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The Conqueror's Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great by Stephanie Thornton (Engl

Description: The Conqueror's Wife by Stephanie Thornton The author of The Tiger Queens journeys into the world of Alexander the Great with this dramatic new historical novel.A novel from the acclaimed author of The Tiger Queens, for readers looking for "strong and determined female protagonists" (Historical Novel Society) and "a sprawling historical saga" (Renee Rosen)...We are the women who loved Alexander the Great. We were lovers and murderers, innocents and soldiers.And without us, Alexander would have been only a man.Instead he was a god.330s, B.C.E., Greece- Alexander, a handsome young warrior of Macedon, begins his quest to conquer the ancient world. But he cannot ascend to power, and keep it, without the women who help to shape his destiny.His spirited younger half-sister, Thessalonike, yearns to join her brother and see the world. Instead, it is Alexanders boyhood companion who rides with him into war while Thessalonike remains behind. Far away, crafty princess Drypetis will not stand idly by as Alexander topples her father from Persias throne. And after Alexander conquers her tiny kingdom, Roxana, the beautiful and cunning daughter of a minor noble, wins Alexanders heart...and will commit any crime to secure her place at his side.Within a few short years, Alexander controls an empire more vast than the civilized world has ever known. But his victories are tarnished by losses on the battlefield and treachery among his inner circle. And long after Alexander is gone, the women who are his champions, wives, and enemies will fight to claim his legacy...CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography Stephanie Thornton is a history teacher and the author of novels about the forgotten women of history- The Tiger Queens, Daughter of the Gods, and The Secret History.She lives with her husband and daughter in Alaska. Review "Through the eyes of the fascinating and fierce women in Alexanders life, Thornton enchants the reader with a fresh new look at an ancient hero. Her accessible and energetic writing brings the ancient world to life while giving voice to the voiceless in this vivid tale of the women in the shadow of Alexanders glory. What a talent!"—Stephanie Dray, bestselling author of Lily on the Nile "Stephanie Thornton boldly goes where other historical novelists might fear to tread. In her recounting of Alexander the Greats epic quest of conquest, as told through the eyes of the shrewd, ambitious and dangerous women surrounding him, she brings to life the treachery, glory, and intrigue of a fascinating ancient world."—C.W. Gortner, bestselling author of Mademoiselle Chanel "A conqueror slices through the ancient world on pages that writhe with ambition and danger, yet the reader is swept in by unexpected heroines. This gritty epic is voiced by the tenacious women who surrounded Alexander the Great, proving he wouldve been nothing of the sort without them."—Marci Jefferson, author of Girl on the Golden Coin Promotional We are the women who loved Alexander the Great. We were lovers and murderers, innocents and soldiers.And without us, Alexander would have been only a man.Instead he was a god. Review Quote Praise for the Novels of Stephanie Thornton: "A testament to Thorntons writing prowess...A stunning achievement!."-Barbara Wood, New York Times bestselling author "A gripping epic of sacrifice, revenge, and conquest."-Michelle Moran, bestselling author of Rebel Queen "Gripping stuff!" -Alex Rutherford, author of the Empire of the Moghul series "Beautiful, earthy, and completely accessible prose…an absorbing read-classic historical fiction at its best."- Historical Novel Society "An immersive, enlightening epic…. Intrigue, romance, and strong, willful heroines."- Booklist "I couldnt put it down for a moment."- San Francisco Book Review "A worthy successor to Taylor Caldwells The Earth is the Lords ."-Judith E. French, author of The Conqueror Promotional "Headline" We are the women who loved Alexander the Great. We were lovers and murderers, innocents and soldiers.And without us, Alexander would have been only a man.Instead he was a god. Excerpt from Book Praise Also by Stephanie Thornton Title Page Copyright Dedication PROLOGUE CHAPTER 1 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 3 CHAPTER 4 CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7 CHAPTER 8 CHAPTER 9 CHAPTER 10 CHAPTER 11 CHAPTER 12 CHAPTER 13 CHAPTER 14 CHAPTER 15 CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CHAPTER 18 CHAPTER 19 CHAPTER 20 CHAPTER 21 CHAPTER 22 CHAPTER 23 CHAPTER 24 CHAPTER 25 CHAPTER 26 CHAPTER 27 CHAPTER 28 CHAPTER 29 EPILOGUE Cast of Characters Authors Note Further Reading on the Empire of Alexander the Great Readers Guide Excerpt from The Secret History About the Author PROLOGUE Alexander deemed