When We Were Gods: A Novel of Cleopatra - Couverture souple

Falconer, Colin

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0609808893 ISBN 13 : 9780609808894

Editeur : Three Rivers Pr, 2002

Synopsis

Book by Falconer Colin

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

'Spectacular historical fiction blazing with intrigue, romance and dramatic action' - Booklist A wonderful story ... not just a rehash of history but rather a refreshing look at this clever and charismatic leader ... pulsating with the passion of a woman.' - Womens Weekly Book of the Month 'Makes dry history into a real rip-roaring read. In Falconer's hands, Cleopatra is a smart, sexy and sassy heroine.' - Australian Womens Forum Book of the Month Cleopatra VII of Egypt was barely more than a girl when she inherited the richest empire in the world - one that stretched from the scorching deserts of lower Egypt to the shining Mediterranean metropolis of Alexandria with its famed library and lighthouse. Imperilled at every turn by court conspiracies and Roman treachery, the young Queen was forced to flee Alexandria and live in exile while a foreign army overran her city and her own family plotted her downfall. With nothing to lose, Cleopatra sought a partnership with the only man who could secure Egypt's safety: Julius Caesar, a wily politician and battle-hardened general with a weakness for women. The result was a passionate love affair that scandalized Rome and thrust Cleopatra into a world of deadly intrigue played for the very highest stakes - a world she would continue to mesmerize and manipulate even after Caesar was gone. At the height of her power and fame, Cleopatra fell in love with Caesar's successor, Marc Antony, a general known as much for his drunken hedonism as his victories in battle. Brash, irresistible and fatally unreliable Antony's once-strong hold on the Roman empire soon slips away, and with it Cleopatra's fortunes. When the tide finally turns against Cleopatra and Anthony her she plots a last, spectacular manoeuvre to save her children, her empire, and her place among the gods. There is no woman in history that excites the curiosity or the imagination like Cleopatra. A life as poignant as it was inspired, this daughter of the Nile simply had no equal in a world ruled by men. As the last queen of Egypt, she remains one of the most enigmatic figures in historical fiction. Her enemies told so many lies to bring her down; how many do we still believe? Who was Cleopatra Daughter of the Nile? 'This is the riveting story of Egypt’s last and greatest queen, a look at Cleopatra, the great woman behind the legend. In this new and revised edition - the director's cut - takes the reader inside the walls of Alexandria's great palaces, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman who thrived and triumphed in a world ruled by men. 'Falconer's Cleopatra is vulnerable, intelligent and liberated, defined by her wit as much as her beauty' - Publishers Weekly 'Falconer paints an enthralling fictional portrait of the one of the most powerful and beguiling women of all ages.' - Margaret Flanagan, American Library Association

Extrait

Darkness, cold stone under her fingertips, shadows dancing on the walls, torches flickering in the downdraught of the tunnels. So cold, and damp as death down here, and it was long moments before her eyes became accustomed to the darkness.

She heard them before she saw them, their sinuous coilings and cold slithering, as they retreated before the light of the torches. She felt her muscles freeze. She was unable to look away, her limbs paralyzed by the horror in the pit below. There were hundreds of them, countless deaths sliding upon and under, eyes glinting like chips of garnet. The executioner's storehouse.

There an asp, its tongue flicking in and out of its slit mouth in agitation, sensing their presence. Its bite caused agonizing pain that spread to the whole body, and the affected limb was soon covered with ugly purple blotches and swellings. Its victim soon began to retch, and then lost control of bladder and bowels. An ugly death, reserved for criminals who were to be doubly punished.

And there, its slender body banded with yellow and brown, the hooded cobra, the divine symbol of Upper Egypt, the royal emblem of pharaoh and Ptolemy alike. The Greeks called it basilisk, or little king. In the Book of the Dead the hooded cobra was the symbol for everlasting life.

Its bite was deadly but relatively painless. After a short time its victim's eyes began to droop, and then they fell quickly into a deep sleep from which they did not return. The fangs left two small marks from their bite, but there was no other disfigurement to the body, granting dignity in death. It was the way chosen for her older sister, Berenice, after she had rebelled against her father and tried to usurp his throne.

Now her father put his mouth close to his ear, she felt the wiry hairs of his beard tickle her face. "This is the world you have inherited," he whispered to her. "Every palace is filled with snakes, twice as deadly as these. You will live in such a nest all your life and you must learn to be as sinuous as these serpents, use your venom as wisely, and to strike without hesitation if you are to survive. Do you understand?"

"I understand," Cleopatra answered.

She was ten years old.
From the Hardcover edition.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Three Rivers Pr
• Date d'édition: 2002
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0609808893
• ISBN 13: 9780609808894
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 503
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible