The Emperor — Volume 10
In the shadow of Emperor Hadrian's vast empire, a love story unfolds that defies the boundaries of class, faith, and mortality. Selene, newly baptized and bound for Upper Egypt, carries with her a faith that promises redemption but cannot quiet the pull of her heart toward Antinous, the emperor's favored companion. Antinous, beautiful and haunted, finds himself drifting further from the glittering cruelty of Hadrian's court, his soul heavy with longing for a woman he cannot have and a world he no longer wishes to inhabit. Georg Ebers, the master of Victorian historical fiction, weaves a tale of exquisite melancholy set against the twilight of Rome's golden age. The emperor himself stalks these pages, his legendary restlessness and passion casting a long shadow over everyone in his orbit. As political intrigue tightens its grip and spiritual conflict tears at the fabric of ancient beliefs, Selene and Antinous must choose between the safe path of duty and the terrible, beautiful risk of desire. This is a novel about what it means to love when love is the most dangerous thing a person can feel.
