Spring, 266 BC. When Isokrates, helmsman of the Rhodian warship Atalanta, encounters a pirate vessel off the Lycian coast, he finds himself caught up in affairs of state more deadly than the naval battles hes accustomed to. Among the pirates victims is a beautiful woman, the mistress of a king, who is fleeing to her lovers enemy with news that will start a war to engulf the whole of the east . .
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
At the start of Bradshaw's rousing adventure novel set in 246 B.C., the galley Atalanta, just out of the naval shipyard of the island republic of Rhodes, runs into a pirate vessel while returning to Rhodes on its maiden voyage. Led by Isokrates of Kameiros, Atalanta's helmsman, the Rhodians defeat the pirates and rescue the attractive Dionysia, who claims to have been the concubine of King Antiochos of Syria. Before the pirate captain abducted her, Dionysia was headed for Alexandria, where she intended to pass on some information to Antiochos's royal rival, Ptolemy. The sensitivity of this intelligence places Dionysia and Isokrates in harm's way, in particular from the pirate captain, who escaped during the sea battle. While the romance between the two principals is standard issue, Bradshaw (Dark North) does a splendid job of bringing to life a period of ancient history underutilized in fiction. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Bradshaw’s latest offers swashbuckling, seafaring adventure, political intrigue, a dash of romance, and a meticulously researched historical mystery set in 246 BCE. Isokrates is commanding his first ship, hunting down pirates who attack sailing vessels and sell their passengers and crew as slaves. So when he sinks a pirate ship, he is elated—especially when he rescues Dionysia, a beautiful young woman captured by the pirates. Isokrates learns that, before the pirates waylaid her, Dionysia was on her way to the Egyptian court of King Ptolemy to inform him of a deadly plan by King Antiochos of Miletos to attack Cairo. War may be imminent, but Isokrates’ head is filled with visions of the luscious Dionysia. Although he is far too poor to marry her, he can at least find the pirate who captured her and avenge her ill-treatment. So off he sails on a mission that will bring him plenty of surprises. An action-filled plot replete with larger-than-life characters combines nicely with a believable picture of life on the Mediterranean more than two millennia ago. --Emily Melton
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More About the Author
Born 1956 in Arlington, Virginia (i.e., Washington DC); grew up there, in Santiago, Chile, and in East Lansing and Mount Pleasant Michigan; educated University of Michigan (Classics and English) and Newnham College, Cambridge (Classics). I published my first novel while I was supposed to be revising for my final exams; the exams suffered, but I still managed a 2.1. I decided to take another year in Cambridge to work on the next novel, and Met a Man, like many a woman before and since. We got married in Paris, where he had a post-doc position and I had discovered an urgent need to learn French. He continued research and teaching, first in Santa Barbara, then back in Cambridge, and finally at the University of Warwick; I continued writing. A lot of my work has used my background in classical Greek and Latin, but I've occasionally branched out into the high middle ages, contemporary, and sci-fi. We have four kids, now grown up, and so far one grandchild.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable but...,
By Millamant (Australia) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Sun's Bride (Hardcover)
I am a huge fan of Gillian Bradshaw's historical fiction, and always enjoy her books, but I have to say that the titles she has published since she moved publishers to Severn House have not been as solid as some of her earlier novels. One of the problems is that they are shorter than some of her earlier books, and the stories just don't develop enough. On the other hand, her characters are as engaging as ever, and there is no writer to match her for evocation of a far off time and place (here, the ancient maritime power of Rhodes).
Four stars really is a little bit high for this particular book, but I would still recommend it as a more than reasonable piece of historical fiction.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
interesting setting, but not enough scope to develop the story or characters,
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This review is from: The Sun's Bride (Hardcover)
Isokrates is helmsman of the Rhodian warship Atalanta, which encounters pirates off the Lycian coast during a training voyage. When they rescue a beautiful musician, Dionysia, who proves to be the ex-mistress of King Antiochos of the Seleucid Empire, Isokrates, his master Aristomachos, Dionysia, and the city of Rhodes are plunged into a world of intrigue and warfare between the three Hellenistic empires.
It's reasonably entertaining, and I liked the naval bits, but like most of her more recent work (with the possible exception of _Dark North_), it's simply not up to earlier novels like _The Beacon at Alexandria_ or _The Sand-Reckoner_. For one thing, it's quite short and doesn't give enough room to go into anything in-depth; the characters are engaging but don't linger in my mind, and the plot is overly simple, when there should have been lots of room for more complexity. It's a shame, because she's chosen an interesting time period not often written about in historical fiction, but I really wish she'd give herself more scope.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written with vivid characters!,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Sun's Bride (Hardcover)
I love all of Gillian Bradshaw's historical fiction. Her characters are always very human and compelling. I read her books in one sitting and The Sun's Bride was no exception! Despite having no knowledge of maritime maneuvers, I was able to comprehend and envision the battles on sea and all the characters that created this amazing story. My favorite is still Beacon of Alexandria and The Sand-Reckoner, but I was definitely not disappointed with this book.
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