himself a god, the mythic descendant of Achilles and the son of Zeus, and entire nations fell to their knees in ecstatic worship of him. But he was no god any more than we were nymphs and dryads, benevolent four-hoofed centaurs or vengeful three-headed chimeras. He called himself Alexander the Great and claimed that he conquered the world. But he would have been lucky to conquer a stinking midden heap populated by swarms of biting flies had it not been for our cunning and daring. Alexander founded cities of culture and learning, and named them after himself in a fit of hubris. But he razed more cities than there are stars in the sky, slaughtered their men, and burned their ancient palaces so that the four winds carried the gray ashes to rain down upon lands more distant than Alexandria-the-Farthest. He claimed that the earth trembled, mountains quivered, and oceans overflowed their shores at his approach, but without us, Alexander would never have mounted a single golden throne or worn the coveted eagle diadem of Persia, much less the combined crowns of Greece, Egypt, and India. Like Achilles, he sought glory and everlasting fame, and beseeched the gods that his name would echo throughout history. Yet so many of his baser deeds have been forgotten, or retold to forge him into a hero worthy of epic ballads. But that is only part of the story. It was because of him, and for him, that we did great, and also terrible, things. Just as Zeus sat in his throne room atop Olympus, surrounded by the gods of violence and light, the goddesses of desire and the hearth, so too was Alexander surrounded by us. His lover. His sister. His wife. His soldier. We were murderers and poisoners, innocents and warriors. And without us, Alexander would have been only a man. Instead, he was a god. CHAPTER 1 336 BCE Aigai, Macedon Thessalonike I thought the wedding feast a threefold gift from Olympus: We celebrated our newly made political alliances, dined on more Delian honey cakes than I could stuff in my cheeks, and witnessed the return of my golden brother from his scandalous exile. Yet in the days to come I would wonder if we had offended the gods or if perhaps the Olympians merely found our petty lives tiresome after the extravagance of the marriage ceremony. Regardless of the cause, the three old crones of Fate set their rusty shears to cutting countless lifestrings after that terrible day. The morning began with a banquet of dried apricots, flat staititas topped with sesame seeds and goat cheese, and crusty loaves of olive bread meant to symbolize the fertility of the recently deflowered bride--one of my barely known half sisters--wed today to a dour client king of Molossia. "You have honey on your cheek, Thessalonike." The youngest of my fathers seven wives and his current favorite, Eurydice, pursed her cinnabar-stained lips at me from across the womens table. "And I think youve had quite enough apricots, lest they make you plumper than you already are." I rubbed my sleep-heavy eyes and licked away the sticky sweetness with my tongue, earning stern glares from all my fathers wives and a lopsided grin from my half brother Arrhidaeus. "Like a frog, Nike," he said, bouncing in his seat and clapping his fat hands before him. The son of a common Illyrian dancing girl, Arrhidaeus was twice my ten summers, but his mind remained that of a child. Despite his towering height and broad shoulders, he was allowed to sit on the womens side of the hall because none of the men would have him. "Or a salamander." I laughed, letting my tongue flick between my teeth until Eurydice kicked my foot beneath the table. I scowled, wishing my pretty stepmother were still confined to her chambers with her infant son, where she couldnt nag me. The last apricot drizzled with honey beckoned, so I shoved it into my mouth before Eurydice could swat my hand. This afternoon would include endless recitations of Homers moth-eaten poems and prizes of gold bullion for the finest sculpture celebrating the marriage alliance between Epirus and Macedon, but I was hoping to sneak away to watch the javelin throwers and pankration matches. If I was lucky, maybe the pankratiasts would break the rules and try to gouge out each others eyes. If I were ever a naked and oiled pankratiast --which I never would be because I had the misfortune of being born both a girl and royal--the first thing I would do was go for the eyes. In fact, Arrhidaeus had long ago shortened my name to Nike--the rest of my name proving too cumbersome--and it suited me to share the name with the winged goddess of victory, for like Nike I loved to win above all things. "Come," Eurydice said, standing and smoothing the elaborate pleats of her woolen peplos . "We shall continue our weaving until the men return from the arena. Then Philip has granted us permission to listen to the poets." I stabbed my finger inside an olive, wishing I could do the same to my ears when it came time