Christian Gordon Cameron (born August 16, 1962) also writes under the pen names ''Miles Cameron'' and ''Gordon Kent'' (used only for those novels written with his father, author Kenneth Cameron). Christian, a Canadian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspi ...

, was educated and trained as both an

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

and a former career officer in the US Navy. His best-known work is the

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ...

series ''Tyrant'', which by 2009 had sold over 100,000 copies.

Biography

Cameron was born in the US, in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, in 1962 and grew up in Rochester, NY, and

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the tim ...

, Iowa, as well as

Rockport, Massachusetts Rockport is a seaside town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,992 in 2020. Rockport is located approximately northeast of Boston at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula. Rockport borders Gloucester to its west, and ...

. He attended high school at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, NY, and got an honors BA in Medieval History at the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

. After University, Cameron joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

as an ensign, serving in VS-31 as an air intelligence officer and gaining his air observer wings before going to spend the rest of his military career as a

human intelligence Human intelligence is the intellectual capability of humans, which is marked by complex cognitive feats and high levels of motivation and self-awareness. High intelligence is associated with better outcomes in life. Through intelligence, humans ...

officer, first with NCIS and later with the DHS in Washington, DC. Cameron left the US military in 2000 as a lieutenant commander. Christian and Kenneth Cameron proposed their first novel while Christian was still in the navy. It was published in 1998 as ''Night Trap'' in the UK and ''Rules of Engagement'' in the United States. In 2002, Cameron wrote his first solo novel, ''Washington and Caesar'', published by HarperCollins in the UK and Random House in the US. Also in 2002, Cameron moved to Canada and married his wife, Sarah. They have one child, Beatrice.

Fictional works

''Alan Craik'' series, written with Kenneth Cameron

The ''Alan Craik'' series of espionage thrillers was conceived by the Camerons on a camping trip in the

Adirondacks The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular ...

in 1994-5 and the events of the first book are very loosely based on the activities of John Anthony Walker and his son, father and son spies working for the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

against the

. The Camerons envisioned the books as a modern-day Hornblower series, depicting the life of a modern naval officer from his earliest career until his retirement. Over the course of eight novels, Alan Craik changes from a patriotic, enthusiastic and driven young man to a cynical and ambitious middle-aged man who resigns as a Captain to protest the use of intelligence to justify bad political decisions.

''Tyrant'' series

The ''Tyrant'' series was born in the classrooms of the Classics Department of the University of Toronto, where Cameron decided to write a series of historical novels in 2003. From 2003 to the present, Cameron has written six Tyrant novels: ''Tyrant'' (2008), ''Storm of Arrows'' (2009), ''Funeral Games'' (2010), ''King of the Bosporus'' (2011), ''Destroyer of Cities'' (2013) and ''Force of Kings'' (2014). The Tyrant series is set in the time of

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to t ...

and concerns the history of the

Euxine The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

area and the inter-relations between the

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, o ...

and

Scythians The Scythians or Scyths, and sometimes also referred to as the Classical Scythians and the Pontic Scythians, were an ancient Eastern * : "In modern scholarship the name 'Sakas' is reserved for the ancient tribes of northern and eastern Cent ...

. Cameron also produced a single volume fictional biography of Alexander entitled ''God of War'' which ties into the Tyrant series. ''God of War'' was published in 2012.

''Long War'' series

The ''Long War'' series is Cameron's second historical series, also published by Orion in the UK. Cameron's series covers the

Persian Wars The Greco-Persian Wars (also often called the Persian Wars) were a series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire and Greek city-states that started in 499 BC and lasted until 449 BC. The collision between the fractious political world of the ...

from the first-person point of view of a historical figure,

Arimnestos Arimnestos ( el, Ἀρίμνηστος; fl. early 5th century BCE) was the commander of the Plataean contingent at the battles of Marathon and Plataea during the Greco-Persian Wars. Battle of Plataea Plutarch relates that Arimnestos was resp ...

Plataea Plataea or Plataia (; grc, Πλάταια), also Plataeae or Plataiai (; grc, Πλαταιαί), was an ancient city, located in Greece in southeastern Boeotia, south of Thebes.Mish, Frederick C., Editor in Chief. “Plataea.” '' Webs ...

