Tom Atkinson chatted about his new book “Into The Kingdom,” which was just released in the summer of 2023.
Background on the author
Atkinson is an international criminal and securities lawyer, who has lived and worked the last six years in Hong Kong. He spent his childhood reading stories about pirates, kings, and treasure in his grandmother’s home in Nova Scotia and became obsessed with the legend of Prester John.
A bestselling author, Atkinson now lives with his wife and three children in The Beaches in Toronto.
Book description
Peter Robertson’s grandfather is trying to unravel one of the greatest mysteries of the Middle Ages when he disappears during an archaeological expedition in Ethiopia. His disappearance sets off a series of events stretching deep into the past and rippling forward to the modern day.
Fast forward 20 years and Peter finds himself in an army veteran rehabilitation center with his team. They are all struggling to recover from serious injuries and to make sense of their new circumstances when an old friend of Peter’s grandfather contacts him about a mysterious map found in his grandfather’s belongings. It may help solve the mystery of his grandfather’s disappearance and that of the long-lost treasure of Prester John, a mythical King from the Middle Ages.
It is loosely based on the true legend of Prester John. “Into the Kingdom” is an adventure tale beginning in the superstitious Age of Discovery and ending in modern-day Ethiopia. At its core, “Into the Kingdom,” demonstrates that real heroism is rooted in humanity and the acceptance of oneself.
Q & A interview
What inspired you to write ‘Into the Kingdom,’ a story that combines historical mystery with modern-day adventure?
I’ve had two themes in my head for a novel for quite some time. One was the legend of Prester John which has fascinated me since I was a young boy. The second was the nature of heroism. Its always bothered me that my kid’s understanding of heroism deals with Marvel characters who are all good looking, have rock-hard abs, and are full of confidence.
I wanted to write something about real heroism, and the best example I had was our veterans who come back wounded and have to assimilate back into a society that cares little or has any idea what they did in Afghanistan or why. I feel they are discarded after giving so much and this has always bothered me.
I think its quite heroic how they can carry on, knowing they have sacrificed so much for a society that cares so little.
I wanted to give them a very difficult, almost unachievable goal, and have them try to solve it. I wanted to show the reader that their goal was to reestablish their self-worth, and the discovery of the treasure was secondary.
I thought by including an ancient mystery it allowed me to insert a degree of mysticism that would help these young man overcome such traumatic injuries.
The use of interstitials to illustrate the past, allowed me to drive the story forward and bring the history alive and avoid the overwhelming use of narrative which I thought would be boring.
‘Into the Kingdom’ is described as being loosely based on the legend of Prester John. What aspects of this legend and the man behind the legend intrigued you the most and led you to incorporate it into your story?
The legend of Prester John has intrigued me since I was nine years old when I read about it in a work of fiction. In later years when I further looked into the mystery it was amazing to many that very few people I knew had ever heard about it.
I wondered why I never heard about it in school, when we learned about The Age of Discovery, given that the quest for Prester John was one of the main drivers of Portuguese exploration during this time.
It was interesting to me that this fraud continued for centuries, and if you look at old maps from that time period, you can see unexplored lands labelled, “the Lands of Prester John”.
The legend was also intriguing because it smacked of desperation. After a number of failed crusades the Christian leaders were desperate to avoid defeat at the hands of the Muslim’s and were grasping at the lifeline that the Prester John Legend held out to them.
The fraudulent letter from Prester John suggested he was in possession of some very fantastic items (a fountain of youth and a river of emeralds) also demonstrates a high level of belief in superstition at the time which I thought would make interesting reading.
Lastly, the physical terrain in Ethiopia has similarities to Afghanistan (dry, arid, mountainous in parts) which I tried to use to draw parallels to my heroes, as they were now, as compared to when they were in Afghanistan.
Your protagonist, Peter Robertson is a very compelling yet complex character. What are some of your keys to crafting such intriguing characters? If you could meet one of the characters in this book in real life, who would it be and why?
When I was crafting the character Peter Robertson I was trying to create a reliable narrator, that was guilt ridden and had suffered the loss of his arm, but still had the internal fortitude to keep moving forward for his men and for himself.
I was trying to move away from the well worn trope of the super-confident warrior who through his iron will inspires confidence in his troop. Instead, I wanted him to lead them out of necessity for their survival.
I wanted him to be insecure and looking to them to help him -help them. I was trying to create a character that was introspective and open to the mystical experiences he was about to be immersed into.
For the other characters (soldiers) I wanted to show them going into the war not just for altruistic reasons, but really because no other alternatives presented themselves.
I purposely stayed away from conflict among themselves because I thought that would better convey their sense of isolation from society and their lack of feeling valued. They cling to one another out of desperation and their unique situational trauma.
If there was one character I would like to meet personally it would be Nuru. I like her sense of how important the history of the Kingdom of Ethiopia is, and how she draws parallels between the soldier’s need to heal and the stories from the kingdom.
While she is a ’Seer’ she still has vulnerability and little ego. She also has the ability to evoke romance and wonder in situations others see as bleak. In her eyes, everything can be seen as ‘wonderful and terrible’ and life’s journey will play itself out no matter how we react.
Of course, she would think that because we do good and act with compassion the gods will respond in kind. I would love to sit around a campfire with her and listen to one of her stories.
What do you hope readers will take away from the book, both in terms of entertainment and deeper themes?
In terms of entertainment I hope I managed to capture some of the amazing historical and physical detail of Ethiopia.
Unfortunately, Ethiopia is now still in the tailwinds of terrible civil war, but to me it seemed like such a magical place, populated by a proud people.
I hope the historical and physical descriptions in the novel conveyed the sheer majesty of that country.
Most of all, I hope the novel gave a strong sense of humanity and gave the reader a newfound respect for the those men and woman who sacrificed everything for us and continue to do so. I hope I captured a better meaning of heroism.
What is it like for you to be an author in the digital age?
As for a writer in the digital age, I’m still learning a lot. I love the way the younger generation had found new ways to tell and sell our stories.
What is your favorite drink or way to celebrate when you finish a new book?
Since this is the first book I have finished I only have one example to draw on. I went to Nova Scotia and ate lobster and drank copious amounts of red wine. I must say I do that a lot.
“Into The Kingdom” is available on Amazon by clicking here.
