Augustus Caesar

When readers last saw Cleopatra Selene II, the orphaned daughter of Cleopatra VII and Marc Antony in Stephanie Dray’s Lily of the Nile, the young girl was on the cusp of turning into a woman.

In her second novel called Song of the Nile, Cleopatra Selene II is older, more feisty, and is determined to get her hands on her birthright: her mother’s Egypt. In order to return to her home, Selene has turned herself into Emperor Augustus Caesar’s (formally known as Octavian) most unlikely apprentice. However, when she’s forced into a marriage with Juba II, the King of Mauretania, Selene uses her status as a religious icon and the magic of the Egyptian Goddess Isis to turn her new kingdom into a prosperous land. Despite the backdrop of religious persecution from Rome, Selene must wrestle with her ambition and her desire to live free from the Emperor. She may love Egypt and want to re-claim her birthright, but first Selene has to decide if it’s worth it to risk her soul.

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Thanks to authors such as Philippa Gregory and Michelle Moran, historical fiction is becoming more popular. However, if you want to read some well-written and well-researched novels, there’s no better author to check out than Margaret George! Her crowning jewel is her historical fiction novel The Memoirs of Cleopatra, which gives readers a bird’s eye view into the life of one of the world’s most infamous monarchs.

Her colorful mastery of scenery and attention to detail brings the world of ancient Alexandria to life—if you close your eyes, you’ll swear that you were walking in the crowded marketplace listening to the sights and sounds of the vendors hawking their wears. George also takes her readers through a fascinating tour of turbulent ancient Rome and accurately describes the turmoil that ran riot through the city before the creation of the empire.

George also brings the three main players to life as well: Cleopatra VII, Julius Caesar, and Marcus Antonius, better known to history lovers today as Marc Antony. Gone is the pro-Augustan propaganda that labeled this fiery and intelligent Queen as a whore. Also conspicuously absent is the notion that Cleopatra VII, much like Liz Taylor’s 1963 movie portrayal, is a beauty beyond compare. Out of all the fiction and non-fiction books about this elusive Queen, George manages to give her readers the definitive version of Cleopatra—a strong-willed, intelligent woman who fought like a lioness to save her country and her children. She was a political genius and while reasonably attractive, the real-life woman couldn’t hold a candle to Liz Taylor’s looks. What drew Caesar and Antony to fall in love with her was her wit, her charm, and of course, her prestigious wealth.

Even if historical fiction isn’t usually your cup of tea, no one can deny that George reigns as Queen of that particular genre thanks to her dedicated research and masterful prose.