Byzantium's Crown

Heirs to Byzantium #1

by Susan Shwartz

Byzantium lies at the intersection of East and West, in the heart of the most opulent empire the world has ever known. Warrior Prince Marric has to fight for his right to defend his position as heir of the kingship. Last in the powerful line of kings descended from Alexander the Great, he is ordained by the gods of the people to rule alongside his beloved and wise sister, Alexa. But a sorcerer of dark magic has usurped the throne and Marric is exiled. To win back his rule, he must learn the arts of magic in order to defeat the dark sorcerer. In the land of Egypt, amidst the slave markets and the luxurious perfumed villas of the wealthy, he encounters a silver-haired slave girl who can teach him the arts of magic. For Marric knows that he [close]
cannot vanquish his enemy with sword and strength alone.

Genres: Fantasy, Alternate History, Science Fiction Fantasy, Historical Fantasy

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1987

About the author

Writes with Shariann Lewitt as Gordon Kendall.

She received her B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College in 1972 and a PhD in English from Harvard University.

Reviews

[Shaitarn · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded up.

This is an alternative history fantasy novel first published in 1987.

In this alternative timeline, Marc Anthony and Cleopatra defeated Octavian (Augustus, the first Roman Emperor in our reality) at Actium and established an Empire with Byzantium as the capital. After 1000 years, the Emperor dies, leaving the crown to his son,Marric, who should rule with his sister-wife Alexa (since they still practise the incest sibling marriage that the Ptolemys practised). But the prince’s step-mother Irene establishes her evil step-mother credentials by seizing the throne and having Marric sold into slavery. This all happens in the first forty pages; the rest of this short novel (my copy clocks in at 254 pages) is devoted to Marric’s adventures as he attempts to escape and recapture his throne.

It was okay, not great, not terrible, just okay. To my modern reading mind it seemed a little too short and spare on the details; I imagine a modern retelling would by twice as long with lots more detail and suffering. The end felt a little too rushed Irene (which is a terrible name for an evil Empress) is deposed laughably easily, and the plot-armour around Marric was painfully obvious. The world building felt a little odd here and there (seemingly Islam is an established religion but Christianity is a little niche faith, one of hundreds? Odd) and I would’ve appreciated more detail, and a map would’ve been nice. There is some fantasy and magic, by the way - this isn’t a straight up alternative history story.

So yeah, it was okay, possibly worth getting hold of if you see it going cheap in a second hand bookshop. It’s the first volume of a trilogy, but I read it as a standalone novel. If I saw the other two volumes in a shop I might buy them, but I’m not going to hunt for them. Not a bad book, but not a lost classic by any means.

[Matt D · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was alright, though it seemed far better in theory than in practice. I love the notion of the ancient gods surviving past what would have been the birth of Christianity, but there are a few things that I question in terms of her world development. For example, Islam still exists in this timeline, as do (apparently) the Turkish armies; I question whether or not Islam would have arisen at all, had Christianity never gained a foothold, as Islam is built partially as an outgrowth of Christianity and Judiasm before it. But, I may be overthinking things - as I tend to do.

It's an interesting story, though at times the progress seems forced and development a little shaky. It's not the best alternative history novel I've read, but it's not the worst, either. It had enough to compel me to keep reading, and consider reading some of the follow-up novels.

[Brian Paterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was surprisingly engrossing as a Christmas read. Byzantium's Crown is an epic in the grand tradition, of say medieval tales like Dietrich of Bern or Hollywood’s sword-and-sandal blockbusters. What lost it some stars was the slow pace needed to fully scope the protagonist’s redemptive journey and the conclusion seemed rushed.
In book 1, The rightful heir Marric must first up be master to himself in an alternative First Millenia where the geopolitical and spiritual map been turned on its head. He gathers (and loses, ooops) friends and mentors along the way toward, um... enlightenment. I had to laugh though when the local leader of the Huns unironically complained that his people were being massacred. Yes, a HUN expected other people to be nice to him?! Ummmm? Go, find yourself in the dictionary...? ;-)
When this series first appeared, I was deep into Arthurian stories and not much moved by the Fall of the Roman Republic. Finding the 3-book set this year, for $5, prompted a rethink. Hey, apparently there are polar bears, Norsemen and some sort of Welsh crossover thing happening. I’m keen to see how the second book plays out.

[Micax · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love alternate history, but there is not really much "alternate history" over this tale. The central conceit is that Antony and Cleopatra won at Actium, and took over the rule of the Roman Empire as Pharaoh-Emperor. Add in a dash of magic, and you have the essence of the setting. The problem I have with it, is that one could easily transfer the tale to any generic human fantasy setting without affecting the story significantly. At least to me, the world did not seem like a logical extension of a branch in our history, which - IMO - is the key to good alternate history. The comment by someone else here about the rise of Islam in the absence of Christianity is a good point. Similarly with the religious mono-culture.

There's not a lot of character development (except for the main character), and the plot is pretty predictable, but it's also a short read, so all in all, pretty OK.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of Shwartz's books that I have read. The writing was pretty good. She writes about a Byzantium that is the result of Anthony and Cleopatra winning the war against Rome and founding a dynasty that incorporates the religions of both Rome and Egypt. Marric, the prince is off in the West fighting and learning governance. Meanwhile, in Byzantium, his step-mother is consolidating her rule and trying to marry her son to the princess. In the normal course of events, as in ancient Egypt, the brother and sister, Marric and his sister would be married as the incarnations of Isis and Osiris. Marric returns to rescue his sister, but the revolt is frustrated and Marric is enslaved and sent to Egypt. Interesting alternative history. I enjoyed it and will probably read more of her work.

[Corrine Eterna · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the most boring books I've ever had the displeasure of reading. Every sentence is either written in this monotonous tone of "This happened. Then this happened. Then this happened." Or the narrator spends too much time describing one action in a scene that is supposed to be fast-paced. The characters are dull, the setting isn't nearly as fun as it should be, and somehow even the magic is dull. How this got two sequels, I'll never know.

[scarlettraces]

Fairly old-school fantasy prose (of the stiff self-conscious variety) but what really killed this for me was the male focus. Probably would have kept reading if it had been female instead.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Enough. Better written than most of the genre, nice escape. Character development a little thin, plot is predictable.