The Eagle's Daughter [Mass Market Paperback]

Judith Tarr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1996

Here in lush detail is the powerful story of the tenth-century Byzantine princess Theophano, who was sent to be the wife and Empress of Otto II, son of Otto the Great, the Holy Roman Emperor.

It is a long journey from the surviving Roman Empire in the East to the devastated Empire in the West. Theophano must apply all her Byzantine skills to truly become the Empress of the West, winning first her new husband's devotion, and then the love of her new people,

But when Otto II dies unexpectedly, laving the empire to his four-year-old son, the Empress Theophano must fight one of the greatest wars of succession of the Dark Ages. For Otto II's cousin, Henry of Burgandy, would have the Regency for himself and the Throne as well--if he can take them.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This bland romance set in the 10th century is narrated by Princess Aspasia, young widow and "scion of the Purple Chamber" of Byzantium. Aspasia now attends her niece, Empress Theophano, wed at 18 to Holy Roman Emperor Otto II. The story opens with the crowning of Theophano's three-year-old son, Otto III, and plunges into a flashback. Both women had experienced the murderous intrigue of the Byzantine court; in contrast, their current daily round in Saxon Germany seems colorless and flaccid. Political events, fuzzily delineated, culminate in a power play by cousin Henry ("the Quarreler"), Duke of Bavaria, against baby Otto, whom he kidnaps so casually that any potential suspense is lost. The boy's grandmother and mother talk tough, and Henry backs off. Aspasia's own story centers on her love affair with passionate Ismail, a stern, respected Moorish physician from Cordoba whom she meets when Theophano has a fever. When their liaison is discovered, Aspasia is scolded by her confessor and Theophano, who hint that death could be the penalty for sinning with this "dog of a Moor," though the lovers never seem in danger. Cameos of gossipy historian Liudprand of Cremona and Gerbert of Aurillac, a Gaullish monk who became Pope, show that Tarr (Throne of Isis) has done her homework. But when she writes of Theophano's nuptial banquet, "the feast dragged itself into eternity," she could be describing this novel.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In its dotage, the barbarian-besieged and ungovernable Roman Empire divided itself into eastern and western halves, which quickly became two separate worlds, Latin and Byzantine. Tarr, who has written successful historical fiction before, revisits those two entities at the juncture of ancient and modern times--the tenth century, to be exact. Her fully realized novel resuscitates an authentic historical figure, Princess Theophano, daughter of an emperor of the eastern half of the old empire and wife and mother of emperors of the western half. The contrasting atmospheres of those two separate sovereignties are re-created with telling and authentic detail. Transferring her talents from her native eastern half to her adopted western half, Theophano becomes an important factor in the survival of her young son on the shaky western throne. The complicated politics of the time are handled with lucidity and color. Brad Hooper --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (January 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812550838
• ISBN-13: 978-0812550832
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,860,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have a lot of academic credentials (PhD from Yale, MA from Cambridge University, AB from Mt. Holyoke) and taught writing and Latin at Wesleyan University in Connecticut--before I ran away from it all to live on a mesa in Arizona. I breed and ride Lipizzan horses, read and study history (and make up my own alternate and fantastical versions), and write--novels, short stories, articles. I teach writing online (details at http://capriole.smoe.org) and blog on the livejournals as dancinghorse. My alter ego is author Caitlin Brennan, who also has a plog on amazon.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars rich tapestry, February 25, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Eagle's Daughter (Mass Market Paperback)

Judith Tarr has written another brilliant book! This rich tapestry of a story covers the shaky Roman Empire in the West and the Bzyantine Empire in the East. Good storyline, setting, charactors. A book I highly recommend to anyone who adores historical fiction and shuge sweeping novels.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What a great novel this could have been, December 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Eagle's Daughter (Mass Market Paperback)

As I settled down to read about a little known period of history--the Byzantine Empire and Otto II--I purred with anticipation. The characters are well rounded. The story plot is solid. But missing is the breath of focus, the width of historical sweep that we readers of historical fiction have come to expect from other historical authors likes Margaret George and Mary Stewart. There are good heavy doses of minute period detail, yet they lack the ricness we want to feel. It seems to be written for someone already familiar with the period and tale. Not bad, but not great.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good novel about a little known part of history, February 10, 2012

By 

Great Pyr (OR) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Eagle's Daughter (Mass Market Paperback)

Belongs in the historical romance category but keeps it's history honest. I give the author an A for adding an afterward that explains deviations from fact and provides an outline of the broader historical picture. I found it readable and am glad I bought it.