with Claudia Cummings (1996)
Trying to Forget by The Be Five (1998)
"Taboo" single (1998, Zard)
Once Upon a Time (2001, Zard)
Claudia Christian is an actress, writer, singer, songwriter, director, producer, and voice-over artist. She landed her first TV series at age 18 with NBC's Berringers and her first studio feature at 20 in the cult hit The Hidden. Christian went on to star in studio pictures such as Clean and Sober with Morgan Freeman and Michael Keaton and in TV shows such as sci-fi megahit Babylon 5.
More than 50 films and hundreds of TV shows later, Christian has worked with George Clooney, Sharon Stone, Nicolas Cage, and countless other luminaries. She was the voice for Jaguar cars and Helga Sinclair in Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Christian recently starred in the Showtime series Look and has appeared on NBC's hit cult series, Grimm, CBS' Criminal Minds, and in the Lifetime movie, "The Wrong Woman." Most recently, Christian appeared in a John Wells Production called Prodigy/Bully, a series pilot for the FOX network. She is also a popular voiceover talent and can be heard in many popular video games such as Skyrim, Guild Wars, and Halo 4.
divider
Claudia is a leading spokesperson for The Sinclair Method. She is a highly experienced and inspiring public speaker.
Claudia is an experienced commentator on:
The nature and science of addiction
The methodology of The Sinclair Method
Sharing her own personal experience in overcoming addiction
Discussing addiction and the entertainment industry.
Claudia can explain:
Who is a suitable candidate for The Sinclair Method.
How to start working with The Sinclair Method (without giving individual medical advice).
How The Sinclair Method compares to other treatments for alcohol addiction.
Interview with Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan about WOLF’S EMPIRE
16 Jun
I had the wonderful opportunity to read a review copy of WOLF’S EMPIRE: GLADIATOR, and to put questions to the authors, Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan, about their collaboration. Given the premise of the novel, mixing space opera with the Roman Empire, and my fandom for Ms. Christian going back to the days of Babylon-5, I was delighted to have a chance to do both.
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Paul Weimer: For our readers unfamiliar with you, can you please introduce yourselves?
Claudia Christian: I’m an actress, author and I run the C3 foundation, a non-profit that focuses on treating alcohol use disorder.
Morgan Grant Buchanan: I’m an author and teacher of Taoist philosophy tai chi and meditation.
PW: You’ve worked together previously on Ms. Christian’s memoir: Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and Addiction. How did you two start working together?
Morgan: We met on a short sci-fi movie project called Barrier. I was writing and Claudia was starring. After the movie premiere we got to talking about other projects we could do together. As we were discussing Wolf’s Empire the opportunity arose to work with Claudia on her biography and she kindly asked me if I was interested.
PW: Wolf’s Empire marks your first fiction collaboration. What prompted the two of you to write a novel together?
Claudia: We both love history and thought it would be exciting to create a strong female kick-ass protagonist. We work well together and wanted to do something more fan-centric this time around, a sort of “thank you” for supporting “Babylon Confidential” as well as a project that would have the same broad scope as a show like Babylon 5.
PW: Writing a novel is a different challenge than short stories, or comics, or scripts. What did you have to learn to bring Wolf’s Empire together? What’s your collaborative process like?
Claudia: Morgan is the master of world building and structure but he lives in Melbourne and I’m in Los Angeles so we use Skype. Skype was such a Godsend on Babylon Confidential, we had to really talk and dig deep as far as my childhood and life and that could only be accomplished with many, many Skype sessions. After that we found we’d developed a good foundation for working long distance. I like working nights and Morgan’s a morning person so the time difference between Melbourne and LA worked to our advantage.
PW: Mixing Rome and Space Opera is a fabulous high concept. How did you develop the “future” that brings Rome to world and stellar domination? How did you come up with the set of Houses?
Morgan: We extrapolated ancient Rome onto a future, space opera setting. One idea was that maybe over-expansion wasn’t a weakness of the old Roman Empire; maybe they didn’t expand quickly enough. So what if Rome took over the world and then kept on expanding into space? Getting the mix right wasn’t easy. There had to be enough signals for readers to recognize Ancient Rome and at the same time a representation of future technology that made sense as something that might have organically developed out of Rome’s culture and mentality. The houses are the natural extension of the Roman families that warred for supremacy in the days of the ancient empire. We carved up the galaxy and assigned different sectors to different families as the starting point for the story arc’s broader conflict.
