SELENE OF ALEXANDRIA [Paperback]

Faith L. Justice (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 24, 2009

Selene strives to be a doctor-hard enough for women in AD 412 in Alexandria, Egypt. Add a Machiavellian bishop, a powerful governor and a famous Lady Philosopher; and Selene must survive riots and political plots, as well as plague.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Fans of Gillian Bradshaw's classic The Beacon at Alexandria may enjoy Selene and find a promising new historical novelist who shares the same gift for wonderfully researched, vividly evoked, good old-fashioned storytelling.
--Historical Novel Society

A brilliant tale that brings to life this fascinating era, complete with never-to-be-forgotten characters, unrequited love, and the desire of one woman to overcome adversity. Highly recommended --History and Women

The white limestone walls of Alexandria once rose from the Mediterranean Sea like a beacon of light. The most intuitive people and the most amazing minds throughout history sat in Alexandria's famous libraries and museums, speaking to the crowds of people about the past, present and future, and making monumental discoveries that are still in use today. Ptolemy was one of the greats, as well as The Lady Philosopher, Hypatia.

In this book, we meet Selene, a young (fictional) character, who is being readied for a suitable marriage but wants nothing more than to become a physician. She shears off her hair and dresses as a boy to meet Hypatia. The Lady Philosopher sees in Selene parts of herself--the will, longing, and brilliance to help people--and becomes Selene's champion.

At this time, Cyril, the Patriarch of the Christian Church, does all in his power - through pain, prejudice, and tyranny - to terminate all other gods and goddesses. Selene becomes embroiled in an all out war, as she sees her beloved Alexandria fall down around her ears. For anyone who does not know the story of the fantastic Hypatia, I will omit some of the more fearsome facts about this time period--because, trust me, you will not be disappointed in her story. The woman was, and still remains, one of the most revered female philosophers in the world.

I am blown away and completely enthralled with Ms. Justice's work. For seventeen years she 'hit the books' and studied every piece of information that is available from this time period. The rioting factions of church versus state; the romance between children who have grown up in an unstable world--each piece of their lives has been studied and recorded with beauty, brilliance, and brutal honesty.

Run to the bookstore and buy this for yourself. This is a 'must-have' after-Christmas present for you readers. In these pages, you will walk down Canopic Street, sit in the shaded colonnades with geniuses, and stare at the bright painted statues carved into the limestone niches that line the fantastical world of ancient Alexandria. You will walk up the steps of the immense Pharos Lighthouse and stare off at the ships in the harbor. And, best of all, you will sit in that grand library and meet the most remarkable people from a time long past. What more could you want? --BookPleasures.com, December 26, 2009

From the Back Cover

Praise for Selene of Alexandria:

"A grand, epic tale told with engaging detail against a complex and compelling historical backdrop. Selene is a heroine worth celebrating." --Leanna Renee Hieber, Award-winning author of The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker

Young, gifted, and strong-willed, Selene longs to rebel against the restrictions of her class to become a physician, But in AD 412, the women of rich Christian families never lower themselves to work in a profession.

Selene perseveres and gains a powerful champion--Hypatia, the renowned mathematician and Lady Philosopher of Alexandria. But the next three years are perilous. Selene and Hypatia are drawn into the heart of a struggle between the ambitious bishop and the new governor for the soul of the city--a struggle that enmeshes Selene in accusations of witchcraft and spirals into a series of bloody confrontations between Christians, pagans, and Jews.

Selene comes of age amidst riot, plague, and political intrigue; but will she survive the consequences of her own ambitions and impulsive nature?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Booklocker.com, Inc. (November 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1601458134
• ISBN-13: 978-1601458131
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,905,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Faith L. Justice is a science geek and history junkie whose award-winning short stories have appeared in Circles in the Hair, Alternate Realities, and Beyond Science Fiction and Fantasy, among others. She's published over fifty articles in venues such as Salon.com, Writer's Digest, Strange Horizons and The Copperfield Review. Her debut historical novel Selene of Alexandria is now available. Faith is an Associate Editor for Space and Time Magazine and a co-founder of a twenty-year-old writer's workshop. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, daughter and the required gaggle of cats. For fun, Faith likes to dig in the dirt--her garden and various archaeological sites. You can read her stories, interviews with famous authors, and sample chapters of her novels at her website (http://www.faithljustice.com).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely riveting, February 23, 2010

By 

Story Circle Book Reviews - See all my reviews

This review is from: SELENE OF ALEXANDRIA (Paperback)

"As she grew from a child to a young woman, Selene realized death was inexorable, but the urge to become a physician strengthened," writes Faith L. Justice in her historical novel, Selene of Alexandria. "Selene knew the main obstacle to her ambition was her father. No upper class man would willingly allow his daughter to engage in any profession."