. The first book, ''Killer of Men'' (published in 2010), is named after Achilles, the man-killer of the

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...

, and covers in first person the early life of Arimnestos and his participation in the

Ionian Revolt The Ionian Revolt, and associated revolts in Aeolis, Doris, Cyprus and Caria, were military rebellions by several Greek regions of Asia Minor against Persian rule, lasting from 499 BC to 493 BC. At the heart of the rebellion was the dissatisfa ...

. The next installment of the series is ''Marathon'' (published 2011), which culminates in the titular battle. ''Poseidon's Spear'' (2013) covers the five years after Marathon and is a more personal tale of adventure, exploration and revenge across the western Mediterranean and

Atlantic Europe Atlantic Europe is a geographical term for the western portion of Europe which borders the Atlantic Ocean. The term may refer to the idea of Atlantic Europe as a cultural unit and/or as a biogeographical region. It comprises the Atlantic Isle ...

. ''The Great King'' (2014) has Arimnestos partake in Sparta's diplomatic mission to Persia and ends with the

Battle of Artemisium The Battle of Artemisium or Artemision was a series of naval engagements over three days during the second Persian invasion of Greece. The battle took place simultaneously with the land battle at Thermopylae, in August or September 480 BC, off ...

. ''Salamis'' (2015) covers the titular battle and ''The Rage of Ares'' (2016) ends the series with the battles of

and Mycale. In addition to the battles, the series also features aspects of life in ancient Greece, such as

smithery A metalsmith or simply smith is a craftsperson fashioning useful items (for example, tools, kitchenware, tableware, jewelry, armor and weapons) out of various metals. Smithing is one of the oldest metalworking occupations. Shaping metal with a h ...

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

and

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' ( sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' ( iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen ...

, and historical figures such as

Heraclitus Heraclitus of Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἡράκλειτος , "Glory of Hera"; ) was an ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Persian Empire. Little is known of Heraclitus's life. He wrote ...

Aristides Aristides ( ; grc-gre, Ἀριστείδης, Aristeídēs, ; 530–468 BC) was an ancient Athenian statesman. Nicknamed "the Just" (δίκαιος, ''dikaios''), he flourished in the early quarter of Athens' Classical period and is remembe ...

, Gorgo and Xerxes.

''Chivalry'' series

The ''Chivalry'' series is Cameron's third historical series, also published by Orion (May 2013). Based loosely around the exploits of Sir William Gold, one of Sir John Hawkwood's lieutenant's in Italy, this series begins with Gold's life as a goldsmith's apprentice in London just after the great plague of 1347 and will continue through the

Battle of Poitiers The Battle of Poitiers was fought on 19September 1356 between a French army commanded by King JohnII and an Anglo- Gascon force under Edward, the Black Prince, during the Hundred Years' War. It took place in western France, south of Poiti ...

and the Savoyard Crusade, as well as the

Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...

of 1381, right through to the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 ( Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numeric ...

in 1415, covering the history of the period—military, chivalric, and literary—in England, France, Italy, and Greece and roughly in parallel with the career of Chaucer's knight.

Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for ''The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He wa ...

is a major character, along with

John Hawkwood Sir John Hawkwood ( 1323 – 17 March 1394) was an English soldier who served as a mercenary leader or ''condottiero'' in Italy. As his name was difficult to pronounce for non-English-speaking contemporaries, there are many variations of it in ...

and Jean Le Maingre.

''Traitor Son Cycle''

Originally planned as a trilogy, and extended to a five book fantasy series with an alternative medieval setting. The major story arc takes the Red Knight from the relative obscurity of command of a little-known mercenary company to fame, international renown, worldly power, and confrontation with the real powers of his world and perhaps with his own belief system.

''Masters and Mages''

A magical fantasy alternate medieval setting fictional universe, written after the conclusion of the Traitor Son pentalogy, planned as a trilogy.

Reenactment

Cameron is a passionate reenactor, and uses the experiences of reenacting, including knowledge of the material culture and the skill sets required to recreate any portion of life in the past as essential tools in writing his novels. Cameron helps organize and direct military and non-military reenactments in the United States, Canada, and Europe. In 2011, Cameron, with the help of

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

reenactor Giannis Kadaglou, put on the 2500th anniversary of the

Battle of Marathon The Battle of Marathon took place in 490 BC during the first Persian invasion of Greece. It was fought between the citizens of History of Athens, Athens, aided by Plataea, and a Achaemenid Empire, Persian force commanded by Datis and Artapherne ...

