Three decades have passed since the death of Jesus of Nazareth on a Roman cross, and Judea is teetering on the brink of apocalypse. Caught up in the horror that will inspire the Book of Revelation, a young woman is fighting for survival.
In the dark days that follow the Roman devastation of Jerusalem in AD 70, nineteen-year-old Shelamzion bat Judah finds herself captured and awaiting both her own execution and that of her husband, former rebel-leader Simon bar Gioras. Alone and forgotten, there seems little reason to go on living, yet a strange friendship begins to grow between Shelamzion and her austere, old Roman jailor, Fabius Cornelius Grammaticus.
With his pretensions to be recognized as an historian in the style of Livy, it is to her he turns to record the true version of events behind the insurrection in Judea that led to the destruction of her country. Time is running out, however, and unknowingly history is being rewritten by a traitor’s hand.
Released in October. Five star rating, selling steadily.
The end was coming. From the walkway above the Court of Women, looking northwards towards the ruins of the Antonia Fortress, Shelamzion watched it approach, her sweating hand clasped around the hand of her little boy. A low balustrade prevented him from seeing what she was seeing, and he tugged at her sleeve wanting to be lifted up. ‘No!’ She spoke harshly to cover the black despair that rooted her to the spot.
Romans, a vast sea of them. A red flood that no exalted staff could part, swarming across the outer court. And the Jews going down in bloody, senseless chaos. On the ground, armoured limbs, heads, even clothes hacked off so that obscenity was added to their shining corpses. Sound, rising up, thick as walls, miles high. Fear and fury. And Death’s shriek echoing off the ancient stones. Cries of war mixed in with the whimpers of the devastated and the dying. Men calling for their mothers. Mothers weeping for their sons.
And to Shelamzion, standing in the jaws of this maelstrom, it seemed that the whole world was screaming in terror.
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Italian
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Already translated.
Translated by Stefania Parente
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Author review: I was immensely pleased with Stefania's translation. She was a pleasure to work with, and meticulous in her attention to detail, regularly contacting me to discuss areas of doubt. She, not only translated the book, she actually improved it. Hardworking and dedicated, she impressed me from the outset, and I would be happy to work with her again or recommend her to future authors. |
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Spanish
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Translation in progress.
Translated by Myriam Moreno
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