Selene of Alexandria is pure fiction magic. Loosely basing her book on the life and times of feminist icon and philosopher Hypatia, Justice has created an enthralling story of a young, upper-class girl who wants nothing more than to become a physician. She must gain the sponsorship of the famous philosopher Hypatia to convince her father to let her study. Upper-class women didn't enter the professions; they became wives and mothers. Selene struggles not only against stereotypes, but also against the Christian city leaders. She is accused of witchcraft for practicing medicine, and her life is on the line. Can Selene overcome all obstacles to become one of the rare female physicians in Alexandria...and live to tell about it?

I couldn't put this book down. I love the way Justice mixed historic facts with her fictional character's lives, dreams, loves, and aspirations. I truly felt for Selene and rooted for her along the way. I fell in love with Orestes right alongside her, and hoped that their feelings would blossom into much more. I felt horror at the historically-accurate details of Christian persecution in Alexandria. Selene of Alexandria made me laugh and cry, hope and despair. I can't wait to see what else Faith L. Justice has in store for us.

by Jennifer Melville
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Faithful to our understanding of Hypatia, May 15, 2010

By 

James McCarron "euklides" (Waterloo, ON, CANADA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SELENE OF ALEXANDRIA (Paperback)

"Selene of Alexandria", by Faith L. Justice, is an historical novel set in Alexandria during the fifth century. It concerns a young woman named Selene who wishes to defy her sex and her class by becoming a physician. With some effort, she eventually obtains her father's blessing and the support of another key character, Hypatia, the mathematician and philosopher who lived during this time. The book describes her efforts to achieve her dream of practising medicine, and her adventures as she interacts with various prominent historical characters of the period.

The premise of this book is a clever and effective one. Although it purports to tell the story of the fictional character Selene, the book is really about the historical characters around Hypatia. That is, the author uses the fictional Selene as a device to relate, in dramatic form, the story of Hypatia. The writing is good, and the characters are well developed and interesting. The character of Selene is made to be very likeable, if a bit unrealistically virtuous.

I give this book very high marks for historical fidelity. Among the many fictional works that chronicle the life and, mainly, the death of Hypatia, this one seem to stray the least from the known facts of Hypatias life (few though they be). While any work of fiction concerning the life of Hypatia must employ considerable interpolation, this book seems to have taken a fairly balanced view of events as we understand them. There is no obvious agenda here, as is so clearly the case in most other such works, other than the desire to relate a fascinating story. The use of the fictional character of Selene to effect this goal is successful and results in a very good story.

I particularly liked the portrayal of Orestes and Cyril in this book. Here, although Cyril is no saint - pun intended - neither is he portrayed as the caricature of pure evil that most authors, seeking to attack the church, make him out to be. Ultimately, this makes for a more believable representation of this important historical character. Almost nothing is known about the historical Orestes, but Justice creates quite a believable character here as well.

Highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fifth-century Heroine Ahead of Her Time, February 27, 2010

By 

G. L. Rothman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: SELENE OF ALEXANDRIA (Paperback)

In her debut novel, Faith Justice opens a door on a world rarely visited by fiction writers. The scene is fifth-century Alexandria, where ascendant Christians are muscling out the Jews and pagans. Historical figures frame the plot - Orestes, the city's well-intentioned new governor, who collides with its manipulative new bishop Cyril, and the ill-fated Lady Philosopher Hypatia. But the heart of the book is the title character, Selene, an energetic and inquisitive young woman whose high birth entitles her to a life of leisure. Instead, she aims to become a physician, a millenium and a half before the concept becomes socially acceptable. Her struggles to become a healer propel the fast-paced plot as Selene confronts society's expectations and becomes entangled in the dangerous church-versus-empire battle for the soul of the city.

"Selene" is clearly the product of prodigious research into the characters and their times. Among its gems - the true story of the architect who carved his name prominently into the famous Pharos lighthouse, covering it with plaster he knew would wear away over time, revealing its creator's credit. Free from the dreaded "white wall" syndrome, the book paints richly colored portraits of its settings; from the most primitive to the most opulent. The sights, sounds and smells of the ancient city are brought vividly to life. The characters are fully realized and complicated - tragic flaws and all. I came to care about Selene and her family. As with all my favorite works, I regretted reaching the end, and wondered what happened next.