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road running, road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also w ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

with over 100 reenactors from all over the world and thousands of Greek spectators. In addition to recreating the life of an early 5th-century

Hoplite Hoplites ( ) ( grc, ὁπλίτης : hoplítēs) were citizen-soldiers of Ancient Greek city-states who were primarily armed with spears and shields. Hoplite soldiers used the phalanx formation to be effective in war with fewer soldiers. The f ...

, Cameron also runs a group dedicated to the role of rangers and Native Americans in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, and participates in

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

s as a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the ...

of the late 14th century. One such tournament is the Deed of Alms, an annual HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts) charity tournament hosted in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anc ...

to combat homelessness.

Bibliography

As Gordon Kent

Alan Craik series

* ''Night Trap'' (1998). Published as ''Rules of Engagement'' in the USA. * ''Peacemaker'' (2002) * ''Top Hook'' (2002) * ''Hostile Contact'' (2003) * ''Force Protection'' (2004) * ''Damage Control'' (2005) * ''The Spoils of War'' (2006) * ''The Falconer's Tale'' (2007)

As Christian Cameron

Tyrant Series

* ''Tyrant'' (2008) * ''Storm of Arrows'' (2009) * ''Funeral Games'' (2010) * ''King of the Bosporus'' (2011) * ''Destroyer of Cities'' (2013) * ''Force of Kings'' (2014)

Long War Series

* ''Killer of Men'' (2010) * ''Marathon'' (2011) * ''Poseidon's Spear'' (2012) * ''The Great King'' (2014) * ''Salamis'' (2015) * ''The Rage of Ares'' (2016)

Chivalry series

* ''The Ill-Made Knight'' (2013) * ''The Long Sword'' (2014) * ''The Green Count'' (2017) * ''Sword of Justice'' (2018) * ''Hawkwood's Sword'' (2021)

Tom Swan Serials (6 or 7 to a complete novel)

* ''Tom Swan and the Head of St George 1: Castillon'' (2012) * ''Tom Swan and the Head of St George 2: Venice'' (2012) * ''Tom Swan and the Head of St George 3: Constantinople'' (2012) * ''Tom Swan and the Head of St George 4: Rome'' (2013) * ''Tom Swan and the Head of St George 5: Rhodes'' (2013) * ''Tom Swan and the Head of St George 6: Chios'' (2013) * ''Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade 1'' (2014) * ''Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade 2'' (2014) * ''Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade 3'' (2014) * ''Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade 4'' (2015) * ''Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade 5'' (2015) * ''Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade 6'' (2015) * ''Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade 7'' (2015) * ''Tom Swan and Last Spartans 1'' (2016) * ''Tom Swan and Last Spartans 2'' (2016) * ''Tom Swan and Last Spartans 3'' (2017) * ''Tom Swan and Last Spartans 4'' (2017) * ''Tom Swan and Last Spartans 5'' (2017)

Commander series

* The New Achilles (2019) * The Last Greek (2020)

Other novels

* ''Washington and Caesar'' (2003) * ''God of War'' (2012)

As Miles Cameron

Traitor Son Cycle

* ''The Red Knight'' (2012) * ''The Fell Sword'' (2014) * ''The Dread Wyrm'' (2015) * ''The Plague of Swords'' (2016) * ''The Fall of Dragons'' (2017) * ''The Messenger's Tale I'' (2013) — short story prequel to ''The Red Knight'' * ''The Messenger's Tale II'' (2014) — short story set between ''The Fell Sword'' and ''The Dread Wyrm''

Masters and Mages

* ''Cold Iron'' (2018) * ''Dark Forge'' (2019) * ''Bright Steel'' (2019)

Other Novels

* ''Artifact Space'' (2021)

References

External links

* Official forum website: http://www.hippeis.com/ * Official author website: https://christiancameronauthor.com/
Author's American Revolution period reenacting group

NFP Historical organization
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Christian 1962 births Living people Canadian fantasy writers Canadian male novelists 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Writers of historical fiction set in antiquity Writers of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages