Selene of Alexandria

By Faith L. Justice


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SYNOPSIS:

Set in AD 412 Alexandria, Egypt and based on historical events, this story of ambition, love and murder brings to life colorful characters and an exotic time and place.  SELENE is bright, impulsive, stubborn, and a little spoiled by her father, a city councilor.  Since her mother’s death, she longs to forgo the privileges of her class to become a physician—an impossible dream for rich Christian girls who never engage in a profession.  But Selene perseveres and gains a powerful champion—HYPATIA, the renowned mathematician and Lady Philosopher of Alexandria.

The old Christian Patriarch dies and the city splits in support of two candidates. After days of rioting, the Patriarch’s nephew CYRIL is proclaimed Patriarch and sets about consolidating the Christian sects and purging Alexandria of pagans and Jews.  ORESTES, the new Augustal Prefect, struggles to keep the peace and also seeks the advice of Hypatia.  He finds her a woman of enormous personal charm and astute political insight and places her first among his advisors, to the humiliation of the new Patriarch.  These events set the stage for a contest of wills between Church and Empire.

Selene struggles in her new life.  Under Hypatia's guidance, she takes classes and apprentices in medicine.  She gives up security and the love of a young man for the danger of poor neighborhoods and the hostility of her classmates.  It's not long before Selene is unwittingly drawn into the deadly rivalry between Cyril and Orestes.  She comes of age amidst riot, plague and political intrigue .  But will Selene survive the consequences of her own ambitions and impulsive actions?

Praise for Selene of Alexandria:

"Readers will be captivated. Fans of Gillian Bradshaw’s classic The Beacon at Alexandria may especially enjoy Selene and find a promising new historical novelist who shares the same gift for wonderfully researched, vividly evoked, good old-fashioned storytelling." --Historical Novel Society

"I am enthralled with the work of this author… [She writes] with beauty, brilliance, and brutal honesty. Run to the bookstore and buy this for yourself." -–BookPleasures.com

"Selene of Alexandria is an entertaining and enlightening novel of the classical era, and a fine read through and through." --The Midwest Book Review

"Selene of Alexandria is pure fiction magic...I couldn't put this book down. I love the way Justice mixed historic facts with her fictional character's lives, dreams, loves, and aspirations...Selene of Alexandria made me laugh and cry, hope and despair. I can't wait to see what else Faith L. Justice has in store for us." --Story Circle Book Reviews

 

 

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Selene of Alexandria cover

 

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