EDICIONES B 2008

Year 1453. The young Sultan Mehmed II, newly ascended to the throne, has set his sights on the once-glorious capital of Byzantium — Constantinople — now languishing on the shores of the Sea of Marmara. In need of a resounding victory to secure his fragile leadership, he gathers the largest army the East has ever seen, expecting an easy triumph.

Answering the desperate plea for help from the weakened city comes a handful of adventurers, among them the enigmatic Francisco de Toledo, who claims to be a distant relative of the emperor.

From the moment he arrives in Constantinople, far from the relaxed courtly life he had imagined, he finds himself drawn into a whirlwind of conspiracies, hatred, and passion within the Byzantine court. As Turkish assaults intensify, Mehmed realizes that only betrayal will open the city’s gates, unleashing a dizzying race of intrigue before the final assault — the one that will determine the future of Europe.

A thrilling novel that immerses the reader in a complex web of love, treachery, and desire. Its richly detailed narrative reveals the depth of research behind this depiction of the one siege in history that marked the turning point of an era.