In the glorious city of Constantinople, the center of the late Roman Empire and the capital of Orthodox Christianity, there came a reign of terror and blood-soaked religious conflict. Emperor Theophilos (812–842 A.D.) has outlawed the veneration of the holy icons and seeks to destroy all who refuse to abandon this most-revered tradition of the Church. Caught in the middle of this deadly controversy are two young people: the aristocratic Andronikos, son of the ancient Demad dynasty, and the peasant girl Eirini. The pair meet as children and develop a deep bond that is threatened by class prejudice and the machinations of those who would do them harm. Andronikos faces resistance not only from a friend who betrays him but from his own father—the mighty Zosimos, a commander of the Roman army who carries out the Emperor’s vicious designs against the supporters of the icons. Among those in disagreement with the Emperor is the saintly monk Gerasimos, Andronikos’ spiritual father, who will ultimately set Andronikos on a mysterious quest that involves a missing manuscript, the Empress Theodora, and Eirini herself. An exciting mix of love, faith, and the battle of good versus evil, the story takes readers on a page-turning journey that brings to life the people and the culture of distant Constantinople, the “Queen of Cities.” Dyed in Murex is historical fiction at its very best, a book that will delight and inform in equal measure.
