Malcolm David Logan, Author

Did Christianity Cause the Fall of the Roman Empire?

In Edward Gibbon’s classic tome “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” after 11,000 pages the author comes to a startling conclusion: Christianity was one of the main reasons the Empire fell. But is it true?

10 Disgusting Dishes the Romans Found Delectable

The Roman palate was quite different than our own. The things they found delicious would make you want to gag.

Has the Roman Empire Ever Really Ceased to Exist?

When I say my novels are about “The Fall of Rome”, I’m speaking of the Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD when the last western emperor abdicated, but others don’t accept that date, and some even claim it survives today in the form of a country we are all familiar with. It's probably not the one you're thinking of.

10 Amazing But True Facts About Attila and the Huns

The Huns were the most fearsome barbarian horde to ever invade Europe. What made them so frightening back in the 5th century would still terrify you today. Here are 10 amazing but true facts about Attila and the Huns.

Reimagining a Lost Battle

The Battle of the Catalaunian Plans was of pivotal importance in European history. However, to recreate it I had to rely on imagination and conjecture, as well as what little reliable source material was available.

The 15 Most Populous Cities at the Fall of the Roman Empire and Their Modern Day Equivalents

The population of the city of Rome declined 92% between 410 AD and 476 AD when the last emperor of the west abdicated, falling to just 60,000 residents. I thought it would be interesting to compare the sizes of the largest cities at the fall of the Roman Empire with modern day cities to get a sense of how big these cities really were...

Rome in 3D - Travel Back in Time to See What Rome Really Looked Like

The stunning video "Ancient Rome in 3D" presents a flyover of Rome as it appeared at its most glorious in the mid-4th century CE. It's amazingly detailed and accurate. Check it out.

Understanding the Barbarian Mindset

In crafting a story about the Fall of the Roman Empire I wanted it be as true to real events as possible. To that extent it was necessary to avoid tired old stereotypes about the various peoples who inhabited the world of that time. Nowhere is this more the case than with the barbarians. Who were these people? What did they want? And what were they thinking?

What the Fall of the Roman Empire Has Taught Me About Immigration

We tend to think of immigration as something new in our times. Indeed, when we would look at the racial and ethnic make-up of our 21st century communities, we must acknowledge a rapid evolution from a half century ago when the majority of Americans were of northern European stock. However, we would be wrong to think this is something unprecedented. As in so many things, the Romans were there before us...

Sneak preview of "The Desecration of Fortune"

They came in their thousands, a great rolling horde that stretched out on the plain before us like a slow-moving tide. They came on foot and horseback, tromping through the dust amidst the sounds of creaking leather, clacking greaves, and rattling swords. They came in curious wagons topped with sheepskin tents and peaked roofs from which rippled long pennants. They came driving their livestock, swarming herds of sheep, pigs, and goats. They shepherded them along with whips and staffs, more like nomadic migrants than an advancing army. They came with their families, squealing children, beckoning mothers, and shouting men. They came with their slaves, the squalid, dejected remnants of defeated tribes, once proud men and women who had made the unforgivable mistake of asking them for mercy. They came with their plunder, wagons piled high with the treasures they had stripped from the towns and cities they had demolished, riches they had torn from the hands of weeping victims and plucked from the bodies of the dead as they stood ankle-deep in blood. They came with their siege engines, the mighty machines of war...

Laying the Groundwork for a Sequel

If I write a sequel with a male as the main character, my female readers may be disappointed. So I need a woman. I can’t use Galla Placidia, because she’s already told her story in “The Wind in the Embers”, and I can’t use Justa, because the historical material about her is scant, and, besides, she is the ideal antagonist (she is such a conniving bitch). I need someone else. So I start researching female historical figures whose lives touch on my story. And I don’t have to go far...