'An accomplished and intelligent feat of historical storytelling.' J.A. Ironside, author of The King's Knight
Porphyry and Ash
1453.
After a thousand years, the sun is setting on the Eastern Roman Empire…
As a great Ottoman army prepares to strike Constantinople, John Grant is among the mercenaries flocking to the city’s defence.
Scottish, world-weary and repentant, Grant hopes holy war can bring absolution for a dark past.
He soon finds that the cannons and scimitars of the invaders beyond the crumbling walls might prove less lethal than the dangers lurking within them: a Genoese general with a hidden agenda, a firebrand monk with the mob in his thrall, a murderer with a taste for the theatrical.
And although Grant has the requisite strength and skills to overcome all of these, in Anna Notaras, the beautiful but monstrously ambitious daughter of Byzantium’s richest family, he might have met his match.
As the siege reaches its bloody culmination, what can be salvaged, what must be sacrificed to the cataclysmic fires?
Porphyry and Blood
1462.
The Republic of Venice.
Nine years on from surviving the fall of Constantinople, Anna Notaras now lives an empty life of luxury on the lagoon.
But the Ottoman empire has not ceased its relentless expansion and now Sultan Mehmed plans the conquest of Italy - and to stable his horses in St Peter’s Basilica.
When the Venetian Senate ask Anna to help stop her old Turk enemies, she quickly agrees. The mission seems simple: join an embassy to Wallachia to cement an alliance. But there is nothing straight forward about the ruler Anna is to meet: Vlad Dracula.
Moreover, Anna’s status among her fellow Byzantine refugees is built upon a lie, and not everyone among her travelling party has Anna’s best interests at heart.
Worse still, Anna’s embassy is not the only group heading for Dracula. A Turk army is closing in, intent on placing Vlad’s brother on the Wallachian throne.
Caught in a bloody web of intrigue, Anna will need the same wit and courage that allowed her to survive Constantinople if she is to return from her mission alive.
Porphyry and Bones
1463.
Dubrovnik.
Anna Notaras was the daughter of the richest man in the Byzantine Empire, before the Turks came and Constantinople fell.
Ten years later, Anna dreams of returning home but remains haunted by her father's reputation as a traitor.
When the Pope calls for a crusade against the Turk invaders, Anna is keen to play her part.
Sent to Dubrovnik to secure a Holy relic, Anna must navigate a city teaming with intrigue and danger: Florentine assassins, an Ottoman traitor and an old adversary all complicate her task.
But should Anna be helping the Vatican or heeding her father's famous slogan: Better the Turkish turban than the Latin mitre?
Can the Latins be trusted?
A bloody game of espionage, love and betrayal along the Adriatic coast will culminate in a final confrontation at an island monastery with deadly and immeasurable consequences.
Peter Sandham is the author of a series of historical novels set in the second half of the 15th century charting the fall of Constantinople and subsequent geopolitical turmoil through the eyes of Byzantine Greek, Venetian and Ottoman protagonists.
Praise for Peter Sandham:
‘ The story is an exotic feast of authentic ingredients and intrigue served with a dash of élan.’ Paul Bannister, author of Storm of Arrows
‘A captivating tale of turmoil, intrigue and betrayal that draws you in and keeps you hooked.’ Alistair Forrest, author of the Agents of Rome series
Genre: Historical
Porphyry and Ash
1453.
After a thousand years, the sun is setting on the Eastern Roman Empire…
As a great Ottoman army prepares to strike Constantinople, John Grant is among the mercenaries flocking to the city’s defence.
Scottish, world-weary and repentant, Grant hopes holy war can bring absolution for a dark past.
He soon finds that the cannons and scimitars of the invaders beyond the crumbling walls might prove less lethal than the dangers lurking within them: a Genoese general with a hidden agenda, a firebrand monk with the mob in his thrall, a murderer with a taste for the theatrical.
And although Grant has the requisite strength and skills to overcome all of these, in Anna Notaras, the beautiful but monstrously ambitious daughter of Byzantium’s richest family, he might have met his match.
As the siege reaches its bloody culmination, what can be salvaged, what must be sacrificed to the cataclysmic fires?
Porphyry and Blood
1462.
The Republic of Venice.
Nine years on from surviving the fall of Constantinople, Anna Notaras now lives an empty life of luxury on the lagoon.
But the Ottoman empire has not ceased its relentless expansion and now Sultan Mehmed plans the conquest of Italy - and to stable his horses in St Peter’s Basilica.
When the Venetian Senate ask Anna to help stop her old Turk enemies, she quickly agrees. The mission seems simple: join an embassy to Wallachia to cement an alliance. But there is nothing straight forward about the ruler Anna is to meet: Vlad Dracula.
Moreover, Anna’s status among her fellow Byzantine refugees is built upon a lie, and not everyone among her travelling party has Anna’s best interests at heart.
Worse still, Anna’s embassy is not the only group heading for Dracula. A Turk army is closing in, intent on placing Vlad’s brother on the Wallachian throne.
Caught in a bloody web of intrigue, Anna will need the same wit and courage that allowed her to survive Constantinople if she is to return from her mission alive.
Porphyry and Bones
1463.
Dubrovnik.
Anna Notaras was the daughter of the richest man in the Byzantine Empire, before the Turks came and Constantinople fell.
Ten years later, Anna dreams of returning home but remains haunted by her father's reputation as a traitor.
When the Pope calls for a crusade against the Turk invaders, Anna is keen to play her part.
Sent to Dubrovnik to secure a Holy relic, Anna must navigate a city teaming with intrigue and danger: Florentine assassins, an Ottoman traitor and an old adversary all complicate her task.
But should Anna be helping the Vatican or heeding her father's famous slogan: Better the Turkish turban than the Latin mitre?
Can the Latins be trusted?
A bloody game of espionage, love and betrayal along the Adriatic coast will culminate in a final confrontation at an island monastery with deadly and immeasurable consequences.
Peter Sandham is the author of a series of historical novels set in the second half of the 15th century charting the fall of Constantinople and subsequent geopolitical turmoil through the eyes of Byzantine Greek, Venetian and Ottoman protagonists.
Praise for Peter Sandham:
‘ The story is an exotic feast of authentic ingredients and intrigue served with a dash of élan.’ Paul Bannister, author of Storm of Arrows
‘A captivating tale of turmoil, intrigue and betrayal that draws you in and keeps you hooked.’ Alistair Forrest, author of the Agents of Rome series
Genre: Historical
Used availability for Peter Sandham's The Porphyry War