Coming This Week: THE PHILOSOPHER PRINCE

Paul Waters, author of The Republic of Vengeance and Cast Not the Day returns to ancient Rome in the brilliant new sequel The Philosopher Prince, out this week from The Overlook Press.

In 2010 Paul Waters introduced Cast Not the Day, a compelling and unflinchingly violent new classic of historical fiction written in the tradition of Mary Renault and Rosemary Sutcliff. In The Philosopher Prince, young noblemen Drusus and Marcellus are back to face the corrupt Roman state in an epic story of comradeship, love, and battle set in antiquity.

In 355 AD the heroes return to a world populated by ambitious bureaucrats and cutthroat courtiers, where human values are treacherously pitted against the calculating machinations of an all-powerful tyranny. Having fallen foul of the emperor’s authority and charged with treason, they must face off against the might of bloodthirsty forces set to destroy them. For Drusus and Marcellus their only ally is the young imperial prince, Julian. But Julian has troubles of his own: his very success has made him hated by his uncle, the emperor.  A gripping, action-packed adventure set in the late Roman Empire, this daring work is rendered authentic through the fusion of historical detail and daring plotlines, delivering a vivid and convincing journey to the past. 

Early Praise for THE PHILOSOPHER PRINCE

“Waters’s portrait of a less familiar historical era is vivid and remarkable. Historical fiction fans who enjoy Edward Rutherfurd and Bernard Cornwell will rejoice in this fresh new voice.” – Library Journal

“A well-researched tale illuminating a little known historical era.” – Publishers Weekly

“Paul Waters, who also wrote The Republic of Vengeance and Cast Not the Day, demonstrates a great love and respect for ancient Roman history.” – ForeWord Reviews

“Waters vivifies the ancient world with plenty of classical detailing and clashing swords; the fact that this tautly spun yarn is supported by an intriguing philosophical and theological subtext is definitely a bonus for discerning readers.” – Booklist

Available Today: RUSSIA: A 1,000-Year Chronicle of the Wild East by Martin Sixsmith

From former BBC Moscow correspondent Martin Sixsmith comes Russia: A 1,000-Year Chronicle of the Wild East, a new single volume history of Russia, available today from the Overlook Press.

During the summer of 1991, a hard-line coup against reformist president Mikhail Gorbachev was undermined, as ordinary Russians protested in the streets to defend democracy and Boris Yeltsin famously mounted a Soviet tank to join the resistance movement. In the aftermath of the failed August coup and the eventual dissolution of the Communist Party, citizens of the world anxiously awaited Russia’s transition to a Western-style market democracy, only to be disappointed by runaway inflation, ethnic violence, and rampant political corruption.

More than twenty years later, Prime Minister and President-elect Vladimir Putin is facing the largest civil protests since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia looks at the events of 1991 and places them within the broadest historical context, highlighting the previous turning points in more than a thousand years of Russian history when the nation could have gone either way—down the path of reform and liberal democracy or totalitarian rule and autocracy. With decades of experience reporting for the BBC in Eastern Europe, Sixsmith settles the score in this accurate and engrossing story of Russia’s path, skillfully tracing the conundrums of contemporary Russia to their roots in its troubled past.

Martin Sixsmith recently contributed an original piece to the Los Angeles Review of Books on Russia’s “New Times of Trouble” and was profiled by Russian daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta’s supplement Russia Beyond the Headlines. To celebrate the release of Russia, we’re giving away one copy to a randomly selected subscriber to the blog. We’ll be drawing a winner tomorrow afternoon at 5pm (EST), so you still have twenty four hours to sign up for your chance to win.

Advance Praise for RUSSIA:

“Russia, a 1,000 Year Chronicle of the Wild East has all the ingredients to become the leading popular history of Russia. Colloquial, personal and anecdotal in style … well researched and factually sound.”

