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English Summary/英文概要： An impeccable historical novel, with the flavor of a classic with a plot full of intrigues, loves and terrible deceptions, and an engaging and refined style, which takes the reader through the glittering rooms of the imperial palaces
and their magnificent gardens, showing us the secret sides of the cities of the East.
John i Tzimiskes who grew up with his maternal uncles, the Phokas, over the time became a valiant leader and fought courageously for the Byzantine Empire alongside Nikephoros II, the most brilliant general of his era, and Leo Phokas.
War is all he has left: his wife died during childbirth and his father’s relatives, the Kurkuas, consider him a traitor. When it seems that Giovanni has no other purpose than fighting alongside the Phokas, three witches prophesy that he will become emperor. But how can this be possible, given that Nikephoros, his mentor, sits on the throne and he is the man who raised him and for whom he would give his life?
When Nikephoros turns his back on him and the charming Theophano knocks on his door, Tzimiskes has to decide what he wants to do with his future: remain faithful to the emperor, supporting the principles he grew up with, or take his place, definitively accepting his destiny?
Wars, murders, conspiracies and betrayals: after her debut with Magnificat, Sonia Aggio returns to bookstores with a gripping novel full of twists and turns, retracing the events of an extraordinary man who, starting from a simple soldier, managed to change the fate of his Empire by unexpectedly conquering the crown. In this book, with great talent and accuracy, the author reconstructs the existential parable of John I Tzimiskes through the epic tale of his rise to the throne, describing the daily reality of one of the most extensive dominations the world has ever known.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 一部无可挑剔的历史小说，博关经典，故事情节充斥着阴谋、爱情和可怕的欺骗，风格迷人而精致，带领读者穿越皇宫的金碧辉煌的寝宫和气势恢宏的花园，向读者展示东方城市的神秘一面。 约翰一世·齐米斯克斯和他的叔叔菲卡斯一起长大，随着时间的推移，他成为了一名英勇的领袖，并与他那个时代最杰出的将军尼克弗洛斯二世和利奥·菲卡斯一起勇敢地为拜占庭帝国而战。战争是他唯一的人生方向:妻子死于难产，他父亲的亲戚库尔库亚斯(Kurkuas)认为他是叛徒。当乔凡尼似乎除了与佛卡斯人并肩作战之外没有其他选择时，三个女巫预言他将成为皇帝。但是，既然他的导师尼克福洛斯坐在宝座上，而他就是抚养他的人，这怎么可能呢? 当尼克福洛斯背弃了他，迷人的西奥帕诺对他暗送秋波时，齐米斯克斯必须要对他自己的未来作出抉择：对皇帝保持忠诚，坚守他从小就遵循的原则，还是取代他的位置，完全接受他的Collana Le strade 命运? 战争、谋杀、阴谋和背叛：索尼娅·阿乔(Sonia Aggio)在处女作《颂歌》(Magnificat)之后，带着一本扣人心弦、充满曲折的小说强势回归，追溯了一个非凡男人的故事，他从一个普通的士兵开始，出人意料地夺取了王位，成功改变了他的帝国的命运。在这本书中，作者以卓越的才华和精准的笔
调，通过约翰一世齐米斯克斯登上王位的史诗故事，重构了他的存在寓言，描述了世界上有史以来最广为流传的所谓‘天命所归’。(Sandy)
Awards/获奖情况： Presented to the Strega Literary Award 2024.
Light and darkness on her face as she walks away, more cat than woman, gaze longing and distant. «The first time you weren’t ready to listen, were you? But today you are. You are ready, Tzimiskes. Your destiny is waiting for you.
«Constantinople is a mother: first betrayed, then lost and finally forgotten by Europe. Sonia Aggio tells us about it with care and love in a novel that is both delicate and vigorous».
- Paolo Malaguti
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