PW: There are motifs and references throughout the novel that reference or mirror real Roman history. What sources and research did you use?
Claudia: We started putting the idea together in 2009 and since then have done a great deal of reading. Mostly source material as well as Gibbon’s Decline And Fall.
PW: Accala is the burning star of the heart of the novel as a protagonist. Who and what were your inspirations in creating her as a character?
Claudia: Susan Ivanova from Babylon 5 for sure, she’s got Ivanova’s sense of righting wrongs, of the right way the universe should be structured and if it’s not in that form then she’s going to beat it into shape personally. In terms of historical inspiration, Accala is a modern Aeneas, a seed archetype who will take the empire in a whole new direction. There are also references to the Roman hero Mucius Scaevola. Throw in a soupcon of Katharine Hepburn and I suppose Gloria Steinem is in there somewhere, ha!
PW: You chose a tight focus first person perspective for the book. Why did you handle Accala’s story that way?
Morgan: We wanted to put the reader right there in the protagonist’s shoes, not have them watch on from a distance. We felt that would help create a more immersive experience, to really sink the reader into future Rome. It was certainly more engaging for us as authors to write and we hope readers will have a similar experience.
PW: One of the small and important bits of the novel I loved was Accala’s discus. Where did the design of that come from?
Morgan: We researched ancient weapons to fit out the main characters with their equipment. Originally Accala was going to have a gladius (short sword), the gladiator’s traditional weapon, but we felt strongly that as the hero she needed a unique, signature weapon. Reading about the ancient Olympics in Greece provided inspiration. We decided to take athletic equipment, the javelin and the discus, and turn them to a gladiatorial purpose. So Accala has the discus, and her nemesis the javelin. There’s a symbolism in their choice of weapons too.
PW: Now that Wolf’s Empire is out, what comes next?
Claudia: Wolf’s Empire part deux and a new sci-fi noir series that we’re pitching! Morgan is going to be stuck with me for some time 😉
PW: Thank you so much to the both of you.
Wolf’s Empire hits stores on June 21st, 2016.
Bayside writer Morgan Grant Buchanan grounded, despite galactic adventures
July 24.2014 7:13 am
BY Teresa Murphy
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Most days Bayside writer Morgan Grant Buchanan is seen at his favourite café, tapping away at his laptop. While coffee aromas swirl around him, he is in another world – currently, it’s a galactic Roman empire set in an imagined future.
Sometimes other writers will join him, but the rule is, work first, chat later.
Recently he disappeared for a week – to a Trappist monastery in Yarra Glen.
“The aim was to finish the book, but it’s expanded to over 200,000 words so I didn’t quite get there,” he said last week at Malt Café, his “home away from home” in Beaumaris, after dropping his kids off at school.
Wolf’s Empire is about a noblewoman who becomes a gladiator to take revenge on an enemy house. Buchanan is co-writing it for Macmillan Publishers with US-based actor Claudia Christian, star of the sci-fi Babylon 5 series.
Their first book penned together was earthier: Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex and Addiction about Christian’s life in Hollywood.
A published comic book and short-story writer, Buchanan met Christian after he wrote the script for Barrier (2010), a sci-fi film in which she starred.
Buchanan grew up in Beaumaris and now lives with his wife and their three sons in Cheltenham.
Claudia Christian
BIO
http://claudiachristian.net/
http://www.babylonconfidential.com/
For Claudia's Emma Bradford ebook go to:
http://xynobooks.com/2011/09/emma-bradford-mystery-queen-tut/
"I guess you could say I'm the ultimate hyphen," laughs Claudia Christian. "I'm an actress - writer - singer - songwriter - director - producer - voice over artist - chef - and I'm sure there's a few more monikers I'm forgetting!"
She landed her first TV series at 18 on NBC's nighttime drama Berringers and her first studio feature at 20 playing a male alien trapped in a stripper's body in New Line Cinema's cult hit "The Hidden." Claudia went on to star in studio pictures such as Clean and Sober with Morgan Freeman and Michael Keaton and Hexed, a Columbia Pictures black comedy that Christian counts as one of her favorite roles. Over 50 films and hundreds of TV shows later, Claudia has worked with George Clooney, Sharon Stone,, Charlie Sheen, Nicolas Cage and countless other luminaries. In addition to her acting credits Claudia has made 5 albums with acts such as the Award-winning band "Bubble" to her Babylon 5 costar Bill Mumy. She has also provided the voice for Helga Sinclair in Disney's feature film "Atlantis" and was the voice of Jaguar cars for many years. She has also won the golden head set award for her portrayal of Anne Manx in the award winning series of audio books. She has provided voice matches for Jennifer Saunders in the Shrek games and has given voice to many more characters in games, features and cartoons.
