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Fortune's Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora (The Theodora Duology) Paperback – October 21, 2019

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,308 ratings

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KIRKUS REVIEWS: "A meticulously researched historical account presented in the form of a thrilling political drama."
OVERALL GRAND PRIZE WINNER, 2019 Best Book, Chanticleer Int'l Book Awards

Theodora: actress, prostitute, mistress, feminist. And Byzantine Empress of the civilized world. Stephen: handsome Syrian boy, wizard's apprentice, palace eunuch. And Secretary 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 bearkeeper in Constantinople, 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.

“A historical novel set in sixth-century Constantinople charts the extraordinary ascent of a woman from poverty to royal power. In this ambitious novel, the author vividly brings to life the cinematic story of Theodora’s life, chronicling her rise, more halting than meteoric, to spectacular power. Martin’s command of the historical period—not just the chief political events, but also the nuances of its cultural mores—is masterful. Furthermore, he conjoins that scholarly rigor with novelistic excitement—the entire tale is intelligently conveyed with great emotional poignancy. [This is] a meticulously researched historical account presented in the form of a thrilling political drama.” KIRKUS REVIEWS

"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

"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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Editorial Reviews

Review

KIRKUS REVIEWS:"A historical novel set in sixth-century Constantinople charts the extraordinary ascent of a woman from poverty to royal power. Martin's command of the historical period~not just the chief political events, but also the nuances of the cultural mores~is masterful. Furthermore, he conjoins that scholarly rigor with novelistic excitement~the entire tale is intelligently conveyed with great emotional poignancy. [It is] a meticulously researched historical account presented in the form of a thrilling political drama."

GRAND PRIZE Winner, Best Book of 2019, Chanticleer International Book Reviews.

From the Author

Named Best Book of 2019 by Chanticleer Book Reviews

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hussar Quill Press (October 21, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 398 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0997894598
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0997894592
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.28 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,308 ratings

About the author

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James Conroyd Martin
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I started "Fortune's Child" when I lived in Hollywood a couple of decades ago. An agent who was trying to sell an incomplete Push Not the River told me to start working on something else. As it happened, I was taking an Art Appreciation course at a community college. One day we were studying the exquisite mosaics of Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora from the Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, and the professor pointed to Theodora and said, “I’m not a writer, but if I were, that is the woman I would write about.”

Little did he know what he had unloosed.

I went down to the Hollywood Public Library and took out at least a dozen books on the period and the reign of Justinian and Theodora. The empress seemed to me like the Eva Peron of the sixth century, and I was hooked. I made a good start on her story, but life threw some curves. I went back to finishing Push Not the River, but when it didn’t sell, other agents came and went. One publisher held on to it for two years. I returned to teaching and the years passed. When St. Martin’s Press picked up Push Not the River in 2003, I figured my Theodora book would follow. Ah~but St. Martin’s wanted a sequel, so that led to other books and more years.

Fate goes ever as it must.

So~now Theodora is getting her just due. Please give Fortune’s Child a chance.

****

Well, this was a surprise! Just a year after winning a Gold Medal IPPY for THE BOY WHO WANTED WINGS, the Independent Publisher Book Awards presented THE POLISH TRILOGY Box Set e-book with their 2018 Gold Medal for the Best Regional E-book, Fiction. How cool is that!

So excited! THE BOY WHO WANTED WINGS: LOVE IN THE TIME OF WAR has won a 2017 GOLD MEDAL in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, nicknamed the IPPYs. The organization is the world's largest book awards competition. The novel, which culminates in the September 11-12, 1683, Battle of Vienna, won in the Military/Wartime Fiction category.

On another note~

You can't make this stuff up, even if you are a writer~

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED UPON ARRIVING IN HOLLYWOOD

Some—as in many—years ago I resigned from a short teaching career, turned my young back on the Midwest, and landed in Hollywood, anxious to learn screenwriting. I landed a job, two actually, and started taking screenwriting classes. All was going according to plan—until I met a young man who insisted I read his translation of his great-great-great-great grandmother’s diary.

