Later, making his way home through the thronged streets, John stumbles over the body of his friend Leukos, Keeper of the Plate. There are plenty of witnesses: an Egyptian brothel keeper, a young mason working on the Church of the Holy Wisdom, a mad stylite, a henpecked innkeeper, and the bull leapers from Crete. Now duty and guilt demand that John discover the murderer....
Later, making his way home through the thronged streets, John stumbles over the body of his friend Leukos, Keeper of the Plate. There are plenty of witnesses: an Egyptian brothel keeper, a young mason working on the Church of the Holy Wisdom, a mad stylite, a henpecked innkeeper, and the bull leapers from Crete. Now duty and guilt demand that John discover the murderer....
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Overview
Later, making his way home through the thronged streets, John stumbles over the body of his friend Leukos, Keeper of the Plate. There are plenty of witnesses: an Egyptian brothel keeper, a young mason working on the Church of the Holy Wisdom, a mad stylite, a henpecked innkeeper, and the bull leapers from Crete. Now duty and guilt demand that John discover the murderer....
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781464200502 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Sourcebooks |
| Publication date: | 10/31/2011 |
| Series: | John, the Lord Chamberlain Mysteries , #1 |
| Edition description: | Revised |
| Pages: | 272 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.68(d) |
About the Author
The husband and wife team of Mary Reed and Eric Mayer published several short stories about John, Lord Chamberlain to Emperor Justinian, in mystery anthologies and in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine prior to 1999’s highly acclaimed first full length novel, One for Sorrow. Entries in the series have been honored by a Best Mystery Glyph Award, an honorable mention in the Glyph Best Book category, and was a finalist for the IPPY Best Mystery Award ( Two For Joy ), nominations for the Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award ( Four For A Boy and Five For Silver ), and a Glyph Award for Best Book Series ( Five For Silver ). The American Library Association’s Booklist Magazine named the Lord Chamberlain novels one of its four Best Little Known Series.
Mary Reed & Eric Mayer also write under Eric Reed.
The husband and wife team of Mary Reed and Eric Mayer published several short stories about John, Lord Chamberlain to Emperor Justinian, in mystery anthologies and in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine prior to 1999’s highly acclaimed first full length novel, One for Sorrow. Entries in the series have been honored by a Best Mystery Glyph Award, an honorable mention in the Glyph Best Book category, and was a finalist for the IPPY Best Mystery Award ( Two For Joy ), nominations for the Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award ( Four For A Boy and Five For Silver ), and a Glyph Award for Best Book Series ( Five For Silver ). The American Library Association’s Booklist Magazine named the Lord Chamberlain novels one of its four Best Little Known Series.
Mary Reed & Eric Mayer also write under Eric Reed.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
On an unnaturally hot and humid spring evening in 535 AD, during the reign of Roman Emperor Justinian, the unruly celebration of the founding of Constantinople had shifted from the city's Hippodrome to its forums, streets, and alleys. In the narrow passages between tenements, revelers drank, sang, and cursed and blundered into fights or liaisons in a miasma formed of sweat, torch smoke, and cheap wine and perfume. Many would wake the next morning with headaches that would have them praying for death. Others would in fact be dead before the coppery sun materialized out of the sea mists. Among them would be one of four friends from the Great Palace.
The tall, lean Greek from the palace strode straight through the crowds. Something in his look and bearing cleared a path before him. As people stepped aside they whispered.
"Isn't that ...?"
"Yes. It's the Lord Chamberlain."
"The one called John the Eunuch?"
"Not within his earshot, fool! Quiet!"
If John heard he gave no sign. He spoke quietly but forcefully to the burly, bearded man at his side. "No, Felix. I am sure it was her. Do you think I would forget what she looks like? Fifteen years isn't so long."
Felix served as Captain of the Excubitors, the palace guard. He liked to consider himself a hard-headed man. "It's a long way from where we were sitting to the floor of the Hippodrome. There was the glare from the sunlight, the dust stirred up by the bulls and horses."
"How many bull-leaping troupes do you think there are in the empire today?"
"Until this afternoon, I'd have said none. It's strange."
"I was thinking exactly the same thing when the performers came out onto the track. How strange that I should be seated in the emperor's box, watching a recreation of bull-leaping. When I saw Cornelia for the first time, I was a poor, young mercenary with dust on my boots."
