July 2008 Debut of the Month.

This is a slightly difficult one to categorise as it seems to encompass several genres, part historical fiction, part supernatural, part romance this is a novel of wide appeal. Gul is an oracle, she has visions, and she must lead Prince Aeneas to his destiny. A haunting and moving novel that is thoroughly enjoyable.

Synopsis

The World is ending. One by one the mighty cities are falling: to earthquakes, to flood and to raiders - on both land and sea.

In a time of war and doubt, Gull is an oracle, a mouthpiece of the gods. Daughter of a slave plundered from fallen Troy, she was chosen as a child to serve the Lady of the Dead, and it is her fate to counsel kings.

When nine black ships appear as foretold in her dreams, captained by an exiled Trojan prince, Gull must make her choice. She must decide between her sacred calling and the most perilous adventure - joining her mother's people in their desperate flight from slavery. From the doomed bastions of the City of Pirates to the temples of Byblos, from the intrigues of the Egyptian court to the haunted caves beneath Mount Vesuvius, only Gull can guide Prince Aeneas on his quest. And only she can dare the gates of the Underworld itself to lead him to his destiny.

In the last shadowed days of the Age of Bronze, one woman dreams of the world beginning anew. This is her story.

Reviews

'Haunting and bittersweet, lush and vivid, this extraordinary story has lived with me since I first read it' Naomi Novik

'There's food for thought here, as well as emotional depth and a refreshingly different approach to a legend we only thought we knew' Locus

About the Author

Jo Graham lives in Maryland with her family, and has worked in politics for many years. Black Ships is her debut novel. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation