“Amazing history—I felt like I was there.”—Lisa Wingate, bestselling author of Before We Were Yours
Theodora: actress, prostitute, mistress. And Byzantine Empress of the civilized world.
Stephen: handsome Syrian boy, wizard’s apprentice, palace eunuch. And Secretery to the Empress.
How does this unlikely pair become such allies that one day Empress Theodora asks Stephen to write her biography? … to the Empress.
How does this unlikely pair become such allies that one day Empress Theodora asks Stephen to write her biography?
From a very young age, Theodora, daughter of a circus bear keeper, sets her sights well above her station in life. Her exquisite beauty sets her apart on stages and in the eyes of men.
Stephen, a Syrian lad of striking good looks, is sold by his parents to a Persian wizard, who teaches him a skill in languages that will serve him well.
By the time Destiny brings them together in Antioch, Theodora has undergone heart-rending trials and a transformation, while Stephen has been sold again . . . and castrated.
Discover the enduring bond that, however imperfect, prompts Theodora—as Empress—to request palace eunuch Stephen to write her biography.
“James Conroyd Martin not only unfurls the vast canvas of history, but he paints the deeply personal side of the men and women who lived it. His settings and characters come to life in meticulously researched detail. I felt like I was there.” —Lisa Wingate, New York Times Bestselling Author of Before We Were Yours
“Fortune’s Child is a treasure for historical fiction fans—richly detailed, immersive, and heart-pounding. Martin paints a vivid and satisfying portrait of one of history’s most remarkable women.”
–Olivia Hawker, bestselling author of The Ragged Edge of Night
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An intelligent, meticulously researched and dramatic read
What a clever author Mr Martin is. Through his invented narrator Stephen, he shows us not only Theodora and her rise to power, but also the even darker side of the Eastern Roman Empire from below. By doing this we gain a fully rounded view as the story unfurls around us. Yes, we are in the streets of Constantinople, the filthy dungeon, under a hot African sky and enmeshed in the ‘Byzantine’ corridors, physical and political, of the palace complex.
Stephen loves and hates Theodora; he sometimes cannot even decide which and when and at what time. But the link, no, the bond between them is twisted and stretched, but unbreakable.
Theodora, while tough and determined, does not strike us as grasping or power hungry; her progress from poverty to empress is not along a straight path. But it’s a fascinating one.
The writing is accomplished and the imagery vivid. It’s not a short read, but it’s an absorbing one you will not want to finish. Luckily, there’s another part in the offing.
I enjoyed this book very much, for its clear and vivid picture of the time and place and for the well-rounded, complex characters. Skillfully written and paced, it kept me reading eagerly, putting aside various projects and activities, until I reached the end. I am looking forward to Book 2!
I’ve read a number of novels about Theodora (wife of the Byzantine emperor Justinian in the 6th century). They’ve all been pretty good, but this one is the best event though it covers only her life more or less to the time Justinian is crowned. I understand there is a sequel to follow. Martin’s take on Theodora is true to the history and sympathetic to his subject.
Well written, good characters, well researched, interesting and moves along.
I was hooked at the first sentence. Very well written. Won’t recap the book, but I thought the author made the period come alive. Characters were well developed.
Here’s something different! We have the story of Empress Theodora from her childhood to her coronation. The twist is that she is telling this story to the very person she had imprisoned for five years—for no apparent reason—and just as suddenly released so he can record the history of her life. Why? To set the record straight, because she feared that her powerful enemy in court, Procopius, would blacken her name after her death. It turns out that the man she imprisoned—our narrator—was her friend during the days she was a lonely and rejected courtesan—and worse, an ex-actress. He loved her from the day he met her, and was indirectly responsible for her meeting Justinian, who was heir to the throne at the time.
But sadly, our narrator Stephen, whose parents sold him into slavery, was a eunuch. So his infatuation would never be more than that. Nonetheless, he was entangled in her rise to power:
“What about that miserable alley east of the Hippodrome?” (says Procopius)
My heart catches. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t play coy, whoremonger,” he growls.
“What?” I feel the blood coming into my face.
“You took him there—to the shack of that reformed actress. Of course, she’s not reformed at all, is she?”
“Who?”
“Theodora. You led him right to her, didn’t you? You procured her, yes? Did he pay you well?—Or perhaps she did, eh? Is she still paying?”
Theodora’s story is interspersed with the memoirs of our narrator, chapter by chapter. Because they both came from poverty, it would have been easy to mix them up; but the author saved me from this confusion by writing Stephen’s tale in first person, and Theodora’s memoir in third person. Although I knew she must have been despicable because she threw her friend into prison, I found her story sympathetic despite myself. Three quarters of the way through the book, it dawned on me that there was too much story remaining for just one volume, and so it turned out. There’s more to come; we’ll just have to wait.
I read a lot of historical novels, but really knew nothing about this era or place. Theodora’s life was amazing, and her story well written. Definitely worth a read if you like to learn about new and totally different people and places. Good characters.
Excellent book, can’t wait for the second part! Love the historic background and the story of the heroine!
This was a good book. Dragged a little bit for me. The story line seemed repetitive after awhile, but I felt it gave you a feeling of what type of person Theodora might have been since not much is known about her.
I picked up this book because I love historical novels and mysteries and I rarely encounter any set during the Byzantine Empire. In other words, on a whim. I was more than pleasantly surprised. I was enthralled by the writing, the period, the characters. There is to be a second in this particular series of two. Mr. Martin, please write faster!
In Conrad-Martin’s first half of his duology on Theodora, readers are treated to two stellar characters for the price of one. Theodora, the impoverished and tarnished young woman who rises to the rank of Empress of the Eastern Roman Empire is well-played and Stephen–who I found to be more tragic–is a complex, hard-to-resist man, trapped and struggling throughout the story. Beginning at the end of the reign of Anastasius, we follow both Theodora and Stephen on their separate life journeys. It’s an enjoyable ride, overall and I loved the detail, and Conrad-Martin’s Justinian was especially appealing.
In writing the two plots, my only hesitation in awarding a 5 star rating was in the formatting of the book. Since he dealt with two characters’ voices, the layout and scene switching between them was a little disconcerting at times. Instead of separating them with clear chapter breaks, there were scene breaks instead, but sometimes it didn’t feel like enough of a “change-over”.
However, Conrad-Martin is a fine author and this is a well-thought out novel with plenty of meat for the history-lover! I recommend it!
I really appreciate historical fiction. This is an intriguing masterpiece, with plenty of suspenseful plot turns. If it weren’t based on actual history, the story would be extremely improbable. My perception is that it is quite true to history, and that what is fiction is true to the period. Character development for the empress is amazing, and female characters are very strong in this novel. It was the kind of page-turner that took words and formed a picture. I emerged absorbed, as though having seen a Titanic movie. I look forward to more.
I enjoyed learning about this part of history in Constantinople.
Theadora is very unpredictable .well written
In Fortune’s Child, the reader is transported back to the Byzantine Empire beginning in 500 AD. Settle in for the ride, because you won’t want to put this book down. It was a two-day read for me. I have read and recommend the author’s other works (including the Poland Trilogy, also based on true events.) He gets better with each new book, which says a lot because the others are good. This story stands by itself, and is also based on a real historical figure, Empress Theodora, who I knew nothing about. James Conroyd Martin has done an incredible amount of research to paint with words a rich and unique picture of the time. He brings the time period, and Theodora alive, and uses a clever storytelling angle and narrator. No spoilers. If you love historical fiction, this book is for you. And if you really like it, a sequel is in the works. I can’t wait to read it.