Claudia moved to London in 2005 and immediately was cast in the BBC comedy Broken News. She also starred in the independent Sci-Fi comedy series STAR HYKE. In August of 2006, Claudia debuted on stage in her first UK play, "Killing Time" at the world famous Edinburgh festival. She was rewarded for her efforts with a
best actress nomination. She also starred in the American debut of Michael Weller's intense drama "What the Night Is For", a role, which garnered her a Garland award.
In June 2007 Yard Dog Press published an account of the her life to date titled "My Life With Geeks and Freaks" which she wrote as a thank you to her sci fi fans. On the fiction side of things, in May 2007, she had two short stories published by Under The Moon.
In 2012 Claudia's memoir; "Babylon Confidential" came out to mostly 5 star reviews, benbella Books published it.
In 2014 her YA Sci Fi Military novel "Wolf's Empire" , with writing partner Morgan Grant Buchanan, will be released by Tor (Mcmillan) Claudia is represented for fiction by Frank Weiman at The Literary Group in NYC and David Fugate with Launch books for non fiction.
From 2010 to 2013 Claudia starred in the Showtime series "Look" then did a flurry of television roles in shows like Nip/Tuck, Grimm, Criminal Minds, Prodigy Bully and many more. She continues to work in film and television but is focused now on promoting The Sinclair Method, the most successful long-term treatment for alcoholism in the world. Claudia is a spokesperson for the treatment and in 2013 launched The CThree Foundation (www.cthreefoundation.org) to raise awareness about the method. In August of 2013 she began filming the documentary based on her journey on The Sinclair Method and following the people who she has put on the treatment. Claudia lives in Los Angeles and London.
Novels
Wolf's Empire: Gladiator (2016) (with Claudia Christian)
Non fiction
Babylon Confidential (2012) (with Claudia Christian)
LC control no.: no 99009568
Descriptive conventions:
rda
LC classification: PS3603.H74564
Personal name heading:
Christian, Claudia, 1965-
Located: Los Angeles (Calif.)
Birth date: 1965-08-10
Place of birth: Glendale (Calif.)
Fuller form of name
Claudia Ann
Affiliation: C3 Entertainment (Firm)
Profession or occupation:
Actors Motion picture producers and directors Voice actors
and actresses
Found in: Babylon 5. [Episode #209], The coming of shadows, c1994:
opening credits (starring ... Claudia Christian as
Commander Susan Ivanova)
LEXIS/NEXIS, Feb. 1, 1999: Celebrity biographies, c1999
(Christian, Claudia; b. Claudia Ann Christian, Glendale,
Calif., Aug. 10, 1965)
Wolf's empire, 2016: title page (Claudia Christian) page 3
of jacket (Claudia Christian is an actress, writer,
director, producer, voice-over artist, and the CEO and
founder of the C³ Foundation; Claudia lives in Los
Angeles)
Associated language:
eng
================================================================================
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AUTHORITIES
Library of Congress
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Questions? Contact: ils@loc.gov
Babylon Confidential
California Bookwatch. (Jan. 2013):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com
Full Text:
Babylon Confidential
Claudia Christian with Morgan Grant Buchanan
BenBella Books
10300 N. Central Expressway, Ste 400
Dallas, TX 75204
9781937856069, $16.95, www.benbellabooks.com
Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex & Addiction tells of the author's move to Hollywood at age 17, caught up in a glamorous career as she worked with notables from Bob Hope to Charlie Sheen in over 50 films and dozens of TV shows. But underlying her charged life with Hollywood billionaires and rock stars was a descent into alcohol addiction that eventually threatened her life. How she moved away from the sober-binge cycle of abuse through a little-known medical cure called The Sinclair Method makes for engrossing reading especially recommended for any collection concerned with alcohol abuse and recovery.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Babylon Confidential." California Bookwatch, Jan. 2013. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA314934588&it=r&asid=7a9e3b1001d608a0d25eca73468b1eeb. Accessed 23 Jan. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A314934588
Wolf's Empire: Gladiator
Publishers Weekly. 263.14 (Apr. 4, 2016): p63.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Wolf's Empire: Gladiator
Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant
Buchanan. Tor, $26.99 (496p) ISBN 978-07653-3774-0
