A rousing plunge into the power politics of the ancient world, peopled with legendary characters.” — Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author of The Memoir of Cleopatra
“With lyrical prose and a keen sense of time and place, Marc Graham sweeps us into this dramatic and unknown tale of rivalry, passion, and the quest for freedom behind the Biblical myth. Song of Songs resonates with historical truth, but never sacrifices the hearts of the fabled women who actually lived it.” — C.W. Gortner, author of The Romanov Empress
“A stirring novel of love, lust and vengeance, restoring the lost feminine voice to one of the great Biblical tales. You will never think of the Queen of Sheba the same way again.” — Kamran Pasha, author of Mother of the Believers and Shadow of the Swords
“Graham delivers a gripping tale of treachery, betrayal, and hope, perfectly blended with vivid characters to adore and despise. A winning story worthy of high praise.” — International bestselling author Wendy Terrien
“Marc Graham regales us with a masterful retelling of a story we believe we already know. His prose breathes life into ancient characters and serves as a bridge across the gulf of history so we may experience their all too relatable motivations.” — Michael F. Haspil, author of Graveyard Shift
"A princess and a pirate uncover secrets from the past in Marc Graham’s historical romance Son of the Sea, Daughter of the Sun. Kidnapped by Mediterranean pirates, young Iudila grows into a brave fighter and a strong sailor. An ocean away, Lady Chakin, a priestess and the princess of the prosperous kingdom of Shukpi, is groomed by her greedy uncle to usher in a new age of war and bloodshed. Their worlds collide when Iudila, driven by a prophecy, journeys to Shukpi to join their bloodlines and plant the seeds of a better world. Set in the seventh century, the story travels through a bevy of historical locations, including the colorful, clamoring port city of Tingis and Mayan temples filled with intricate carvings and atmospheric passageways. Each is rendered in strong, evocative detail. The inclusion of gritty details, like the proliferation of rats and lice onboard ships, adds a sense of realism to the narrative. The novel is divided into three parts. The first, which relates Iudila’s back story, seethes with exciting boat chases and brutal fight scenes. The second part, Chakin’s back story, keeps a slow, tense pace as the young girl slowly but steadily deserts her peace-loving father in favor of her bloodthirsty uncle. Part three unites the two lovers even as political and mystical forces gather to tear them apart. Dark themes, including mutilation, rape, and pedophilia, are present throughout. The depiction of Iudila, a white man, as a godlike hero to the people of Shukpi is disconcerting. The theological ties binding Iudila and Chakin, and the liberties taken with historical accuracy to make those ties possible, is sometimes distracting. However, extensive historical notes and a bibliography explain where fact becomes fiction and why such changes were made, making the adaptations easier to understand and appreciate. Both heroes and villains display ruthless behavior. This cruelty makes the villains, especially Chakin’s uncle Tok-Ekh, all the more despicable. In some cases, the heroes are manipulated into violence; in others, they commit merciless acts of their own accord, making it difficult to sympathize with them. The book’s structure forces the romance to take a backseat to historical and adventure aspects; the would-be lovers don’t meet until over halfway through the narrative. The pair falls in love almost at first sight and realizes they are destined to be together; little time is spent on developing their relationship. The novel is better approached as historical fiction; its world building is stunning, its twists are devastating, and there’s the appealing promise of more to come. Son of the Sea, Daughter of the Sun is an exciting historical romance of epic proportions." — Eileen Gonzalez, Foreword Reviews
Praise for Marc Graham and Song of Songs
“A rousing plunge into the power politics of the ancient world, peopled with legendary characters.”
—Margaret George, New York Times bestselling author ofThe Memoir of Cleopatra
“With lyrical prose and a keen sense of time and place, Marc Graham sweeps us into this dramatic and unknown tale of rivalry, passion, and the quest for freedom behind the Biblical myth.Song of Songsresonates with historical truth, but never sacrifices the hearts of the fabled women who actually lived it.”
—C.W. Gortner, author ofThe Romanov Empress
“A stirring novel of love, lust and vengeance, restoring the lost feminine voice to one of the great Biblical tales. You will never think of the Queen of Sheba the same way again.”
—Kamran Pasha, author ofMother of the BelieversandShadow of the Swords
“Graham delivers a gripping tale of treachery, betrayal, and hope, perfectly blended with vivid characters to adore and despise. A winning story worthy of high praise.”
—International bestselling author Wendy Terrien
“Marc Graham regales us with a masterful retelling of a story we believe we already know. His prose breathes life into ancient characters and serves as a bridge across the gulf of history so we may experience their all too relatable motivations.”
—Michael F. Haspil, author ofGraveyard Shift
2019-10-04
A prophecy guides a 7th-century prince-turned-pirate across the seas to the New World, where his destiny lies with a Mayan princess and her gods.
Off the coast of Spain in the year 610, a merchant ship carrying 12-year-old Visigothic Spanish prince Iudila is captured by pirates. Over the next few months, the captain repeatedly rapes the boy, until Iudila, a natural leader, gains allies among the crew and absorbs their "lessons of sky and sea, as the stars—the heavenly guides and weavers of men's fates—made their slow, inexorable night-walk through the heavens." Thoughts of regaining his rightful place as royalty fade after an encounter with a prophesying monk and a fraught voyage, guided by a map of mysterious origin. The ship's destination: a Mayan kingdom and, it turns out, Iudila's heart's desire. Graham (Song of Songs, 2019, etc.) then goes back in time to tell the story of Mayan princess Chakin's eventful childhood and adolescence. She and Iudila have their fated meeting in a kingdom that's threatened by a twisted shaman's powers and shaped by a connection to Iudila's own history. In this richly immersive novel, images of brutality and beauty propel the plot as the author digs deep into historical, anthropological, and religious source materials. The book's closing notes offer Graham's compelling insights into how his research shaped the story and its characters—Chakin's father, Uti-Chan, and Iudila himself are among several real-life figures that he's woven into the plot. The author also explains the inspiration for two vividly imagined elements that readers may find controversial—the founding of a family dynasty by a semidivine Jesus (here known by the Aramaic name Yahshua), and a long-ago visit to the New World by ancient Hebrews who leave a mystical mark on Mayan culture. Graham also includes a helpful glossary of names and places, a list of recommended works by historians and anthropologists, and a hint of a sequel to come.
A heady, deeply researched mix of history, myth, and imagination.