Out of politeness, I did read the diary of Countess Anna Maria Berezowska, who began her journaling in 1791 when her parents died and she was forced to live with an aunt, uncle, and two nefarious cousins. The diary held me spellbound as I read of her falling in love with neighbor Jan, while being obstructed in her happiness by crude Walter and scheming Zofia. The background to all of this was the nation at war and on the cusp of destruction. Margaret Mitchell could have outlined it.

But this didn’t call for a screenplay—that could come later. I would create a novel, yes—a novel. To cut my own serpentine story short, over years, the manuscript could not survive three agents, countless would-be editors, one lying publisher. Even the weight of Bette Davis, who read it with an eye to an eventual screenplay, didn’t seem to matter.

Return to the Midwest and to teaching. Keep the telling short, James, I tell myself. OK, one day print-on-demand comes along and I publish the book myself, hoping to catch the eye of one of the big publishers. Fates smiles. St. Martin’s Press purchases Push Not the River. Anna’s story gets told. I pray it’s told well, I whisper to the spirit I’ve felt on my shoulder for so many years. Why, her story is translated back into Polish—full circle—and Nie ponaglaj rzeki becomes a bestseller in Poland. Na zdrowie!

Oh, the publisher wants a sequel? Cool. Done—Against a Crimson Sky. I’m flying now, pun intended. Wait—my editor is leaving St. Martin’s? What, without her on board they are declining the final part of the trilogy? Publish it yourself, my agent urges. How do I do that? Oh, yeah—I do know how. And so I do—The Warsaw Conspiracy.

Now what is it they call writers like me—those who have been published by the big boys, as well as by their own big bad selves? I always forget. It’s some kind of flower or plant, isn’t it? Hybrids?—yes that’s right.

I’m a hybrid author. And do you know what? I wouldn’t change a thing.

Oh, a screenplay? It’ll happen one day.

You just wait.

James Conroyd Martin is the award-winning author of PUSH NOT THE RIVER, a novel based on the diary of a countess in 1790s Poland; AGAINST A CRIMSON SKY, which continues the family saga into the Napoleonic era; and The WARSAW CONSPIRACY, detailing the young Polish cadets' rising against the mighty Russia. It is now a best-selling e-book boxed set.

HOLOGRAM: A HAUNTING is a Piers Anthony recommended ghost story with a modern twist.

The latest: THE BOY WHO WANTED WINGS is a story of love and war as a young man seeks to become a hussar, one of the elite Polish lancers who rode into battle wearing wings of eagle feathers on their backs. The book culminates with the Battle of Vienna, 1683, which occurred on September 11-12, 1683. It was the FIRST 9/11, pitting the Ottoman Empire against Christian Europe. As crucial and consequential as the Battle of Hastings, this battle changed the course of European history.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,308 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoyed the book's story and found it interesting. They appreciated the historical accuracy and well-researched plot. The writing style was described as beautiful, colorful, and detailed. Readers enjoyed the well-developed characters and humanity of the main character. Overall, the book was described as complex yet fast-paced.

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73 customers mention "Story quality"68 positive5 negative

Customers enjoyed the story. They found the book well-written and enjoyable. The story was interesting and well-researched, moving readers from Theodora's childhood to her triumph.

"...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!" Read more

"I knew very little of Theodora and loved every page of this book. Highly recommend and now off for more." Read more

"This was a wonderful read. I enjoyed every minute of it. Cannot wait to read the next book. Really enjoy this author’s work." Read more

"...It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. And I look forward to reading the sequel." Read more

38 customers mention "Historical accuracy"38 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical accuracy of the book. They find it an interesting look at the life of the Byzantine Empress Theodora told from her perspective. The book's evocation of time and place is fine, and it holds their interest throughout. Readers are interested in studying the historical players and getting involved.