Actor Christian and author Buchanan (Babylon Confidential) disappoint with an almost aggressively dull, exposition-dense novel set in a world in which the Roman Empire neither crumbled nor changed its core nature, even as humans evolved into a space-faring people. In this world, House Viridian is at war with House Sertorian, and young Viridian gladiatrix Accala is intent on seeking revenge for the deaths of her mother and brother. Naturally, things don't go her way in this extremely patriarchal future, and she soon finds herself forced to work with the Sertorians in an attempt to put down an alien rebellion. Christian and Buchanan pile the cliches high and heavy: Accala is portrayed as a vengeance-seeking but dithering gladiator who just can't bring herself to kill opponents in the ring, and Bulla, a simple-minded house slave from a race called the Taurii, spouts dialogue straight out of racist minstrel shows. The worldbuilding is flimsy, and the long, ponderous passages that describe everything in first-person, as-you-know detail bog down the novel in ways that the occasional action sequence fails to disrupt. Agent: Frank Weimann, Folio Literary. (June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Wolf's Empire: Gladiator." Publishers Weekly, 4 Apr. 2016, p. 63. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA448902698&it=r&asid=1f264b03d4c4532944c3d5553b10b544. Accessed 23 Jan. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A448902698
Christian, Claudia: BABYLON CONFIDENTIAL
Kirkus Reviews. (Oct. 15, 2012):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Christian, Claudia BABYLON CONFIDENTIAL BenBella (Adult Nonfiction) $16.95 11, 6 ISBN: 978-1-937856-06-9
Soap-operatic memoir of a minor screen and TV star's slow descent into booze-fueled hell and her long, slow road back to recovery. The specter of alcohol and addiction always seemed to dog Babylon 5 actress Christian. Her grandfather had been an alcoholic, and her father was a man who recognized, and walked away from, his penchant for drink. When the author was only 8 years old, her brother was killed by a drunk driver. Fifteen years later, as a young actress living in a Los Angeles apartment, she landed the role of a cocaine addict in the 1988 film Clean and Sober. Christian was not then hooked on either drugs or alcohol, but she was living life in the "Hollywood fast lane," doing "blow," drinking and having indiscriminate sex with both men and women. Until her early 30s, Christian was primarily a recreational drinker. However, after becoming entangled in an emotionally destructive affair with Braveheart actor Angus Macfadyen in 1996, she "drank to escape." Another bad relationship followed, as did longer and longer stretches of unemployment. By 2002, she had sunk deeply enough into alcoholism that she could no longer control her urges to drink. Neither stints in rehab nor AA meetings helped. On the verge of giving up, she discovered a low-cost alternative treatment, the Sinclair Method, with "an 80 [percent] success rate." Amazingly, Christian never blames her childhood--which included rape by a neighbor and troubled relationships with her parents--for any of her later mishaps. But neither is she at a loss to tout her "glory days" as a B-list actress or to serve up occasionally entertaining but at times overdone Hollywood dish. A National Enquirer-esque peep show of a book partially redeemed by its underlying mission to cultivate awareness about a little-known method of alcohol detoxification.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Christian, Claudia: BABYLON CONFIDENTIAL." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2012. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA305184926&it=r&asid=aa5b459e69d89fce4b19e67d4e611698. Accessed 23 Jan. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A305184926
Previous Entry | Next Entry
BOOK: Babylon Confidential by Claudia Christian ***
Mar. 7th, 2013 at 5:56 PM
Alex_balcony_aglarien1
Babylon Confidential is a memoir of Claudia Christian, Susan Ivanova of Babylon 5 fame. It's a tell all, I guess, filled with sex, alcohol and a monstrous helping of self-pity and whining. It makes for an interesting read as Ms.Christian screws and drinks her way all over the world. She drops names: Dodi Fayad is probably the most prominent of those she had flings with.
I wanted to like her and maybe if I met her in person I would but she came off as someone who had everything and simply couldn't manage to stop herself from screwing it up time and time again. When you read the first few pages, she tells a story of buying cooking sherry and you feel sorry for her but when you read the rest of it, like how she drank up hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of French wine from her investment, you don't feel nearly as bad for her.
Then it turns into a commercial for the Sinclair Method, which is simply taking a drug that enables you to drink without craving it and calling yourself cured. Never mind the behavior and personality problems that led to addiction in the first place.
I gave it three stars because I love Ivanova.
