The Z-Rod Trilogy

 Introduction to the Z-Rod Story

The Z-Rod trilogy is a full-scale epic set in the turbulence of 6th century Scotland, bringing to life a distant era through the divergent lives of two cousins among a whole cast of characters. Theirs is a very human story of rivalry and love, faith and wild adventure played out through landscapes described sometimes poetically by someone well-acquainted with the hills and coasts of Scotland.

Into this turbulent scene come the Gaels from Ireland, aflame with a love for their heavenly High King. Their story is seen through the impressionable eyes of an adolescent pilgrim, eager for adventure but frustrated by their slow progress in establishing communities known as ‘muintirs’ – a Gaelic word meaning ‘family’.

 Historical Setting of the Z-Rod

This historical fiction remains true to the scant historical record, featuring some real-life characters like King Brude aspiring to be the overlord of the Picts - the indigenous people of the Highlands – and Celtic saints such as Kessog, Fillan, Drostan and latterly, Columba. Together with the remaining fictional cast, this distant era is brought to life through the layers of human perception and experience. Out of the mists of time emerges a culture that is most tangible to identify with.

The Geographical Setting of the Z-Rod

6th Century ‘Scotland’ wasn’t a nation as was realised three centuries later. The indigenous people of what is roughly the Highlands are referred to as ‘Picts’. The name is derived from ‘Picti’, a Roman word applied to these barbarian tribes, meaning ‘painted ones’ on account of their body tattoos. The Picts in the 6th century were not a united people, but divided by competing tribal rivalries, making up 7 main groups as shown on the map.

The political setting was more complex, for the Celtic British nations of Strathclyde and Gododdin occupied what is today the Central Belt and Southern Scotland; and in the west in current-day Argyll was the Gaelic speaking peoples of Dal Riata who had political and trade affiliations with Erin (Ireland). It is easy to understand the separation of Dal Riata when travelling through the area, for it is made remote by high rugged hills and extremely convoluted coasts, making land travel difficult. The sea was regarded as the highway, and the journey over to Ireland was much easier than trying to penetrate steep-sided hills densely covered with forest.

In the Z-Rod trilogy, most placenames in the Highlands and islands are different from the Gaelic and Norse names of today, for the Picts are generally believed to have spoken a dialect of Brittonic, the Celtic language of the Britons from which Welsh is derived. The Gaels of Ireland spoke Gaelic, a language believed to be largely unintelligible to the Britons, for Columba needed a translator when he came to the lands of the Picts.

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Why the series title, Z-Rod?

The world of the Picts is a mysterious one, for being largely illiterate, they didn’t give us written records other than a Kings’ list and a few place names. But they did leave engraved and embossed symbols on erected stone slabs. There are easily identifiable symbols of animals and humans, many depicting battle and hunting scenes; then alongside these are the enigmatic symbols whose meanings arouse contrary opinions.

I have used artistic licence in attributing the Z-rod symbol as a power sign reserved exclusively for the warlord. However, in explaining the significance of other symbols, I have plausibly connected some with features known from Celtic mythology and folk tales, and reasoned out their spiritual significance as might have been expounded by learned druids.

This dim world of symbols demonstrates a culture that clearly held spiritual beliefs. Tattoos were regarded as powerful talismen, offering protection, even in battle, revealing a belief system that echoed what I experienced when living with a Filipino tribe emerging at that time from an Iron-age and animistic world. The Z-Rod trilogy delves deeply into the significance of symbols, the use of prophecies and shamanic insights. This prepares the scene for what the Gaels encountered when coming from Ireland, who having recently emerged from such pagan beliefs, were not antagonistic towards their host culture, but sought sympathetic ways to point towards a greater and much more benevolent truth.

An extract from the Z-Rod

“ Conchen made a furtive gesture to fetch the fine Roman glassware. Handling these exquisitely crafted objects for the first time was a pleasure. The glass felt fragile and cold in her hands. She held one to the light, briefly admiring the fine engraving of ferns and grapes that adorned the chalice. She contemplated the sophistication of the society which made such objects and could only wonder … The treasures we craft, considered Alpia, are made from more robust bronze, silver and gold. Her people valued stone too, hulks of hewn stone, quarried from afar, dragged on logs and set up as vast monoliths, which they adorned with incised symbols. These artefacts would endure forever, unlike the brittle finery of cut glass that the transient Romans had introduced. ”

For more insights and photos, connecting the Z-Rod trilogy with our world today, click on this link to the ‘Z-Rod Trilogy’ FaceBook page.

Reviews

“ By turns epic and homely, spiritually searching and thoroughly adventurous, this story of great undoing and remaking propels us through multiple scenes and characters in a setting which is utterly convincing in its detail. ” [Malcolm Down Publishing]

“ Descriptions of perilous events, with death seeming inevitable, are gripping. We read on eagerly to see how characters cope under pressure, how crises are resolved. This is an absorbing story from remote history which nevertheless has profound implications for readers today. This book has the potential to change lives. ”

[Dr John Dempster, Inverness Courier columnist]

“ This is a TRUE story, in that attitudes and actions can have consequences. Time and again we are faced with events we are powerless to prepare for.  People are more complicated than they themselves have recognised. There are different ways to be strong.
'Z-Rod' is timeless, but feels very now. Its detail keeps the happenings vivid and unexpected.
Leaders prioritise their personal ambition. But when do dreams and decisions become destiny? Are old prophecies sometimes a curse?  or promises to keep? This final volume will not disappoint. ”

[Andy Raine, Northumbria Community’]

“ The plot moves forward, with clever twists and dramatic moments that intrigue and shock the reader. The characters are sensitively depicted, their struggles laid bare, making for a complex story that the reader will follow with intrigue. ” [Malcolm Down Publishing]