"The girl riding the bull was hardly more than a child, John. She couldn't be the woman you knew."
"I will find her, Felix. Then you'll see."
"You'll have to beat Anatolius to her." Felix referred to their younger friend who had sat with them at the Hippodrome. "He seems to have lost his senses too. It's a good thing Leukos had to leave us to see that so-called soothsayer before the bull-leapers appeared. I'd have to keep all three of you away from each other's throats."
John nodded absently. The memory of the bull-leaper floated before him, obscuring his companion's conversation and the thronged streets.
"I'll wager Anatolius is asking the soothsayer about that girl right now," Felix continued.
"Probably. His appointment was later than Leukos', wasn't it?"
"Yes. The two of us must be the only ones at the palace who haven't had the benefit of the old fraud's wisdom."
"In a month he'll be forgotten, replaced by a new sensation, perhaps the elephant the empress is having sent from India."
"An elephant! There's something much more interesting than any soothsayer. Now let's find a tavern before this mob drinks the city dry."
John regretted having agreed to join Felix after their official duties ended. His body was exhausted, his mind agitated. He wanted only the solitude of his study.
He made his way reluctantly through the swarming streets. Bonfires sent sparks cartwheeling upward toward the thin swatches of night sky visible between the buildings. Men paraded in costume, disguised as demons or wild animals. Others lurched along arm in arm, holding each other upright. Grotesque shadows groped past blank lower story walls toward open windows higher up.
"This will be a long night for the urban watch," muttered Felix. He deftly elbowed aside a staggering duck-headed thing that gave a pitiful cry, collapsed into the gutter, and crawled off. A trio of ruby-lipped women in a doorway laughed shrilly.
The press was thicker in the square opposite the well-known brothel run by Madam Isis. Several men emerged from the building, staggering drunkenly. A corpulent fellow slunk out in their wake, looked around guiltily, and lumbered away as fast he could manage. John thought this was not the evening to stop and talk with his old friend Isis.
"Look," directed Felix, "it's the bear trainer who was entertaining at the Hippodrome."
In the light from the fire in a corner of the square, John saw a bare-chested man in green tights standing in front of a cart which held an iron cage. The bear was a restless shadow behind the bars.
"Who'll be next?" barked the man, brandishing a stout pole at the milling crowd. "Come on! You call yourselves Romans?"
A young man in a brocaded tunic and cloak stumbled forward, pushed by several comrades. One of them flicked a coin at the bear trainer, who followed its flashing arc and plucked it expertly from the air.
The bear trainer held out the pole to the obviously intoxicated young man, who took it gingerly in one hand. He appeared to feel he needed both hands free to remain standing.
"Give 'er a poke, then," ordered the bear trainer.
"You trying to steal Madam's trade?" yelled a wit among the spectators. The young man stood uncertainly, swaying from side to side.
"Go on," repeated the trainer. "Give 'er a poke!"
"Go on, Aoinos!" urged his companions. Their friend took an unsteady step forward and gingerly pushed the pole through the bars.
The bear reacted instantly. With a roar, it caught the pole, wrenching it out of the youngster's hands. The suddenly free end whipped upwards, smashing the would-be tormentor's nose.
The wounded man stumbled backward, turned, swung wildly at his laughing companions, and hit a bystander instead. The stranger pushed the young man down and Aionis' companions took exception.
The bystander had friends too.
Daggers flashed into view.
The surrounding mob surged toward the cart.
Anyone who lived in Constantinople knew that the slightest spark could set off a riot, making a city street more dangerous than a battlefield.
"Quick, let's get away from here," Felix urged.
Before John could react there was a roar, a chilling mixture of shouts and screams, and a mass of humanity crashed into him, like a wave against the seawalls. Caught by surprise he was driven nearly to his knees and propelled across the square. By the time he regained his balance Felix was nowhere to be seen.
The square grew silent. John realized that the crowd had suddenly drawn away from the cart. He pushed through massed bodies until he saw what had caused the flight.
The bear trainer's iron cage had toppled off the cart. Its door was open. Atop the cage an enormous shadow moved.
A woman let out a shriek.
The bear rumbled deep in its throat and jumped to the ground.
John froze. The beast might shamble in any direction.
