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Iphigenia, Phaedra, Athaliah
Iphigenia, Phaedra, Athaliah
Nov 9, 2025 2:48 PM

Author:Jean Racine,John Cairncross

Iphigenia, Phaedra, Athaliah

Strongly influenced by Classical drama, Jean Racine (1639-99) broke away from the grandiose theatricality of baroque drama to create works of intense psychological realism, with characters manipulated by cruel and vengeful gods. Iphigenia depicts a princess's absolute submission to her father's will, despite his determination to sacrifice her to gain divine favour before going to war. Described by Voltaire as 'the masterpiece of the human mind', Phaedra shows a woman's struggle to overcome her overwhelming passion for her stepson - an obsession that brings destruction to a noble family. And Athaliah portrays a ruthless pagan queen, who defies Jehovah in her desperate attempt to keep the throne of Jerusalem from its legitimate heir.

Reviews

Each new novel moves from strength to strength...this series has already established itself as the most significant work of epic fantasy since Stephen R. Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

—— SF SITE

The kind of epic narrative that will have you scrambling for more

—— STEPHEN R. DONALDSON

Erikson is a master of lost and forgotten epochs, a weaver of ancient epics...his books are fantasy for grown-ups, but his war-torn world of constant upheavals reminds one an awful lot of our own

—— SALON.COM

This is true myth in the making, a drawing upon fantasy to recreate histories and legends as rich as any found within our culture

—— INTERZONE

He is the maestro at creating suspense

—— New Statesman

McEwan's exploration of his characters' lives and secret emotions is a virtuoso display of fictional subtlety and intelligence

—— Observer

A virtuoso display

—— Observer

[An] exquisite and suspenseful novel

—— Week

A page-turner, with a plot so engrossing that it seems reckless to pick the book up in the evening if you plan to get any sleep that night

—— Alain de Botton , Daily Mail

Taut with narrative excitement and suspense...a novel of rich diversity that triumphantly integrates imagination and intelligence, rationality and emotional alertness

—— Sunday Times

He is the maestro at creating suspense: the particular, sickening, see-sawing kind that demands a kind of physical courage from the reader to continue reading

—— New Statesman

A novel of rich diversity

—— Sunday Times

From the first page to the last, The Time Traveler's Wife works its unique magic... A beautiful, lyrical book

—— Tony Parsons , The Times

After I read it I wanted to share it with everybody, and even gave a copy to Madonna when she co-presented my show

—— Jo Whiley , Easy Living

Dark, unpredictable, incredibly clever and a modern romance

—— Cecelia Ahern , Grazia

A delight

—— Bookseller

A love affair that will totally capture your heart

—— Glamour Magazine

An irrestible romance

—— InStyle

A beautifully written, compulsive look at a couple trying to live an ordinary life in extraordinary circumstances

—— Image

An intriguing, often funny love story

—— Eve
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