"...women had truly limited choices, Theodora lived a life that was fascinating, tragic and in the end exactly how she wanted it...." Read more

"An interesting look at the life of the Byzantine Empress Theodora told from the perspective of Theadora and Stephen, a eunuch scribe and..." Read more

"...Its evocation of time and place was fine. I look forward to the second and concluding volume...." Read more

"well written, holds one's interest, looking forward to reading the sequel" Read more

27 customers mention "Writing style"27 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style. They find it well-researched, colorful, and detailed. The book is described as a rich tapestry with a unique style that creates a compelling portrait of the woman's life.

"...It's an enjoyable ride, overall and I loved the detail, and Conrad-Martin's Justinian was especially appealing...." Read more

"...As a woman she bears the beauty, the wit, and the audacity to rise well above her caste and become a ruler of influence in ancient days...." Read more

"...Excellent book, very well written and highly recommended! I look forward to the author’s next installment of Theodora’s story!" Read more

"...it kept me involved, and painted a very realistic portrait of the beautiful and indomitable lady. Its evocation of time and place was fine...." Read more

23 customers mention "Character development"23 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the well-developed characters and find the story entertaining. They appreciate the author's portrayal of the humanity of the main character, Theodora, as one of history's most amazing women.

"...his duology on Theodora, readers are treated to two stellar characters for the price of one...." Read more

"Martin tells his story of this fascinating woman with both knowledge of the times she lived and what sort of character created her life...." Read more

"...Well developed characters, protagonists and antagonists. Recommend." Read more

"...Theodora is a singular woman and the author-(s)**wink wink**- spares her little in the retelling of her early years at her behest...." Read more

13 customers mention "Research quality"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-researched and enlightening. They describe the tale as detailed, with plausible suppositions about what might have happened. The story is described as well-written and complex.

"...Nevertheless, the tale told is educational and enlightening for those with less than a firm grip on the Byzantine culture and history." Read more

"...a woman faced tremendous challenges, but endured and grew in wisdom from each experience...." Read more

"First novel of two. Deeply researched and flawlessly told, this spellbinding book brings the streets of ancient Constantinople to life...." Read more

"...tells the story of her extraordinary life in an entertaining and enlightening way...." Read more

4 customers mention "Complexity"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's complexity. They find it engaging and fast-paced.

"...Great read. Complex yet fast paced. I hope others enjoy this writing as much as I have. Looking forward to many more hours with this author." Read more

"...Her complexities are made even more striking as seen thru the eyes of servant of similar background" Read more

"This is a well written book with fully developed, complex and interesting charActers ...." Read more

"complicated and compelling portrait..." Read more

Theodora at her best!
5 out of 5 stars
Theodora at her best!
The author provided me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review.I've read several novels about Theodora and her husband, the Emperor Justinian, and enjoyed them all. However, this one has to be the best of them all! The author's attention to historical detail and the historical record was excellent. Theodora's portrayal was sympathetic but realistic, her exceptional story - from actress, to courtesan, to empress - being told by the Great Palace eunuch, Stephen. Most interesting was the inclusion of the historian, Procopios, who wrote a scandalous "Secret History" about Theodora alleging all sorts of nefarious, witch-like activities on her part. The author portrayed him as a bitter, social-climbing bureaucrat, angry at seeing a woman rise from the lowest rungs of society to its very pinnacle.This wonderful novel is the first of two novels about Theodora and ends not long after Justinian comes to the throne. I can't wait to see the next volume that will cover years of wars, rebellions and riots, the building of the magnificent Hagia Sophia, and the Justinianic plague! There are many things one can say about Theodora, but boring is not one of them.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2024
    I have never read a story from such an early time in history. I enjoyed learning about this culture and how they lived. Looking forward to more!
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2020
    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!
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2024
    I knew very little of Theodora and loved every page of this book. Highly recommend and now off for more.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2024
    This was a wonderful read. I enjoyed every minute of it. Cannot wait to read the next book. Really enjoy this author’s work.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2021
    Not as good as I was hoping. Took too long to get into the important stuff. If it was to build character that would have fine, but it really didn't so I was bored. First half could have been cut in half to build to the Nika riots or something else. Wasn't enough to interest me in reading the next one (whenever that comes out).
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2023
    Martin tells his story of this fascinating woman with both knowledge of the times she lived and what sort of character created her life.
    It was a thoroughly enjoyable read. And I look forward to reading the sequel.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2024
    From the beginning it is obvious that Theories is a special person. She controls her destiny through cunning and deceit. She is well aware of the positive effect she has on individuals. This is how she holds her advantage in life.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2024
    Martin tells a story from a whirlwind of life - the life of Theodora in a time of Rome’s shadow. As a woman she bears the beauty, the wit, and the audacity to rise well above her caste and become a ruler of influence in ancient days. A compelling and well presented story!!

