about the book
In The Liberty of Bog Island, the life of Roman Emperor Constantine, has taken a turn for the worse. The Romans are leaving London and Britain after an occupation of nearly 400 years. The all-powerful Roman Emperor Honorius has decreed it so. Constantine has no longer has an empire to rule, and Honorius wants him dead. Rome detests failure, and Constantine has to pay the price of an Empire in decline. He escapes death through escaping into the magical waters of the River Lea, out east from the City of London, ending up on Bog Island. Once an independent land with its own fierce identity, the island had stood in uneasy tension with the sprawling empire that had never dared to claim it. Its people carry stories running deeper than the marshes themselves: stories of rebellion, forgotten glory, buried truths, and loyalty shaped by generations.
What starts as a straightforward journey turns out to be a deep awakening. Constantine is pulled into the hidden history of the island. Bog Island is connected to Elswick-on-the-Marsh, a time portal village up the River Lea, on the Walthamstow Marshes. The people of Elswick have found the power of time travel through the magic of the ancient Black Path that runs through the Philley Brook, a stream that leads into the River Lea. The Black Path is a temperamental lady, with great power. Constantine ends up in Elswick in the plague year of 1665. He is desperate to use the powers of the Black Path to time travel
The story of Constantine is set against the struggles of Billy Gilts, manager of West Ham United. With 10 games to go in the 2026/27 Premiership season, West Ham are bottom of the table. The fans are in revolt. Billy becomes addicted to Zopiclone, which empowers him to connect with Constantine, though he doesn’t know his name or history. West Ham’s fortunes start to improve, and their Premiership survival goes down to the last game of the season at Fulham’s Craven Cottage.
These stories are set against the Ratcliffe Highway murders of December 1811. Constantine, through his time travels, experiences the awful murders, yet does nothing to stop them. The guilt consumes him. Billy Gilts finds out, after his dream connection with Constantine, that the accused murderer John Williams, is a possible relative. Constantine, after his death, with his spirit forever immersed and swimming in the River Lea, reaches out to Billy Gilts. He wants Billy to use the Black Path to time travel back to 1811 to change the events that led to the murders to cure his guilt, Billy has his own reasons. Also, the East India Company has its say on the events of 1811.
part political mystery, part character-driven odyssey, The Liberty of Bog Island is a richly atmospheric tale of identity, resilience, and transformation. It invites readers into a world where myths breathe, landscapes remember, and one man’s path through the bog becomes a powerful search for truth… and for himself.