Duncan Sprott

The House of the Eagle begins Duncan Sprott's 'Ptolemies Quartet', an epic restoration of the dark and glittering story of ancient Alexandria and the Greek Pharaohs of Egypt, whose extraordinary dynasty spans twelve generations from the death of Alexander the Great to the fall of Cleopatra. Narrated by Thoth, the ibis-headed Egyptian God of writing and wisdom, this book details the rise of the shrewd Ptolemy I from ordinary soldier of Macedon to Satrap of Egypt, and his coronation as Pharaoh and a god in his own lifetime. We follow then the astonishing history of Ptolemy's twelve turbulent children in unending wars, domestic murders and incestuous marriages, all set against the exotic backdrop of Egypt. With its cast of powerful characters - King Ptolemy himself, the violent Ptolemy Keraunos, the famous Thunderbolt, the luxury-loving Ptolemy Mikros, and their poisonous sister, Arsinoe Beta - this is a triumph of historical salvage that brings vividly to life the most bizarre family that ever existed. This is a great sequence of historical novels that brings Egypt to life in all its complexity and strangeness and will place 'The Ptolemies Quartet' in the company of Robert Graves's I Claudius and Mary Renault's The King Must Die.

The House of the Eagle

Daughter of the Crocodile

'Our Lady of the Potatoes' is a brilliant re-examination of eighteenth-century France, seen through the eyes of Marie-Louise Murphy, an Irish adventuress who gets caught up in all the dramas of the age of enlightenment and revolution, becoming the mistress of Louis XV and narrowly escaping death at the hands of the revolutionaries in 1789. Part objet trouvé, part recycled history, part grotesque variation on a fairy-tale, 'Our Lady of the Potatoes' is a highly entertaining and vivid novel, a tour de force of historical story-telling, which more than confirms this talented writer's great promise.

Our Lady of the Potatoes

The first volume of The Ptolemies Quartet, the start of a spellbinding saga that triumphantly spans the ancient world. Chronicles the golden years of the first three Ptolemies and their tragic queens, pampered mistresses and turbulent children.

A dramatic fictional re-creation of the early years of the House of Ptolemy, a multigenerational dynasty of Greek pharaohs in Egypt, begins with Ptolemy Soter, a Macedonian general who, in the wake of the death of Alexander the Great, seizes control of Egypt, and continues through the reigns of his varied descendants. Reprint. 12,500 first printing.

The Ptolemies

Celia Brayfield

Writing Historical Fiction: A Writers' & Artists' Companion is an invaluable companion for a writer working in this challenging and popular literary genre, whether your period is Ancient Rome or World War II. PART 1 includes reflections on the genre and provides a short history of historical fiction. PART 2 contains guest contributions from Margaret Atwood, Ian Beck, Madison Smartt Bell, Ronan Bennett, Vanora Bennett, Tracy Chevalier, Lindsay Clarke, Elizabeth Cook, Anne Doughty, Sarah Dunant, Michel Faber, Margaret George, Philippa Gregory, Katharine McMahon, Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Hilary Mantel, Alan Massie, Ian Mortimer, Kate Mosse, Charles Palliser, Orhan Pamuk, Edward Rutherfurd, Manda Scott, Adam Thorpe, Stella Tillyard, Rose Tremain, Alison Weir and Louisa Young. PART 3 offers practical exercises and advice on such topics as research, plots and characters, mastering authentic but accessible dialogue and navigating the world of agents and publishers.

Duncan Sprott

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