by John M. Ford
First published 1985
Lorenzo Medici discovers that magic flows through the political currents of Renaissance Europe like blood through veins. In this alternate history, the Byzantine Empire never fell and vampires walk among the living. Lorenzo must forge alliances across a continent where sorcery shapes diplomacy and ancient powers still hold sway. He encounters Gregory, a Byzantine wizard-physician, and Dimitrios, a vampire scholar, as they navigate the treacherous courts of Italy and beyond. Their paths converge around a conspiracy that threatens to reshape the balance between the magical and mundane worlds. Ford weaves together historical figures with supernatural elements, creating a Europe where the Wars of the Roses take on mystical dimensions and the fate of nations hangs on both steel and spellcraft.
Genres: historical-fiction, fantasy, supernatural, alternate-history
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: alternate-history, conspiracy, found-family
Setting: Renaissance Europe, Italy, Byzantine Empire
Period: Renaissance
Paperback · Corgi Books