Mask of Romulus
A combination of dual biography, travelogue, and philosophical exploration, this novel constructs a fascinating historical tapestry through two central figures: Augustus Caesar, formerly Octavian, and Kamala, the oracle and seer of Ujjain, India.
The narrative begins with the young Gaius Octavian, bullied by his peers, and follows him as he rises to imperial power. Despite his growing authority, he remains troubled by deep insecurities and doubts, even as he refines his physical and political skills.
Running alongside his story is that of Kamala, a fictional Indian girl gifted with prophetic sight. While her early life contrasts with Octavian’s, she is soon dispatched by her ruler to persuade Augustus to establish trade with her homeland and protect it from its enemies. Her journey with her companions becomes a vivid geographical and philosophical odyssey across the Indian subcontinent, pirate-infested seas, the Arabian desert, the Red Sea, Egypt, and the Mediterranean, before she finally reaches Rome and encounters its culture and its emperor.
At this point, the two narratives converge, forging a connection that alters the course of history and shapes an alliance crucial to an understanding of Augustus’s reign.
The novel balances sweeping historical vision with an intimate biographical tale, using the protagonists’ philosophical and psychological landscapes to illuminate their choices. Mask of Romulus is most successful when Jamilkowski weaves philosophy, religion, history, and myth together in the narrative, intertwining his wide knowledge of the history and cultures of the region within the story. This is not a novel for the faint of heart and will repay careful reading, rather than an all-nighter, with ancient map, paper, and pen in hand. Those who read it with love and attention will reap rich rewards.
