Rubicon by Tom Holland - History book or thinly veiled novel

[Epictetus]

This does not deal with Holland's Rubicon, but I found an interesting defence of "creative nonfiction" by Chairman of the Cambridge History Faculty John Hatcher. Note that he is defending his own book.

Indeed, it more closely resembles docudrama or creative nonfiction than traditional history, and it contains dialogue. But, as far as possible, the recreations are based on what is known to have happened, and the attitudes and ideas expressed by the characters are derived from what contemporary sources would lead us to expect...

I was encouraged in my writing by a number of supportive colleagues, friends and experts in this field, and who found the format that I had chosen threw welcome light on some important themes very poorly illuminated by surviving sources.