Alexei and the Second Empress

by Fred Nolan, Wendy C Garfinkle (Editor)

These are the final days of the tsars and Alexei Shafirov, an infirm skeptic, is bedridden after a fall. Throughout the long recovery his loved ones speak to him of fables, uprisings and a royal family under house detention. At the heart of their stories is Alexei Romanov, the heir apparent. Like him, the Romanov boy is a hemophiliac, near the center of a decades-old political cabal. Both children are prone to mischief, self-indulgence and illness. But some insist their connection runs deeper than that.

Alexei and the Second Empress is an account of the end of Imperial Russia, told in equal measures fairy tale and cruel realism. It is a story of opulence, folklore, addiction and secrets. And the most profound of those may not come to light without a price.

223 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 14, 2018

Reviews

[Gina Rae Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly confusing to someone unfamiliar with the Russian hierarchy

The story soon takes on a mind of its own.

Perfect for lovers of historical fiction, Russian royalty, and detailed plots.

[Emery Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emery Press Books is the Publisher of this book.

Alexei and the Second Empress is an immersive magical realism fantasy, full of folklore and secrets, with a sprinkling of historical facts, about the final days of the Romanov family, and Alexei Shafirov, who shares a mysterious connection with the young Tsesarevich Alexei Romanov. Sure to delight.

[fruitbatwoman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical fiction is usually not my preferred genre, but this book had enough magical realism in it to keep me hooked and wondering.

While the story starts slowly and derails a bit into segments that are difficult to understand for someone who is not overly familiar with Russian history and hierarchy, I really enjoyed the folklore and mystical aspects, which were equally magical and gruesome, and just strange enough to be potentially true.

The writing style is elegant and poetic, and the tone fit the story perfectly - it felt almost like reading an old Russian folk tale. I was only slightly disappointed that so many things feel unresolved even by the end. On the other hand, leaving some of the weird happenings to the reader's imagination is fitting for magical realism, and has been practiced by popular genre authors like Haruki Murakami as well.

An overall intellectually stimulating and interesting read that keeps the reader guessing.