This lushly detailed historical novel tells the story of the tenth-century Byzantine princess Theophano, who ruled as empress during the last days of the Roman Empire. Her story is told through the eyes of her companion and adviser, Aspasia, a widow and royal princess in her own right. At eighteen years old, Theophano is sent to become the wife of Otto II, the Holy Roman Emperor, and must win the devotion of her new husband and people. Meanwhile, Aspasia begins a dangerous love affair with Otto the Great's Moorish physician. When Otto II is unexpectedly killed in battle, the kingdom is left to his infant son, and Empress Theophano must fight one of the greatest wars of succession of the Dark Ages to protect her realm from the throne's rival, Henry of Burgundy.
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“[Features] a powerful central character who does what may seem impossible, namely making a story about life in tenth-century Germany interesting...Tarr...keeps listeners intrigued with revolutions, political maneuvering, and illicit sex...[Anna Fields] does a good job conveying the personalities of the many characters.” — AudioFile
“[Features] a powerful central character who does what may seem impossible, namely making a story about life in tenth-century Germany interesting...Tarr...keeps listeners intrigued with revolutions, political maneuvering, and illicit sex...[Anna Fields] does a good job conveying the personalities of the many characters.”
“[A] fully realized novel…The contrasting atmospheres of [the] two separate sovereignties are re-created with telling and authentic detail…The complicated politics of the time are handled with lucidity and color.”
" The story was good, well written, and exciting plot. However, I hated the ending. "
" Holy Roman romance with slow start and painful ending "
" The descriptions of the buildings and historical setting were interesting, but the plot was really spread out and strange. "
Judith Tarr is the author of more than forty widely praised novels, including The Throne of Isis, White Mare’s Daughter, and Queen of Swords, as well as eight novels in the Avaryan Chronicles. A graduate of Yale and Cambridge, she holds degrees in ancient and medieval history and breeds Lipizzan horses at Dancing Horse Farm, her home in Vail, Arizona.
Jennifer Van Dyck has appeared on Broadway in Hedda Gabler, Dancing at Lughnasa, Two Shakespearean Actors, and The Secret Rapture. She has been in new plays by Keith Bunin, Ellen McLaughlin, Catherine Filloux, Douglas Post, A. R. Gurney, and Albert Innaurato. Her film and television credits include Series 7, States of Control, Bullets over Broadway, numerous Law & Order episodes, Ed, Spin City, and The Education of Max Bickford. Her audiobook narrations have won her three AudioFile Earphones Awards.
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