Top reviews from other countries

  • Mexisue
    5.0 out of 5 stars Just a great read
    Reviewed in Canada on August 12, 2022
    Excellent narrative of the early life of Empress Theodora, wife of Justinian I. Her story is told by Stephen, who was imprisoned by her, then released after 5 years when she is dying and wants an honest account of her life. The author describes her as a great beauty, and I’m sure she must have been to rise to such heights. Hers is not the kind of life anyone would expect to lead to the imperial throne. Raped at the age of twelve, she determined not to follow her older sister into a life of prostitution. Instead, she had quite a list of ‘careers’: a popular comedic actress, which led to her mostly unclothed still portraits, such as Leda and the Swan, then as a seamstress and part of a troupe of leaping dancers. (6th-century term for ballet, I assume.) When one of her lovers becomes governor of an African province, she goes with him with the expectation of marriage and a better life. When that doesn’t work out, she is cast adrift in the world, penniless, friendless, and far from home.
    Theodora is a wonderful character, and the author draws her with precision. She never gives up. When she is thrown down by the troubles that fall on women in a man’s world, she manages to drag herself upright again. Strong, resilient, and ambitious, she is determined to rise not just for her own sake but to improve the circumstances of her two sisters.
    On the ship carrying her home to Constantinople, she meets Philip, who tells his own story along with hers. A beautiful boy, he was sold by his father to become one of the ‘cut ones’. He is a gentle youth with a good heart. The pathos of his mutilation is amplified by his love for Theodora and described movingly by the author.
    If I have to nitpick, I would say that the end of the book seemed a little rushed. However, another book is coming about Theodora’s life as an empress, and I look forward to that.
    Great book, memorable characters, an altogether satisfying read. Highly recommended.
  • Iris Hart
    5.0 out of 5 stars Masterfully written historical novel
    Reviewed in France on May 9, 2021
    This book totally captivated me. It was suspenseful up to the very end. I highly recommend it.
  • Alison Morton
    5.0 out of 5 stars An intelligent, meticulously researched and dramatic read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 10, 2020
    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.
  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars IF I COULD GIVE IT MORE THAN 5 STARS I WOULD.
    Reviewed in Australia on November 28, 2020
    What does one say about this brilliant author, James Conroyd Martin.
    This is the story of Theodora and her rise to become Empress. You get to love Stephen the young man who loved her from the time he first met her, but knew her could never have her. You feel like your a time traveller who is in the story watching everything that happens, you live and breath with them.
    There is another one to follow. What will Stephen write, and how did she learn not to trust him and why did she incarcerate him for 5 years. Theodora may have had her reasons as Stephen was a wise man, and will he honour her death wish. All will be revealed in the duology that Stephen will related.
    I'm so looking forward to your next one.
    I highly recommend this wonderful author.
  • Orfyn
    4.0 out of 5 stars A light into a little known time in history.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2023
    Well written, imaginative creation of characters to flesh out the dry facts of history. It held my attention ftom the first page and sent me to the history books to learn more. Lookong forward to the second volume.