Douglas Jackson is a Scottish novelist that hails from Jedburgh, Scottish Borders. His first novel was the critically acclaimed Caligula that was published in 2008. His luck at being born in a place so full of history of bloody warfare that it was haunted by ghosts from thousands of previous wars it what got him interested in history and historical fiction. He attended the Parkside Primary School before proceeding to Jedburgh Grammar School but left a few days to his 16th birthday. With no O level certificate, he did not have any idea of what to do with his life until a friend found him a placement with a Youth Opportunities Scheme. One of his very first assignments included the restoration of a Roman marching camp, which got him a nice taste of the history of the Cheviot Hills area. Having lived within a few miles of Hadrian’s Wall during his childhood, the experience reignited his interest in the history of the Roman Empire.
Douglas did not stay at the Youth Opportunities job for long as being a very good English reader and writer he soon got into reporting and journalism for a local
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It tells the story of Rufus an animal trainer and slave that becomes the trainer and keeper of Bersheba, the Emperor’s elephant. Rufus and his fellow slave and friend Cupido the gladiator struggle to remain alive in amidst the intricate web of plots and counter plots that are commonplace in the Caligulan court. The 2009 published Claudius continues with the story of Rufus as he now serves Claudius on his 43 AD invasion of the British Isles. Through Cupido and Rufus, Jackson takes the reader by the heart and the hand to show them the power soaked and gruesome world of two of the most bloodthirsty Roman emperors. The novels provide a deeper insight into the complex machinations and power and more importantly what bloody balance of power and the depths people were prepared to sink to maintain power or simply stay