At the start of Bradshaw's rousing adventure novel set in 246 B.C., the galley Atalanta
, “just out of the naval shipyard of the island republic of Rhodes,” runs into a pirate vessel while returning to Rhodes on its maiden voyage. Led by Isokrates of Kameiros, Atalanta
's helmsman, the Rhodians defeat the pirates and rescue the attractive Dionysia, who claims to have been the concubine of King Antiochos of Syria. Before the pirate captain abducted her, Dionysia was headed for Alexandria, where she intended to pass on some information to Antiochos's royal rival, Ptolemy. The sensitivity of this intelligence places Dionysia and Isokrates in harm's way, in particular from the pirate captain, who escaped during the sea battle. While the romance between the two principals is standard issue, Bradshaw (Dark North
) does a splendid job of bringing to life a period of ancient history underutilized in fiction. (Sept.)
