'Offers a fresh and feminist take' Madeline Miller, bestselling author of Circe
Thousands of years ago, two remarkable women found themselves swept up in one of the greatest legends of all . . . and discovered the price that must be paid for immortality.
Desperate to save her dying brother, Admete persuades her father, the king of Tiryns, to allow her to accompany Hercules on one of his celebrated twelve labours. They travel to the land of the Amazons in the hopes of finding a cure - but their arrival causes tension with the infamous female warriors. Hippolyta, the revered queen of the tribe, sees their presence as a threat - both to her people, but also to the long-guarded secret she has been keeping from them.
As battle lines are drawn between the Greeks and the Amazons, Admete and Hippolyta soon learn the inevitable truth - that in war, sacrifices must be made; especially if they are to protect the ones they love most . . .
PRAISE FOR EMILY HAUSER:
'Hauser recreates one of the oldest tales in Greek myth with great skill and panache.' The Times
'Once in a while something comes along that's so utterly right, so necessary for now, that you wonder why nobody thought of it before. Emily Hauser's stunning debut novel . . . brings ancient Troy wildly, raucously, passionately alive.' Manda Scott, bestselling author of Boudica and Into the Fire
'A delight from start to finish. Hauser's fresh perspective on one of the great archetypal epics, in focusing on the marginalised women's stories, makes for fascinating reading . . . a clever premise and thoroughly enjoyable.' Elizabeth Fremantle, author of Sisters of Treason
'Kept me utterly absorbed. Here is a heroine to cheer for, and a book to cherish.' Margot Livesey, author of The House on Fortune Street
'Beautifully descriptive . . . drawing the reader into a lost world of gods and heroes.' Glyn Iliffe, author of King of Ithaca