No longer the tormented, the bear lurched forward. A man in the short, simple tunic of a laborer found himself in the monster's path. His head turned first one way and then the other, but he could not make himself run. His eyes gleamed in the bonfire light. A gurgle of fear escaped his throat and he crumpled to the ground. The bear, heedless, stepped over him.
The beast's head swung from side to side, and then stopped, its bright, hard eyes focusing intently. It turned, advancing purposefully toward Madam Isis' doorway.
That was where the bear trainer cowered.
The man whirled around nimbly, doubtless seeking to escape inside. But the bear was already moving. As the trainer's hand scrabbled at the door, the bear's massive jaws were already tearing out the side of his throat. Blood spilled down the trainer's chest.
While the bear occupied itself, drawn swords and daggers glinted and a few onlookers cautiously moved toward the oblivious animal.
John didn't wait to see what happened. He glanced about for Felix and, failing to see him, moved toward an alleyway as the quickest route of escape.
The alley was little more than a crevice between buildings which leaned toward each other overhead. Away from the fire-lit square, the night was impenetrable. Unseen cobbles were slippery underfoot. John steadied himself by running a hand along the rough side of the wall of the tenement opposite Isis' house. He heard a rat skitter out of his way. The air stunk.
His boot was caught by something soft but bulky and he toppled forward. His knee banged down painfully on the stones.
Darkness shimmered before his eyes, dropping a veil of black silk as he scrambled to hands and knees. At least, he thought, the cobbles here were dry. He was blinking, trying to see what had tripped him, when shutters flew open directly above and closed just as quickly.
In the flash of light from the window John looked down into a pale but familiar face. The eyes were wide open, blue lips drawn back.
John spoke the man's name, but his friend did not answer.
CHAPTER 2
During the afternoon, when the dead man was still alive, John had sat with him and the others at the Hippodrome. Between the chariot races there had been other entertainment. Acrobats, wild animals. A trained bear.
The bear amused the spectators when it was down on the floor of the Hippodrome and not in their midst. They shouted their approval from the safety of the stands as the animal lashed out futilely at its trainer. Restrained by a chain, the bear could not quite reach the man's wagging buttocks.
Shifting his lean flanks on the hard marble bench, John had sympathized with the wretched bear. This afternoon he felt chained himself. Chained by his high position at the court, weighed down by his richly embroidered ceremonial robes. The sunlight was too fierce for early May. A tepid sea breeze did nothing to relieve his discomfort.
What did the friends beside him make of it, he wondered?
Felix, the excubitor captain, scowling intensely, was probably gauging the trainer's deftness with the trident he was brandishing at the bear.
Anatolius, who wrote poems when he was not serving as imperial secretary, looked as if he were only half-attending to the performance. The handsome and elegantly dressed young man might be composing an ode, but to the bear or to its tormenter?
The Keeper of the Plate, Leukos, was a kind man, a devout Christian. John was not surprised to notice him frown and look away as the trainer darted in at the captive animal, prodded it with the trident, pirouetted, and retreated.
"I suppose our empress is enjoying the entertainment," remarked Anatolius, "considering her father was a bear keeper."
"Indeed." From his seat in the emperor's box, John could see only the backs of the elevated thrones occupied by the emperor and empress. Theodora's father had died when she was a child, leaving her family destitute. The racing partisans known as the Greens had turned them away but the Blues had offered charity. Which was why she had spent the afternoon raucously cheering for the Blue chariot teams with all the exuberance of a fisherman's wife.
As an adult she had turned to acting and caught the eye of Justinian. Otherwise she might have been down in the dust assisting the bear trainer instead of observing from a throne.
The bear was chained to a stake directly in front of the imperial box. The trainer broke into a run, circling the stake with a comical, high-stepping gait. The bear, though encumbered, pursued him, still hopeful of exacting revenge for its injuries. So intent was it on its pursuit that it did not notice that every turn around the stake wound its chain tighter, shortening it inexorably so that suddenly the beast found itself trapped, unable to move.
The bear roared its pain and fury to the unheeding sky as its trainer gave the beast's shaggy back a final vicious dig with his trident.
The crowd responded with coin-throwing enthusiasm as the bear trainer finally departed with his ill-treated charge and slaves, swathed in whirling dust devils, removed the stake and raked the arena's churned floor smooth.
"I wish the only enemies I had to guard against were bears attached to lengths of chains," grumbled Felix.
