Detail of Alexander and Boukephalas from the Alexander Mosaic
Transforming history into a fictional universe means the writer begins with a template of known places, people, and events. In previous essays, I’ve some of the questions I’ve been asked about how I adapted the story of Alexander the Great into a gender-spun space opera: Which aspects of the setting are meant to represent real places and historical situations from the past (part 1)? How many of the characters are analogs for the historical actors (part 2)?
What events from Alexander’s history did I keep? And why-oh-why are modern (as well as historical) easter eggs worked into the text, some of which may seem wildly out of context or meme-ishly frivolous?
Excavating Unconquerable Sun: The Horse Is a Spaceship
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The clever folds that kept letters secret
By Richard Fisher17th June 2021
Hundreds of years ago, people developed ingenious methods to secure their letters from prying eyes – and they did it with only paper, adhesive and folds.
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Late at night on 8 February 1587, an imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots composed her last ever letter to her brother-in-law. Tonight, after dinner, I have been advised of my sentence: I am to be executed like a criminal at eight in the morning, she wrote. The Catholic faith and the assertion of my God-given right to the English crown are the two issues on which I am condemned. With a sad acceptance of her fate, she asked him to take care of her affairs and pay her servants, wishing him good health and a long and happy life .