Harem

by Colin Falconer Book 10 in the Epic Historical Adventure series.

First published 1992

Amazon

4.1(15,560)

Istanbul, 1520. Suleiman’s accession places the imperial harem at the centre of Ottoman succession politics. Hürrem, an enslaved concubine, understands that security depends on winning the sultan’s confidence and producing sons, but every step upward threatens women, officials and dynastic interests whose futures depend on a different heir.

A parallel story follows Abbas from Venice through Mediterranean conflict and the slave markets until his fate intersects with the world surrounding Hürrem. Their experiences show different forms of vulnerability within an empire in which status can change abruptly through war, enslavement, favour or disgrace. The novel combines court intrigue and romance with the political consequences of Suleiman’s household, where personal relationships influence patronage, succession and the government of a state expanding across Europe and the eastern Mediterranean.