Odalisque (Percheron Series) - Softcover

Fiona McIntosh

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0732283396 ISBN 13: 9780732283391

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2006

Synopsis

In Percheron the Zar dies and Boaz, the young son of Herezah, the old Zar's wife and Absolute Favourite, takes power. Ambitious and scheming, Herezah arranges for her son's rivals to be disposed of and oversees the assembly of a new harem. One of its number is Ana, who enters a world where she wants for nothing except her freedom. Ana's only friends are Lazar, the secretive and eligible Spur of Percheron, and a seemingly insane dwarf called Pez. Her attempt at escape, after undergoing a brutal test of Virtue, sets in motion forces beyond anyone's control ...Even more mysterious is the rising of Iridor, heralding a new cycle in the war of faith that will enmesh them all in a deadly battle between gods.

About this title

About the Author:

Born in 1960 and raised in southern England, Fiona McIntosh spent an early childhood in the gold-mining camp of Bibiani in Ghana, where her father was working. She studied in Brighton before starting a career in PR and marketing in London. She made Australia her home in 1980, continuing in a travel-marketing career with an ad agency, a tourism authority, and an international airline. Fiona married her magazine-publisher husband, Ian, and they now live in Adelaide with their teenage twin sons, Will and Jack.

From Publishers Weekly:

A magnificent setting distinguishes this first of a new fantasy trilogy from McIntosh (The Quickening), who imbues the city-state of Percheron with many attributes of Constantinople under the Ottoman Turks. Joreb, the zar (or ruler) of Percheron, is well served by his military leader, the handsome Lazar, who fought his way to freedom from slavery. When Joreb dies an untimely death, Boaz—Joreb's 15-year-old son by his beautiful, intelligent and ambitious first wife—becomes zar. But not even Lazar or Pez, a dwarf jester whom nearly everyone thinks is mad, can shield young Boaz from the cruel necessities of ruling Percheron. (McIntosh, who doesn't stint on depicting the brutality of slaughter, includes a disturbing castration scene.) Meanwhile, gods and goddesses feud, a new odalisque joins the harem, and a neighboring kingdom threatens invasion. While the author leaves the culture's religious aspects undeveloped, strong characters and an enticing plot bode well for future installments. (Mar.)
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About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0732283396
• ISBN 13: 9780732283391
• Binding: Paperback