"Don't worry," offered Anatolius. "You don't have any enemies here. At least not within arm's length. You lost our bet though. The bear didn't draw blood."
Felix grunted. "Maybe next time it will."
"Since our enemies don't have chains, our best defense is to learn which way they are going to jump," remarked Leukos. He ran a thin hand across his gleaming, bald scalp. Behind his back the apprentices said their master's skull so resembled a silver bowl that there must be an imperial seal stamped behind one ear.
Anatolius pushed a few dark curls off his forehead and regarded Leukos with surprise. "Why have you been so gloomy this afternoon? What enemies do you have?"
"We all have enemies. You might want to consult the soothsayer who has recently arrived in the city. Perhaps he can point out a few of yours for you."
"Oh, I've heard about him. Who hasn't? He disemboweled a chicken for a certain office holder we won't name and was able, from its guts, to assure this august personage that he would not end up like the unfortunate chicken, or at least not for a week or two. I'm visiting the soothsayer later."
"He's going to be busy today," Leukos said. "I have an appointment with him at the inn in a short while."
"Do you both think it's wise?" put in John. "It might cause the emperor embarrassment if anyone spots his officials dealing with a charlatan like that."
"Actually, he's very knowledgeable," Leukos replied. "I've already had him cast the augurs for me."
Felix shook his head. "Leukos, you of all officials must be aware that the more plausible the rogue, the tighter you need to hold on to the silver. You can't trust people these days."
Anatolius grinned broadly, an expression which diminished somewhat his resemblance to a classic Greek sculpture. "Are you thinking of these kidnappings and extortion plots we've been plagued with lately, or the street violence, or ..." he paused for effect, "... is it that little tart at Madam's?"
Felix's directed a chilly gaze at him. "You're a gossip, Anatolius. If you don't watch your tongue you'll lose it."
Anatolius pretended to look hurt. "That's unfair, Felix. Gossips are the ones who spread tales about the patriarch's tribe of illegitimate children — such slander to cast at a churchman — and swear that the emperor is really a faceless demon in human form. I just pass along the news."
Leukos stood up. "I have to be off to see the soothsayer. I'll be glad to be out of this sun." He fumbled with the leather pouch he carried on his belt, closed it, and wiped the sweat from his broad forehead with the back of his hand. "Do you want to come with me, Anatolius?"
"I can find the Inn of the Centaurs, Leukos. I think I'll stay for the next performance and another race or two. I'm not supposed to call on him until the end of the afternoon."
A moment after Leukos had left the imperial box the massive teak gate at the far end of the chariot track slid open and, as the crowd cheered, a monstrous black bull garlanded in blossoms and ribbons charged out into view. The bull raced around the arena's perimeter, violently tossing gold-tipped horns.
John drew in his breath sharply. The magnificent beast was the perfect incarnation of the sacred animal of the Lord of Light, John's own god.
"Mithra!" he exhaled, forgetting for an instant that he was practically within earshot of the ruler of an officially Christian empire.
A trio of figures followed the bull out of the gate. All were clothed in azure loincloths and beribboned chaplets of flowers. Barefooted, they moved smoothly and swiftly along the track until they stood near the imperial box. John realized, with a shock, that they presented the image of bull-leapers from the ancient days of Crete. He had not seen bull-leapers since. ... he pushed the memory away, as he always did when it ambushed him.
The bull wheeled around, kicking up clods of earth, and then charged at the trio.
Two of the figures, armed with spears, stepped aside. John saw that the remaining figure, unarmed, was a slim woman. His heart leapt as if he were the one confronting the bull.
The spectators' clamor subsided into a silence like that between breaking waves. In the eerie hush, the beat of the bull's hooves carried clearly up into the stands.
The woman stepped forward, raising delicate arms as if preparing to push the onrushing beast aside.
John tried to pick out details of her features, but shimmering heat waves hid her face.
The bull closed in. It lowered its massive head. Horns flashed in the sunlight. The woman left the earth as easily as a sparrow, grabbed the bull's horns, vaulted over them, and landed lightly on the animal's back.
The crowd's thunderous appreciation echoed around the Hippodrome.