– The Times Literary Supplement

“Sixsmith exemplifies good storytelling. He writes with the cadence and comfort of a professional talker and all of Russian history seems to earn his complete interest.” – ForeWord Reviews

“Twenty years after the U.S.S.R.’s collapse, Russia remains a world-class power, and former BBC Moscow correspondent Sixsmith delivers a thoroughly satisfying history.” – Publishers Weekly

“Whip-smart … a compelling look at Russian history by a practiced Russia hand.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Sixsmith, formerly a BBC television reporter posted in Russia, immerses readers in the Russian landscape and peoples with descriptions of places he’s visited and quotations of poetry.” – Booklist

“Martin Sixsmith has put his experience as a longstanding reporter in Moscow for the BBC to very good use in this engagingly written account of Russia’s conflicted history.” – History Book Club

“Among the many contemporary books about Russia, general readers are likely to choose Sixsmith’s 600-page tome for its comprehensiveness and air of authority. As popular history, it is enjoyable and engaging.” – Russia Beyond the Headlines

BOOK OF ENGLISH MAGIC on Wonders & Marvels!

Here's a wonderful piece on one of our favorite history blogs, Wonders and Marvels, by the authors of THE BOOK OF ENGLISH MAGIC on alchemy. Philip Carr-Gomm and Sir Richard Heygate discuss this theme from their book here:

There is something enduringly romantic about the image of the alchemist in their laboratory. It is no wonder that J.K.Rowling said “I’ve never wanted to be a witch, but an alchemist, now that’s a different matter.” Alchemy emerged into recorded history in Alexandria, in the West, and in China and India, in the East, at about the same time: the fourth to the third century BC. No one is sure whether this happened independently, or whether it first arose in one part of the world and was then carried by travellers to the other, which would certainly have been possible, since the Silk Route was already in operation.

...

By the sixteenth century alchemy was flourishing in England, and although most alchemists were male, one of the most unusual and talented women in England’s history – Mary Sidney, Countess of Pembroke – maintained an alchemical laboratory, assisted by Sir Walter Raleigh’s half-brother Adrian Gilbert, who also created an elaborate magical garden in the grounds.

Mary Sidney is remarkable for being one of the few women whose names appear in the history of alchemy in England and, indeed, the world. She was also the first English woman to achieve a significant literary reputation.

Go here to read the article in its entirety, and to enter to win a copy of THE BOOK OF ENGLISH MAGIC!



And here's a clip from Monty Python about witches. Just because.

Happy On-Sale Date for THE HORSES OF ST. MARK'S and THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD!

Today two brand-new books were born--or, perhaps more accurately, officially put on shelves at bookstores nationwide, with their Amazon pre-order buttons changed to allow customers to "buy it now." Hooray! In case you haven't been following our pre-publication coverage of these two great but extremely different titles, let me introduce you to them.

The Horses of St. Mark's: A Story of Triumph in Byzantium, Paris, and Venice
by Charles Freeman

A must-see for any tourist in Venice, the history of these four beautiful statues is even more interesting than one might think. They witnessed some of Western history's most significant events--the founding and sacking of Constantinople, the height of the Venetian republic and its fall, and Paris under Napoleon through the revolution in 1848. Making their way back to Venice, the rich backstory of these storied statues is a must-read for those interested in history, art, travel--or just interested in a fascinating tale that Charles Freeman, author of A.D. 381, brings vividly to life.


The Caretaker of Lorne Field
by Dave Zeltserman

In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called The Caretaker of Lorne Field a "superb mix of humor and horror." The dark humor and noirish horror combine in this unique take on the genre--the tale of Jack Durkin, the ninth generation of the Durkin family, who has weeded Lorne Field for hundreds of years. He's stuck there until his son comes of age because he knows a monster will grow--one capable of destroying a country in weeks--if the field is left untended. Or will it? In the words of Locus Magazine, Zeltserman's "black comedy of errors ... invites comparison to stories by Kafka, David Prill, James Hynes, William Browning Spencer, and other authors who have mused on the dark side of daily breadwinning."

Book reviewing bloggers--interested in reviewing? Email Kate at kgales@overlookny.com for a review copy.

Happy reading, everyone!