Babylon Confidential
by Bob G Cannon II
Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex & Addiction by Claudia Christian with Morgan Grant Buchanan Copyright 2012, 297 pages BenBella Books, Inc. Dallas, Texas. ISBN 978-1-937856-06-9
While I read and enjoy occasional autobiographies and biographies I don't make it a habit to read many about Hollywood personalities. I can't really say why as I love Speculative Fiction and Fantasy and if there is any place in what is called 'the real world' where people behave as uniquely as in SF and Fantasy novels it must be Hollywood, California. As it is, despite having a relative that is a Hollywood actress (Amanda Walsh) I generally ignore the antics there. When 'reality' magazine TV shows come on I usually leave the room.
Recently, through social media I struck up an acquaintance with a Hollywood star and after some research (the book's co-author is a SF writer and she has had major rolls in SF productions) I asked if I could review her recent autobiography. The involvement in SF was only a part of my decision as my brief exchanges with her and reading some of her other statements in interviews had made me curious. If you are anything like me in mostly ignoring the people side of Hollywood I ask you indulge me and read this through – I'll keep it short and this book may provide some information you or a loved one can use.
Claudia Christian - Photograph David Honl
Photograph ~ David Honl
Claudia Christian seems to have known from an early age that her place was in acting. She worked hard for it, sacrificing much and shows a dedication rarely seen. Despite her talent it was not an easy path and from reading we see her highs and lows as she worked, often fought for her chosen career. At times she fought not only for her career but her life as well. Claudia has built a career from a childhood that included both loving parents and intolerable injustice. She prevailed and Babylon Confidential takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride that spans everything from assault, death and addiction, luxurious yachts and fine French wines to a final victory that leaves a reader feeling both fulfilled and hoping that any additional chapters will be of success and happiness. Yet, despite the trials she faces and the looming presence of Claudia's own personal monster the entire book is strangely positive. Not much 'poor little me' but quite a bit of picking up, dusting off and re-entering life. This contrasts well with her giving credit to others where they had a positive effect on her life. Also told are stories of frightening stalkers and unique insights into some of Hollywood's luminaries. Not all are favorable but the book is not about vilification but seems an honest telling of her life's experiences.
As with a good novel (this book is not fiction though) I experienced a growing sense of foreboding as the book progressed. For me it was from two fronts, alcohol and a suboptimal relationship with God. It is in the conquering of this first, alcohol that the book takes a special importance. Very few know that there might be a cure for alcoholism – not simply abstention but a real cure with a high success rate. I can think of a number of people I deal with that could look at the methodology presented here who might find a benefit.
What Claudia discovered was a near secret. Secret because it flies in the face of most traditional treatments. Secret because it is still relatively new and unpublicized. The Sinclair Method is explained well in the latter portion of Babylon Confidential, as is Claudia's success with it. Should you wish to know more (I recommend that anyone interested look into it, even if not an alcoholic) check here for details of The Cure For Alcoholism by Roy Eskapa, PhD. While a near secret the Sinclair Method is based on sound science, sound tests.
I found it powerful and enjoyed Babylon Confidential much more than I expected to. It presented a well told story of acting, some interesting behind-the-scenes details of productions I have enjoyed and ended with a strong feeling of victory over near insurmountable odds. I recommend it even for those who don't read biographical works, I recommend it for those facing their own alcoholism monster (or maybe who want to prevent one from growing) and for those who just enjoy a good read.
Overall Recommendation 5/5 Rated 5 of 5
BOP Review: Babylon Confidential by Claudia Christian
Susan Ivanova is an archtype. She’s defining. If you’ve seen even one episode of Babylon 5 odds are that she will be one of the first people that come to mind whenever you think of strong, resilient SF characters. Mal Reynolds and Aeryn Sun owe her a debt; where they tread, Ivanova walked first. Whenever she succeeded in her endeavours she won big; whenever she fell, she fell hard. But every time she did she picked herself up, dusted herself off, and survived to fight another day and in doing so became far more than iconic; she became inspiring. Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, therefore, that she shares these traits in common with the actor who shares her face.
