Run to the Western Shore

By Tim Pears

Published Nov 2023

Set in Britain in AD 72, Run to the Western Shore tells the story of a young Roman slave, Quintus, and Olwen, daughter of the chief of a local tribe. Quintus, long exiled from his people, has travelled great odysseys in the retinue of a powerful man, and although a citizen of nowhere, is a man of reason, fluent in many languages. Olwen, imperious tribal royalty, is rooted in her native land – a volatile warrior, fiercely attached to the natural world.

Promised to a powerful Roman by her father as part of a peace treaty, Olwen flees during the night, taking Quintus with her. Hunted by an army, the two make their way across the country, living off the land, heading for the western shore…

Written in spare but evocative language, Run to the Western Shore is a tale of quest and struggle, but also an ode to the land and a love story about the reconciliation of opposites in times of need.