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A Note from the Author

I, Tutus : The Son of Heaven began the exhilarating and astounding journey of pug extraordinaire, Tutus Indomitus Minimus, from ancient China to ancient Rome (circa 2-12 A.D.) Citizen of Rome completes that memorable journey sweeping Tutus across the vast Eurasian steppes and into the glory and decadence of Rome.

While I, Tutus will delight pug and dog lovers, it is not just a "dog book." A lighted-hearted romp through the distant, common history of man and dog, Tutus explores the fundaments of the human and canine condition -- birth, sex, violence, philosophy, love, housebreaking, heartbreak, religion, and politics (see Excerpts). It will appeal to anyone who likes history, adventure, comedy, or merely a "good read."

Twinned in times primeval, beyond reach of memory. Ancient truths and sure instincts long since sundered,
Muddied by cities and kings and gods,
the mad pretense of science.

The dog a steady, dependable moon
About the rushing, wobbling orbit of man.

So the late poet, C. Darlington Gushing, described the link between man and dog. I, Tutus reminds us how little this relationship, and the nature of either party, has changed.

I hope you enjoy it,

Don Phillips

I, Tutus:
Citizen of Rome

Citizen of Rome continues the remarkable saga of Tutus Indomitus Minimus, now caught up with a raucous band of Scythian “barbarians” intent on war and conquest. But an unexpected and disastrous encounter with the Roman legion ends their quixotic campaign and a wounded Tutus transfers her allegiance to the ambitious Roman general Marcellus.

In I, Tutus: The Son of Heaven, our pug heroine settled happily into the luxury of the Chinese Imperial Palace—the favorite of concubines, eunuchs, and the 11-year-old Emperor Pingdi (The Son of Heaven). But, cast out by murderous intrigues, she makes a perilous journey across the forbidding Silk Road.

Surviving a harrowing sea journey, Tutus captivates the fickle Roman populace, becoming the favorite of one of Rome’s most beautiful women, Julia Livilla, and a devotee of its lavish and decadent entertainments. But will the intrigues of Marcellus, or her own over-indulgence, doom our plucky heroine? Or will her uncanny luck prevail once more?

I, Tutus shows us the Rome of Caesar Augustus as never before – through the eyes, and nose, of Tutus and the irreverent wit of her scheming comrade, the blind slave Polybius.

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I, Tutus: The Son of Heaven

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