for the recitation. I dropped the pit to the ground, then winked at Arrhidaeus before I crushed the salty green flesh between my teeth. My half brother didnt notice, being too busy digging with a tiny silver spoon into a pomegranate. Eurydice swept off in a cloud of violet perfume. No one noticed--or perhaps cared--when I didnt follow. My fathers youngest wife had pretensions of being a dutiful matron, but Eurydice was better suited to gossiping about the latest fashion of beaded girdles or how much her recent treatment of foul-smelling ceruse had whitened her skin. "Follow me," I whispered to Arrhidaeus, casting a furtive glance around the hall. "Where?" he asked. His thick lips drooped into a frown as he gave up on the spoon and used his fingers to fish the last juicy red seeds from the pomegranates husk. "To the arena," I said, pulling him from the table even as he licked his scarlet-stained palms. "Id rather pluck my eyes out than spend the day weaving." "No," he said, shaking his head. "Dont hurt your eyes." "I wont, my Titan, at least not if you hurry." My half brother grinned at my name for him. The Titans were immortal giants with tremendous strength (although theyd been overthrown by the Olympians, which I chose to ignore). Regardless, the nickname was kinder than the others my fathers court called Arrhidaeus: "donkey face," "walnut brain," and "half-wit." Several of the nobles foulmouthed sons had felt the sting of my slingshot in response, so now they held their tongues when I was nearby. I glanced at the courtyards columned entrance, the wilted olive branch that announced the birth of Eurydices son still tied to the plinths, and saw that my eldest half brother, Alexander, and his boyhood companion Hephaestion had arrived, their hair damp and complexions ruddy from the baths. Their heads were bent in deep conversation--one the color of a lions mane in summer sunshine and the other with curls as dark as a crows wing in winter. Their claim on each others affections was well-known throughout the palace and theyd walked in each others shadows since Alexanders recent return to Aigai following his exile. Despite that, most of the women--and some of the men--now swiveled in the direction of my beautiful, scandal-laden brother, several holding chunks of bread suspended in midair as he and his friend passed. Hephaestions chiseled features softened as he stooped to whisper in my brothers ear before striding toward the table on the mens side of the courtyard, its walls decorated with a fresco of a griffin attacking a stag. Alexander arranged himself stiffly on a dining couch, his tawny hair parted in a severe line down the middle, and his lips curved into a frown as he glanced at our fathers empty dais. My brothers return had inspired continuing whispers that Eurydices newly delivered infant son would supplant him as our fathers heir. Life had been simple until my father married Eurydice of Macedon, her belly already swollen with a boy child, or so she had crowed to anyone who would listen. Perhaps it was a result of the wine or the summers heat, but at their wedding ceremony Alexanders blood had almost been shed after Eurydices father had offered a public prayer to Zeus to grant my father a new, full-blooded heir. Alexander, born of Philips Macedonian and Olympias Epirean blood, had leapt from his seat in a rage and thrown his cup of wine at Eurydices father, causing my father to draw his sword. There was a collective gasp of shock as my father lunged forward, presumably to stab his own son, but instead he tripped on the edge of his couch and fell face-first to the ground. In the outrage that followed, Alexander and his mo Details ISBN0451472004 Author Stephanie Thornton Short Title CONQUERORS WIFE Language English ISBN-10 0451472004 ISBN-13 9780451472007 Media Book Format Paperback Birth 1952 Pages 512 Imprint New American Library Subtitle A Novel of Alexander the Great Country of Publication United States Year 2015 Publication Date 2015-12-01 US Release Date 2015-12-01 UK Release Date 2015-12-01 Narrator Susan McInearny Affiliation Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Bipolar Clinic and Reseach Program, Massachusetts General Hospital Position Associate Professor of Psychiatry Qualifications Ph.D. Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc DEWEY 813.6 Audience General NZ Release Date 2016-01-26 AU Release Date 2016-01-26 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:160386612;

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The Conqueror

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ISBN: 9780451472007

Book Title: The Conqueror's Wife

Item Height: 210mm

Item Width: 140mm

Author: Stephanie Thornton

Format: Paperback

Language: English

Topic: Books

Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc

Publication Year: 2015

Item Weight: 465g

Number of Pages: 512 Pages

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