Based closely on historical events, this sensuously beautiful, astonishingly evocative novel tells the story of one of history’s most remarkable women?the first female Pharaoh of Egypt. Thirty-five centuries ago, Hatshepsut, the youngest daughter of the Pharaoh, was to marry her father’s illegitimate son and heir to the throne, Thothmes, in order to cleanse the bloodline in accordance with Egypt’s supreme law. Fearing his son’s incompetence, Hatshepsut’s father chose her as the heir?provided that the unprecedented ascension by a woman did not inspire the priests to commit treason or instill enough hatred in the envious heart of her half-brother and future consort to have her put to death. Rich in historical detail, this account recalls the rule of one of Egypt’s greatest queens who, under her father’s guidance, assumed the throne at the age of 15 and ruled brilliantly for more than two decades.

PAULINE GEDGE is the award-winning and bestselling author of thirteen previous novels, ten of which are inspired by Egyptian history. Her first, Child of the Morning, won the Alberta Search-for-a-New-Novelist Competition. In France, her second novel, The Eagle And The Raven, received the Jean Boujassy award from the Société des Gens des Lettres, and The Twelfth Transforming, the second of her Egyptian novels, won the Writers Guild of Alberta Best Novel of the Year Award. Her books have sold more than 250,000 copies in Canada alone; worldwide, they have sold more than six million copies and have been translated into eighteen languages. Pauline Gedge lives in Alberta.

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?Epic accounts of feasts and festivals, and a steady flow of details related to life in ancient Thebes . . . the sunny, sweating world of [Egypt] in filmic splendour.”  “ Vancouver Sun

"Splendor, splendor everywhere."  ?Kirkus Reviews

"Combines ancient artifacts, timeless psychology and sure pacing.”  “Globe and Mail

"A rich pageant, satisfying on more levels than simply that of narrative."  “Wall Street Journal

"The author’s strong sense of time and place is evident in every scene. A superb portrait of a powerful but very human queen."  “Library Journal

"A compelling and human story without a single dramatic lapse."  ?San Francisco Examiner

?This is as fine a novel as anyone would want to read.”  “Columbus Ohio Dispatch

?Gedge sets her living, breathing Queen against a beautifully detailed Egypt that we see as it must have been so long ago.”  “Publishers Weekly