Throne of Isis — Judith Tarr

Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt

She was the most powerful woman of the ancient Mediterranean, and the only person standing between Rome and its dominion over the world. She was wife to Julius Caesar, and bore his only son. After his death she took Marc Antony, Caesar's great general, as lover and consort--and as her partner in a vast political enterprise.

History tells of Cleopatra's devotion to Egypt and her war with Rome. Shakespeare tells of the tragic love affair. But here is the Cleopatra who took the throne of Egypt and held it for decades despite Rome's efforts. This is the woman who spoke twelve languages, studied philosophy and the arts, and could debate with the greatest scholars and orators of the age. And here is the woman who fell in love with a man she meant to use, and who, in the last splendid moments of her life, became immortal.