If you have an image of Claudia Christian in your head it’s almost certainly not the one which opens her autobiography. For most of her fans it will be a stern gaze, a wry smile and the crisp blues of an Earthforce uniform; for others it might be the seductive smiles and lingerie of her glossy photo-shoots or the facepaint and fierce warrior pride of Skyrim’s Aela the Huntress. But the Claudia that greets us at the start of Babylon Confidential is a far cry from this romantic imagery; she’s bundled up in street clothes and sitting a bus stop, sweating and shaking whilst she gulps down a hastily-mixed cocktail of vodka and orange juice purchased moments before at a liquor store, feeding the beast that’s slowly killing her. And this simple, disturbing snapshot of a life that’s ending one sip at a time is amongst the least harrowing revelations present in what has to be one of the most compelling confessionals ever committed to paper.
Christian is a writer with an agenda. For five years she battled alcoholism, one of the most horrific, insidious and damaging diseases on the planet and now, having successfully beaten it into submission with a little-known treatment known as The Sinclair Method, she wants to spread the word in the hope that others may find the same peace. In doing so she shares the details of her life and the events which allowed her affliction – which she refers to throughout, quite appropriately, as the monster – to take root. From early tragedies which struck at her family to lapses in judgement in her adult life Christian refuses sugar-coat the truth, soften any blows or pull any punches; every bottle of booze, every line of cocaine, every destructive relationship and personal sorrow is laid bare and raw so that the reader understands: this is how the monster gets you.
Of course, as the thousands of fans who have had the pleasure of her company at one of the many conventions and expos that she attends each year will confirm, Christian is far from a melancholy soul. Alongside the lows there are a dizzying array of highs: friends, lovers, parties, successes and celebrations are documented in equal detail. Claudia loves fun, friendship, food and fornication and is resolutely (and beautifully) unapologetic about it. Some revelations are surprising, others outright astounding, but all come completely free from regret; Christian owns her pleasures every bit as much as her mistakes and doggedly demonstrates the resilience which helped her conquer her disease. And that, ultimately, is the message of the book: that no matter how dark things get there is always hope.
Babylon Confidential is essential reading for anyone who has ever fought a personal demon. Claudia Christian is an archtype. She’s defining. She’s survived, and in doing so became far more than iconic; she became inspiring. [MD]
Review – Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator by Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan
August 4, 2016
Review – Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator by Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant BuchananWolf's Empire: Gladiator by Claudia Christian, Morgan Grant Buchanan
Published by Tor Books Genres: Epic, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Thanks to Tor Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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four-stars
Wolf’s Empire is a space opera with, as strange as it may sound, the Roman Empire set at it’s heart. Imagine a world in which the Roman Empire continued to go from strength to strength dominating not only the known world but eventually branching out into space to eventually embrace an empire spanning the galaxy. This story imagines a Rome set 7,000 years in the future and yet still brings to us an empire with conflict at it’s core. The story is one of revenge and involves a young woman who goes to great length to avenge the deaths of her mother and brother and also to try and break free of the unwanted role placed upon her by society.
I must say that I really did enjoy this read. I had a few qualms here and there and I did wonder how a Roman theme would lend itself to such a futuristic story but on the whole I think the authors did a great job of bringing to us a sweeping story of revenge that actually evolves into so much more than I ever anticipated.
Firstly, a little background. Accala Viridian is a noblewoman, from House Viridian, one of the seven houses that rule the Empire’s provinces, with the Emperor himself ruling supreme in the eighth house. House Viridian, are the bearers of the Golden Wolf insignia, they have for years embodied the virtues of honour and duty above all else, steeped in tradition their house is probably a little less progressive than some of the others. House Sertorian, bearer of the Ruby Hawk insignia focus more on ambition and seem to embody the notion of ‘winning no matter what the cost’ – to them, honour is an antiquated value that has no place in their ruthless world. Their desire for greater power and recognition for their house has led to war with House Viridian – a war that not only seems to have cost the lives of Accala’s mother and brother but also seems to be one that House Viridian are not faring too well in.
The Emperor, in a bid to stamp out the war, decided to stage an Imperial Games based on the planet Olympus Decimus. The winner of the games will rule supreme, the losers will no longer be one of the ruling houses and will be stripped of all their titles and assets – so a lot is resting on the outcome. Added to this – the local population on Olympus Decimus are staging their own protest against Roman rule and everything is about to come crashing together in a most spectacular, sometimes mind boggling, incredibly entertaining, blood thirsty and horror soaked way imaginable! Let me be clear though, my idea of horror soaked is probably not the same as others. I think the horror here is more in terms of the concepts that the authors have come up with and certainly there are a few gory scenes, these are gladiators after all, but I don’t think this is gratuitous.
