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Cleopatra's Heir (Paperback)

by Gillian Bradshaw (Author) "His side hurt ..." (more)

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Forge books; 1st edition edition (May 13 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765302292
ISBN-13: 978-0765302298
Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 14 x 2.8 cm
Shipping Weight: 522 g

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #514,952 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Fascinating historical figures Julius Caesar, Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra roam the ancient Egyptian desert and the glittering city of Alexandria in this latest from classics scholar Bradshaw (The Sand-Reckoner). The hero is Cleopatra's son Caesarion, whom she has declared to be Caesar's offspring. Her ploy fails when Caesar's adopted Roman son and successor, Octavian (later Augustus), conquers Egypt and sends soldiers to attack troops fleeing with the 18-year-old Caesarion. The young man, after suffering an epileptic fit, is left for dead, but has only been wounded. Waking, he escapes, but another fit leaves him unconscious on a desert roadway, where Ani, an Egyptian merchant with a small caravan of merchandise, finds and saves him. Caesarion, who is Greek (like all royalty in Egypt at this time), is intelligent enough to conceal his background, calling himself Arion, but he cannot hide his aristocratic ways or his disdain for a mere Egyptian who treats a king as a commoner. He resents the merchant, but agrees at last to write his letters for him. Slowly, the patient and generous Ani wins Arion's respect; his beautiful daughter Melanthe falls in love with Arion, who is interested, but cannot acknowledge loving a commoner. While the story is light on action, Bradshaw's attention to Arion's growth into a caring person and the convincing historical detail she musters give the novel substance, but it is the final (and thoroughly fictional) confrontation between Octavian and Caesarion that will truly make it attractive to history buffs.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

What if the son of Cleopatra and Julius Caesar had lived past his 18th year? This is the question British author Bradshaw (The Wolf Hunt) poses in her latest historical novel. History says that Caesarion, who was perceived as a threat to Octavius's throne, was killed soon after his mother's suicide in 30 B.C.E. A more gripping story, perhaps, is Bradshaw's version, in which Caesarion, suffering from the sacred illness (epilepsy), is attacked by Roman forces and left for dead. Wounded, he flees the battle scene and is rescued by a kindhearted caravan master. His life forfeited, his mother's cause lost, Caesarion must decide what to do. Should he give up and surrender to his enemies, or can he create a new life for himself from the ashes of the old? Mixing truth and fiction, Bradshaw creates a compelling and imaginative story. She draws the reader in through deft characterization; we feel Caesarion's pain as he struggles with his destiny. Highly recommended for all public libraries and large academic institutions. Laurel Bliss, Yale Univ. Lib.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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His side hurt. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars A marvellous novel, Feb 23 2004

By	ilmk "ilmk" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cleopatra's Heir (Hardcover)

It is a rare novel that by midpoint you can pause and realise not much has actually happened but you've been thoroughly entertained. A case of exploration of the human condition taking precedence over plot. In an historical novel, it is even rarer, nevertheless Gillian Bradshaw has achieved this in a remarkable fashion. Admittedly it is the first of her novels I have read, but it will be by no means the last.
Cleopatra's Heir provides an alternative history to the fate of Julius Caesar's and Cleopatra' son, Caesarion, of whom historical scholars confidently have us know that he was executed c.30B.C after the fall of Mark Anthony and Cleopatra. In this version, we find the epileptic eighteen year old waking up on top of his own funeral pyre, rolling off with a stab wound to his side and lurching off into the distance whilst Rome celebrated his demise.
What follows is the gradual transition of a boy raised, as Bradshaw so eloquently puts it, to be a King of all, yet totally obedient to a man in control of what little destiny he retains. His emotional strength in the face of such social suffering means we have a story where one class of man is forced to experience another and, in doing so, becomes a rather better person for it. The story itself is simply told: found by an Egyptian trader named Ani, the newly named Arion is forced to accept the merchant's kindness as he is nursed back to health on Ani's journey to Berenike. Whilst there an attempt to depart to locate his ship leads to another of the frequent seizures and the forming of his identity to all as Arion, ex-Friend of Caesarion, gentleman and secretary to Ani.
All the time fuming at his newly perceived lowly station the two form an inseparable bond, further added to by Arion's gradual burgeoning love for Ani's sixteen year old daughter, Melanthe.
A journey to Alexandria, for the still unnamed once king-elect to see if his mother is still alive, for Ani's family to secure his new partnership with the Greek Kleon, brings trouble of an imperial and personal nature as Arion's seizures lead to his capture by Octavian and Ani's trading dispute with the bitter Lord Aristodemos (who's patronage with Kleon has been usurped) leads to the kidnap of Melanthe.
Amongst it all the kingly attitude of Arion takes shape and transforms from arrogance to kindly benefactor as he comes to terms with his fate, finds and forgives, Rhodon, his betrayer, and seeks clemency for all who have helped him when faced with his second cousin and Marcus Agrippa. The end is a safe one and one the reader must demand such is the development of our respect for Arion.
Gillian Bradshaw has written a powerfully emotive novel of a fall from grace but the saving of a person. Through it a message of kindly living and aid to other shines brightly and a sense of achievement is portrayed. A young man struggling to overcome both social and physical problems is epitomised in a fluid writing style and creates a real sense of belonging to the characterisation in a manner that many historical novels lack. Bradshaw is one author that, for this reader at least, not reading any novel she produces wouldn't be given a second thought.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Cleopatra's Heir, Jun 3 2003

By A Customer

A very basic coming-of-age novel that takes no risks but also makes no big mistakes, Cleopatra's Heir tells the story of how Cleopatra's son Caesarion must reinvent his life once he is no longer heir.

Sentence-level writing here seemed simplistic, and the author used an annoying device of having characters tell stories familiar to the reader over and over -- we already know what happened to the party on their way down the river, so why repeat the whole thing in dialogue?

The characters work well overall, and the portrayal of Caesarion's epilepsy is perhaps the best point of the book, though I wanted a bit more resolution with the theme of his mother as a dark, even tyrannical figure.

The early-Roman Empire historical setting, like most of Bradshaw's settings, seems believable (at least to a non-specialist) but doesn't have the depth of really top-class historical fiction.

Overall, an enjoyable book, but I'm tempted to call it an enjoyable "little" book. It might be well suited to a young adult audience because of the theme, the straightforward plot and the uncomplicated language.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional read!, Jul 17 2002

By	S. K. Shirley "Cleo" (Williamsville, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cleopatra's Heir (Hardcover)

So much, yet so little, is known of Cleopatra's reign and what is documented could very well be mostly propaganda from the Roman point of view. Even less is known about the son she and Julius Caesar brought into the world. This book, although a work of historical fiction, explores the possibility that their son escaped execution and the life and choices he made or might have made as the result of his new found freedom, the education and values instilled in him from birth, his need to return to his home and the possible ramifications and repercussions of that need. This is a page turner for anyone who loves being transported to a time and place that only lives in our imaginations. It has a wonderful sort of "What If" feel about it. I loved it and highly recommend it.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
Bradshaw is one of my favorite historical novelists, but I love some of her books better than others, and this is one of my favorites. Read more

Published on Jun 6 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Another keeper by Bradshaw
Gillian Bradshaw is one of the few authors whose works I'll purchase, sight unseen, in hardcover. This book does not disappoint-- returning to the world of Classical Antiquity... Read more

Published on May 24 2002 by Karin Welss