The bull whipped its head back and forth, but the woman already sat securely astride its broad back. The maddened beast raced around the track to the far side. As it completed its circuit and galloped back toward where John and his friends were sitting, John could see the gleam of the approaching beast's wild eyes and the foam flecking its mouth. The rider pulled herself up into a crouch and then executed a back flip, ending in a handstand on the arena's floor directly in front of the imperial box.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "One for Sorrow"
by .
Copyright © 2012 Mary Reed and Eric Mayer.
Excerpted by permission of Poisoned Pen Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Reading Group Guide
READING GUIDE FOR THE JOHN THE EUNUCH HISTORICAL MYSTERY SERIES
BACKGROUND
Everyone knows about the fall of the Roman Empire to the barbarian hordes. However, while the western portion of the empire passed from Roman control in 476 AD, the eastern part-often referred to as the Byzantine Empire- survived for nearly another millennium, until its capital of Constantinople was overrun by the Turks in l453.
The John the Eunuch mystery series unfolds during the reign of Emperor Justinian I (527-565), on the cusp of the classical and medieval worlds. John lives at a time when paganism had all but lost its battle with Christianity but the glory of Rome was still much more than just a dim memory. In his attempts to restore the empire, Justinian not only successfully reconquered both Africa and Italy but also codified Roman law and rebuilt Constantinople so as to rival in the magnificence of its architecture ancient Rome itself. Yet the city's centerpiece was not a pagan temple but a Christian church, the Hagia Sophia.
John, who serves as Justinian's Lord Chamberlain, is called upon to solve some of the mysterious deaths which were not uncommon in this turbulent time of competing viewpoints. In One For Sorrow (535 AD) he investigates the death of a friend who was an official at the Great Palace, while also contending with a soothsayer and a traveler who claims to be on a quest for the Holy Grail. Two For Joy (537 AD) finds him attempting to find an explanation for the deaths of holy stylites who spontaneously burst into flame atop the pillars upon which they live, just as a religious zealot arrives at the gates of Constantinople, claiming supernatural powers and making political demands. In Three For A Letter (539 AD), John becomes involved in Justinian's plans to regain control of Italy when he is sent to a seaside estate to solve the murder of a young diplomatic hostage who was an heir to the Ostrogoth throne-and at the same time also protect the dead boy's sister. His task is further complicated by intriguing courtiers, automatons and a herd of fortune-telling goats. Four For A Boy (525 AD) is a prequel to the series, relating how John regained his freedom by solving the murder of a prominent philanthropist in broad daylight in the Great Church, as well as his first meetings with several series characters including Felix (here a rank and file excubitor), Egyptian madam Isis and the wine imbibing physician Gaius, not to mention a cast including street performers, courtiers, and the former actress Theodora, who was later to co-rule the empire with Justinian.
JOHN'S BIOGRAPHY
John the Eunuch is a tall, lean Greek, born around 495 AD. As a young man he attended Plato's Academy outside Athens but grew restless and left to become a mercenary. He fought in Bretania, where he developed a fear of deep water after seeing a colleague drown in a swollen stream. He also lived for a time in Alexandria and traveled with a troupe which recreated the ancient Cretan art of bull-leaping for Roman audiences. While seeking to buy silks for his lover in a border region of the empire, he strayed into enemy territory, was captured by Persians, emasculated and sold into slavery, purchased to serve at the Great Palace in Constantinople.
Having regained his freedom and eventually appointed Lord Chamberlain, John's official role is as chief attendant to the emperor. As part of his duties John oversees much of the palace administration and supervises court ceremonies. However, his real power lies in his close working relationship with Justinian, who depends upon his advice and, from time to time, his ability as an investigator. Unfortunately, John has attracted the enmity of Empress Theodora.
A man of simple tastes, John lives in a sparsely furnished house on the palace grounds. Although wealthy, he refuses to employ slaves or the customary bodyguard. He is fluent in four languages (cursing in Egyptian) but is not quick to share confidences in any of them. He has, however, been known to share his thoughts with the girl depicted in the mosaic on the wall of his study.
John is sometimes aided in his investigations by Felix, the Captain of the Excubitors (palace guards), his younger friend Anatolius (Justinian's secretary) and an elderly servant, Peter. John, like Felix and Anatolius, is a practicing Mithran and has attained the rank of Runner of the Sun. Like them, however, he must keep his beliefs secret since Mithraism is a proscribed religion.
