THE HIGH CITY

From a ?master storyteller,? a historical fantasy that pits the son of an Irish slave against a Byzantine emperor in the high city of Constantinople (Houston Chronicle). Raef finds himself in Constantinople at the turn of the first millennium, the early years of the reign of Basil II as the city is racked by civil war. Basil will become one of the most successful, and most feared, Byzantine Emperors. But for now, he rules as co-Emperor with his brother Constantine and makes war on a would-be-usurper, Bardas Phokas, son of a general who once claimed the throne for his own. Raef and his fellow Rus and Norsemen, Viking raiders and wild horsemen from the steppes, fall upon the elegant city of Constantinople like wolves on a garden party. But when Raef catches the eye of the Emperor?s wife, life becomes even more fraught with peril. And Raef?s stubborn pride in the face of a thousand years of imperial privilege will come near to bringing down the High City itself . . .  ?A potent blend of fantasy, history, and romance . . . a rousing, vivid tale rich with Nordic lore.? ?Publishers Weekly