In the SPRQ series, written by John Maddox Roberts, I’ve often wondered why Decius and his wife Julia remain childless. Having kids can always add extra plot points and ideas. I have wished it could be otherwise with them, but then I got to thinking. Julia is, of course, a fictional relation of Julius Caesar(as Decius of of the Metellus clan), but if she was real her children would stand in the same relation to Caesar as Octavian. He’d be sure to see them as potential rivals, with a possible bad ending for any such kids.
Has anyone else thought about this, that it’s possible the author simply wants to avoid the political implications of such children?
I also welcome other speculations about this series, which I’ve enjoyed for years now.