Eileen Stephenson

Continuation of the fictional memoir of Anna Dalessena, grande dame of her extended family and a strong woman with her hand both in family drama and in Byzantine political events of the 11th century, extending from the reigns of Isaac Comnenus, her brother-in-law, through those who followed him, until the beginning of her son Alexios' reign and restoration of the Comnenus dynasty. Fascinating look into that time, from Anna's viewpoint. Smoothly written and well-paced. I was grateful for the extra material, especially the Cast of Characters to which I kept referring all through the story. I thank the author for sending me a copy.

Highly recommended.… (more)

Marvelous evocation of middle Byzantine history and civilization through the memoirs of Anna Dalassena, sister-in-law to one emperor and mother to another. Anna gives us a window into the lives of aristocratic Byzantines--mostly her extended family--and others close to the throne. I really felt I was transported to that time and place and really got a feeling for the characters' lives and emotions. The story covered the exile of Anna and her grandparents until the start of her brother-in-law's reign, that of Emperor Isaac Comnenus. We see the various family personal stories, upheavals, and reigns of various incompetent or profligate emperors until Isaac and others in the army band together and force the abdication of his predecessor and banishment to a monastery. The author described beautifully that whole milieu. I appreciated the detailed physical descriptions. The coronation scene was outstanding, also how the author had a small incident happen and then how a similar incident or object later in the narration called up memories or lessons learned. The glossary and list of persons really helped me. I could make some sort of sense of the history of the Constantinople of that day.

Highly recommended. I thank the author for giving me a copy of her novel. As far as Anna, I feel this novel was more her background and she will become more important in affairs of state later in the trilogy.… (more)

A collection of three delightful short stories about three important Byzantines. These three tales are a painless way to present some incidents in Byzantine history, dealing either with members of royalty and one soon-to-be royal family.

Chronologically arranged, each told of a key occurrence in the main characters' lives, that shaped him or her.

"Ceremony of the Emperor": a young empress stands firmly but tactfully against her formidable father.
"Red Fox": how an enemy is gulled by the deception of a Byzantine general and the saving of the population of a town. This one was my favorite of the three.
"Alexiad": a princess, shut away in a convent, finds meaning to her life.

I liked that each was written in a simple manner, making it easy to remember something of a period of history unfamiliar to many people. The characters were memorable and likeable. I liked the Notes after each story, giving us a thumbnail sketch of the particular protagonist, short history of his or her importance and how he or she fits into Byzantine history. The cover was stunning!… (more)