Byzantium

Historical fiction that "memorably evokes the panoply, wars, plots, wealth . . . in the 11th-century Byzantine empire. . . . Enjoyable, suspenseful reading" ( Library Journal ). Estranged from his native Norway, Viking prince Haraldr Sigurdarson seeks his fortune in the Goddess City of Constantinople. Joining the mercenaries protecting the Byzantine empire, Haraldr soon wins the trust of ailing Emperor Michael, ambitious Empress Zoe, and the power behind the throne, the eunuch Joannes. But navigating the intrigues of the imperial court is a tricky matter and soon Haraldr is leading the Norse Varangian Guard to act against Joannes, turn back a horde of Bulgars, and rescue the empress from abduction, even as he falls for a lady of the court.  Drawn from the rich historical biography of Harald Hadrada, as well as other fascinating personalities of the medieval court, Byzantium brings to life both the splendor and the destructive forces at work within the eleventh-century Byzantine empire. "Beneath the chic, glittery decadence [Ennis] rings changes on time-worn themes: the redeeming power of love, lust for power versus statecraft, the conflict between desire and duty." — Publishers Weekly "A book that does what good historicals should do—elucidate a distant time through the characters of the men and women who made it. . . . The climax is compelling." — Kirkus Reviews