I enjoyed such a lot of things about this book. I think the authors have managed to combine the ancient and the new in a remarkable way. The story has a very large scope and yet doesn’t feel cumbersome or overburdened with backstory or history – these aspects just flow naturally as the story progresses. We have a central character who is far from perfect and not above making wrong decisions that will just make you want to yell at her occasionally. There are some epic fight sequences and gladiator scenes that are brought to life so vividly and that, whilst they will seem familiar, have been updated to include technology and drug enhanced fighting skills.
In terms of the characters – Accala is a character who develops continually as the story advances as do quite a number of the other characters. She begins the piece with vengeance firmly in mind and really you have to remember this as you read along because this really is her sole motivation and leads her to at times make some disastrous decisions. Of course, Accala never really knows who are the good guys and who are the bad guys – they seem fairly obvious at the outset but nothing is ever quite as clear cut as it first seems and certainly a lot of the characters here have their own motivations that drive them on which makes it difficult to know who is helping and who is hindering.
Accala’s dreams of gaining revenge seem at first to be continually thwarted. Her own father seeks to marry her off before she can cause him any embarrassment and even though she succeeds in gaining a place on the gladiator team the Emperor decrees that she return home and honour her father’s wishes. Then an unexpected alliance offers her the chance to become a gladiator and fight in the arena. And this is when her world is really turned on it’s head.
We have a number of chapters where Accala trains with her new team members as they travel through space on route to the games – I particularly enjoyed these chapters. They’re really well done and quite gripping with revelations. We see Accala brought low by an addiction that really takes a grip on her – but I won’t go further into that detail because their lies the path of spoilers. Upon reaching their destination the tension doesn’t relent at all with some furious fight scenes upon the gladiator field which are then followed by a change in tack as we delve into the core of the planet looking for, well, I’m not going to tell you what they’re looking for, you’ll have to discover that yourself.
In terms of criticisms – well, at first I wondered how well the Roman theme would work being expanded into such a modern world and I must say that I had a few moments where I initially thought – surely a civilisation which has moved on 7,000 years would have developed a little more in terms of seeking such bloodthirsty entertainment and surely they would have developed a little more in terms of equality amongst the sexes, but, that being said, I think the authors were, as mentioned above combining the ancient aspects with the new – it’s a difficult combination to balance but I think they did a very good job and I also think you have to consider that we have an empire here that whilst they may have developed in certain respects have maintained their central desires to rule everything that they can reach – they therefore still remain ruthless. The only other criticism I had was that towards the last 25% there was undoubtedly a lot of action but some of it became a little repetitive – not in that they were the same fight scenes but more the set up and outcomes.
Apart from a few little niggles I found this a very enjoyable read. I think the authors managed to surprise me a good deal more than I expected, the story was entertaining, there were a number of wtf moments – seriously – and if you pick up a copy you WILL know when you reach those points – and we have a main protagonist who is flawed but keeps trying at all costs and against the odds.
Sep
27
REVIEW: Wolf's Empire: Gladiator by Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan
Wolf's Empire: Gladiator by Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan
Publishing information: Hardback; 496pgs
Publisher: Tor; 28 June 2016
ISBN: 9780765337740
Possible series
Copy: Provided by Publisher
Reviewer: Tyson
Amazon
Synopsis: "A sweeping science-fiction saga of revenge set in a future in which the Roman Empire never fell, by actress Claudia Christian.
When her mother and brother are murdered, young noblewoman Accala Viridius cries out for vengeance. But the empire is being torn apart by a galactic civil war, and her demands fall on deaf ears. Undeterred, Accala sacrifices privilege and status to train as a common gladiator. Mastering the one weapon available to her—a razor-sharp discus that always returns when thrown--she enters the deadly imperial games, the only arena where she can face her enemies.
But Fortune's wheel grants Accala no favors—the emperor decrees that the games will be used to settle the civil war, the indigenous lifeforms of the arena-world are staging a violent revolt, and Accala finds herself drugged, cast into slavery and forced to fight on the side of the men she set out to kill.
Set in a future Rome that never fell, but instead expanded to become a galaxy-spanning empire, Accala's struggle to survive and exact her revenge will take her on a dark journey that will cost her more than she ever imagined."
I am huge fan of books that take place during the time of the Roman Empire and when I was approached to to review the novel about a future Roman Empire that has taken to the stars I was curious.
