davis

There are typical characters in this book: the villains are very evil, while the heroes and heroines are beautiful, brave and wise. However, there is romance, adventure and suspense in this book, all against the backdrop of Constantinople during the Byzantine Empire.

This is historical fiction. The author retells the classic struggle of Xerxes’ invasion of Greece leading to Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea. Seen through the eyes of a fictional Athenian, it interweaves fictional love and honor restored with historical characters.

Although it is a work of fiction and the story, dialogue and structure are perfect, the historical facts and perspective are very reliable as the author was a university professor specializing in this period. You will see how the pagan religions of that time influenced men and women. This book will appeal to fans of historical novels about the Roman Empire.

The story centers on Joseph Davis, a popular writer of romanticized histories, who comes to believe that some people differ fundamentally from most of us. They are more rational, possibly more talented and intelligent. His wife has increasingly become a stranger, the imminent birth of his first child has left him in a panicked state, and his rosy-tinted histories have lately begun to strike him as...