THREE MORE TALES OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE

Byzantium

Michael Ennis (1989) A dispossessed VViking prince travels eeast to Byzantium iin the 11th century. AAs a member of tthe imperial guard hhe is both witness to,t and participant in, the vicious dynastic struggles that make Constantinople such a dangerous place. Based on the true story of Harald Hardrada, later king of Norway, this is a vivid saga set in a decadent society given over to excess and the pursuit of power and pleasure. Theodora Stella Duffy (2010) IIn the sixth century, TTheodora, wife of the BByzantine emperor JJustinian, rises from aan obscure backgground to become tthe most powerful womanw in the world. ThThe extraordinarytdi trajectory of her career, from the theatres and brothels of the city to the throne, shapes Stella Duffy’s compelling novel. The charismatic, seductive Theodora is brought to life, and so too are the filthy backstreets and glittering court of Constantinople in which she operated.

The Walls of Byzantium

James Heneage (2013) TThe first in a gripping ssequence of novels, tthe third of which ( The Lion of Mistra) wwas recently publlished, this epic adventuret story is set in the last decadedecad of the 14th century. The armies of the Ottoman emperor Bayezid threaten Constantinople and the few remaining outposts of its empire. The book’s hero, Luke Magoris, comes from a family that holds the secret to an ancient relic that may yet save Byzantium from destruction.