Wolf's Empire: Gladiator tells the story of the various nobel houses vying for control over their sectors of their controlled space and grasping for more. Two houses lead the fight: House Viridian (Golden Wolves), who bestow the virtues of honor and nobility and their nemesis, House Sertorian (Blood Hawks), who focus more on strength and ambition. For years they have engaged in a civil war in the far reaches of known space and the emperor has finally decided to put the squabbling at and end buy organizing a competition between the two noble houses and the smaller houses that compose their alliances. The competition will consist of chariot races, wild animal hunting, and gladiatorial combat.
It is the last competition that brings us to our protagonist. Accala Viridius of House Viridian. She is a gladiator against her father's wishes. I liked Accala quite a bit she is smart, resourceful, and focused on her revenge against the Sertonians who killed her brother and mother at the beginning of the civil war in the outer reaches of space. Accala plans to use the Emperor's games to seek justice and kill those who murdered her family. There is only one small hitch, her father doesn't want her to partake in the games and has used his influence to have her sidelined on the eve of the embarkation to the planet that will host the games. Accala has to take up with the Setorians. They have a spot available and want Accala to join them in a propoganda stunt that could put everything her House and their allies have built.
As Accala gains the respect of her newfound teammates she loses the respect of her own House. All the while she waits patiently for the perfect opportunity to strike and get her revenge.
There are a few issues that I had with the book, at times Accala does seem to be a bit of a Mary Sue. It is only through her one desire for revenge that she slips up from time to time as she has only one goal in mind. The twist that the book builds up to was obvious and the fate of her brother was also a little bit of a let down. Another issue I had was that in the 7,000+ years this Empire has existed, there isn't any equality between the sexes and their tactics and technology hasn't evolved much beyond where they left off in the real world. However, with that said, the book does a great job of expanding the Roman Empire into space. The authors obviously did their homework as the inner working of the houses and the politics feel authentic. The story has a space opera feel to it, while keeping the storylines centered on a small amount of characters. The ending feels very similar to Leckie's Ancillary Justice. But with that aside, I would be willing to check out the sequel if offered the opportunity.
Overall 7/10
Wolf’s Empire
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Tor Books (June 28, 2016)
Language: English
Kindle: $12.99
Hardcover: $18.38
Historical fiction set in the future – now that’s something you don’t see or hear every day. Fresh on the shelves (June 28, 2016) from Tor Books (Macmillan Publishing), Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator by Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan is a refreshing new saga where the past and future collide, and the daunting combination turns out to be a fun and exciting new read.
The story takes place in a future galactic empire where Rome never fell. The Roman concept originally centered around the principles and strengths of “the” city, but Christian and Buchanan take the old idea to a new galactic level. A civil war has broken out between the seven “noble” houses, and what better way to settle the dispute than to have the factions participate in the violent imperial games in the arena?
After the haunting murder of her mother and brother in an atomic bomb attack, young Accala from House Viridian trained as a gladiator with the intention of confronting her enemies face-to-face. But as fate would have it, she discovers that sometimes your enemies are your strongest allies, and not every story has a storybook ending.
Though the action does seem to slow to a crawl at times, at just shy of 500 pages, Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator has the look of a classic Greek mythological tale. Not in the traditional epic poem form, of course, but more in a traditional fantasy style with the familiar empire and social class struggles. The intertwined elements of future technologies and the social hierarchy from an ancient empire may get the initial attention of readers, but varied cast characters is the strength of the story.
An epic tale told in first person by our hero Accala, readers will be drawn in quickly by her astute awareness of the world around her and her determination to get revenge. But like every hero’s journey told in epic mythological proportions, a storied weapon sometimes becomes just as celebrated as the hero, if not more. This is where Orbis comes in. Think along the lines of Thor’s hammer or King Arthur’s legendary Excalibur, but in the form of an Olympic discus. A gift for Accala’s father from a barbarian chieftain in tribute for turning back an uprising, the weapon was originally forged by the first Roman settlers. In Accala’s hand, Orbis is a formidable character in itself, worthy of a stand-alone backstory.
Though an accomplished author, this is Claudia Christian’s first novel. But rest assured, she is no stranger to the genre. As an actress, Christian played notable roles like Cmdr. Susan Ivanova in the popular television series Babylon 5 and Captain Belinda Blowhard in the comedy series Starhyke (2009). That same compassion for presenting memorable characters translates well in this literary stint. The collaboration with established Australian writer Morgan Grant Buchanan (the two had worked previously together on Christian’s autobiography Babylon Confidential: A Memoir of Love, Sex, and Addiction) is undoubtedly a combination loyal fans will look forward to reading again and again.