John is a man of contradictions-a pagan serving a Christian emperor, a man of principle in a society whose corrupt institutions do not offer justice, someone who has been terribly wounded but has not descended into ruthlessness although he has been known to lapse into fits of anger and near madness, perhaps a result of urges he usually controls.
John appears in several short stories as well as the series of novels.
SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
WARNING: INCLUDES SPOILERS
(l) John suffered castration as a young man. In what way has this affected his emotional and mental attitudes? How do you think you would react to this type of traumatic event? To what extent do the things that happen to us dictate "who we are" and to what extent can we decide "who we are" despite the things that happen to us?
(2) John was captured, mutilated and sold into slavery but has survived to become a man of great power. Yet he has not attempted to hunt down and punish those who wronged him. Why do you think he hasn't taken revenge? Should he? Would you?
(3) People sometimes assume that a eunuch must not be a "real" man and so would be unable to protect the people he loves or do "manly" things. What are your thoughts on this assumption? Can we in fact accomplish things that seem impossible when the need arises? Has this ever happened to you?
(4) Many things taken for granted in John's time - families selling their children into prostitution or slavery, for example - are morally repugnant to us. Yet these things are still going on l,500 years later. Do you think the world is becoming a better place? Will such conditions always be part of it? Does our society take for granted things that will appear morally wrong to people in the future? What do you think they would consider to belong to this classification?
(5) John does not always approve of aspects of his society. His views are sometimes more in line with modern day thinking. Is this realistic? How much does the society in which we live shape our views of what is right and wrong?
(6) Several characters in the books are practicing Mithrans living in a Christian court whose emperor has proscribed pagan religions. They must therefore follow their religion in secret. What parallels do you see with religious oppression today? Is it possible, like John and his friends, to follow individual beliefs and principles in a world that often seems to hold contrary views?
(7) As Lord Chamberlain, John the Eunuch is immensely wealthy but he prefers plain food and a sparsely furnished house. What does this tell you about him? Is wealth necessarily the measure of a person? What would you do if you were suddenly as rich as John?
(8) Empress Theodora is a very strong woman whose power is exceeded only by that wielded by her husband, Justinian. Some scholars believe her influence on her husband was so great that she was actually co-emperor. Today we see a few women serving as heads of state. Has the role of powerful women changed? Can you think of any women today who are like Theodora? Who would you choose to play her in a movie?
(9) In One For Sorrow, Ahaseurus claims to be able to foretell the future while in Three For A Letter the same talent is ascribed to a herd of goats. Fortune-telling and horoscopes remain very popular today. Why do you think that is, considering how much we now know about the world thanks to modern science? Do you think we can foretell the future by astrology or other means? Do you know of any examples where this actually happened?
(l0) The innkeeper and his wife in One For Sorrow are a good example of a marriage that began in high hopes and ended in sorrow. Given the history of the couple as related in the book, could a different course have been taken? If they had asked you for advice on their marriage, what advice would you have given them?
(ll) In One For Sorrow, John is driven to find his friend's murderer even though the emperor has ordered him to stop the pursuit. Do we have a higher duty to our family and friends than to those in power?
(l2) Anatolius, who appears in all the books, is often hasty in his actions. What advice would you give him if you were his parent? Would it be any different from parental advice you would give to a young man or woman today?
(l3) At the end of Two For Joy, Michael's true identity is revealed. It has been said that we all wear public masks. Do you think this is true? What would you have done in Michael's situation?
(l4) In Two For Joy, Lucretia becomes a runaway wife. Given her situation as described in the book would you have felt the same way? Would you have stayed in the marriage? Why?
(l5) Justinian exercised absolute power over the life and death of everyone in his empire. If you were the emperor what sort of civil and legal reforms would you order carried out immediately? If you could only order one reform, what would it be, and why?
(l6) In Three For A Letter, the Ostrogoth twins have been brought up in very unusual circumstances, separated from their blood relatives and far from home. What sort of effect do you think this would have on children? How could it be counteracted?
(l7) Much of Three For A Letter is set on Zeno's country estate and exhibits a dreamlike quality. Have you ever felt as if you were living in a dream, whether good or bad?
(l8) Were you surprised to learn that the Roman Empire had continued for 1,000 years after its "fall"? Why do you think so little popular attention has been paid to its later history while there have been many books and movies about its earlier times?