Some notable differences in Albion: how colonialism/empire played out, the fate of Boudicca and her fight against the Romans, Elizabeth I’s life and how it interacted with the return of the fae.

I think there are plenty of hints throughout this book and the others in the series to give you an idea of what happened in my version of these events, but let me know if you’d like me to talk about that more in a blog post or future author notes. If you don’t already get my newsletter, sign up here and then reply to the welcome email to let me know: https://www.claresager.com/bbsback

Some differences in the wider world that we’ve seen so far (there are other things that haven’t appeared in any of my books so far … some day you’ll get to see!). Numerous now-extinct creatures still exist, examples can be seen in the creatures Vice thinks of when she and Knigh swim the reef and she feels the whale shark approach. Sabrecats themselves are based on a mashup of various extinct species that tend to be grouped as ‘sabretooth cats’ with the more recently extinct Caspian tiger. I had the idea that they were domesticated much earlier than cats were in our world because if you’re travelling in a world with dangerous, large megafauna, it’s a benefit to ride a creature that can defend itself and you with claws and teeth.

Slavery is also different, as seen in the CC books: before the events of T&G, one of the central characters Derry was enslaved in Noreg (not-Norway) and transported to the not-Mediterranean. As the story of colonialism has played out differently, so too has the history and story of slavery. There’s less of it, for one thing, and it’s not focused on the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and much of it isn’t based on the idea of people as property. I’ve tried to be sensitive and push the wheel of the Sabreverse’s world towards social justice, but I know that intent doesn’t mean I’m immune from writing things that may be problematic. My unreserved apologies if I have and I’d definitely appreciate an email to let me know.

On a more light-hearted note … The glow-worm cave is inspired by images I’ve seen of an amazing cave in New Zealand full of blue-green glow-worms. So, yes I’m aware that the glow-worms in the Americas don’t tend to be that colour, but those photos were just so gorgeous, I had to try and recreate the place, and I bowed to the Rule of Cool on this occasion. If you’d like to see photos, I’ve saved some on my Lady Vice Pinterest board.