The Poison Palace
Will be published approx. on 12. January 2027
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-1-4087-3186-4 (ISBN)
Description
Eka is only a child when she is taken from her mother and brought to the heart of the Magadh Empire. Adopted by the city's foremost courtesan, she is trained in music and dance alongside her childhood friend Ira.
But fate puts Eka and Ira on the path of the vishkanya, or poison girl. Initiated into the worship of the snake goddess, the palace commands they are fed a diet of poison and trained in its deadly arts. With Alexander the Great sweeping towards their lands and their feelings for one another deepening, they are sent undercover into his camp.
In Alexander's court Eka must play a dangerous political game, all while trying to protect the woman she loves. Raised to do the bidding of one king, and faced with the terrible ambition of another, Eka must make a choice that will change the world . . .
A stunning blend of historical and speculative fiction, The Poison Palace tells the story of Alexander's invasion of India as it has never been told before.
But fate puts Eka and Ira on the path of the vishkanya, or poison girl. Initiated into the worship of the snake goddess, the palace commands they are fed a diet of poison and trained in its deadly arts. With Alexander the Great sweeping towards their lands and their feelings for one another deepening, they are sent undercover into his camp.
In Alexander's court Eka must play a dangerous political game, all while trying to protect the woman she loves. Raised to do the bidding of one king, and faced with the terrible ambition of another, Eka must make a choice that will change the world . . .
A stunning blend of historical and speculative fiction, The Poison Palace tells the story of Alexander's invasion of India as it has never been told before.
Reviews / Votes
A gorgeous, sensual, completely captivating novel that immerses the reader in an ancient world and history, at once recognizable and utterly remote from our own. A stunning, fantastical debut from a superb writer - I couldn't put it down. -- Elizabeth Hand An intimate epic - two women journey from the margins of history to stand against the greatest of conquerors. A story of power, love, survival and resistance, meticulously researched, lyrically written and structurally ambitious. A stunning debut. -- Samit Basu The Poison Palace is a dazzling debut that takes you on a tumultuous journey from the courtyard of a courtesan in ancient India to the punishing deserts of Iran and finally, Babylon where Alexander was felled. Shreya Ila Anasuya has entwined fantasy with myth and history to give us a novel as rare as the fabled snake-jewel. It will doubtless snag readers in both East and West. -- Annie Zaidi Such an unusual, intelligent and lucidly written book, which opens up an old story with the most surprising glints and insights -- Ruth Padel Shreya Ila Anasuya's The Poison Palace unfolds the era of Alexander the Great's conquering rampage across Eurasia with a graceful, fiery verisimilitude both intimate and mythic, starting from the Indian subcontinent and stretching all the way to ancient Babylon--it resounds in time, and sings to the present with a singular voice. Don't miss it. -- Indra DasMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Little, Brown Book Group
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-4087-3186-4 (9781408731864)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Shreya Ila Anasuya is an Indian writer of fiction. She has a BA in English Literature from Jadavpur University and an MA in Anthropology from SOAS, University of London. She is currently a PhD candidate in Cultural History at King's College London, supported by the London Arts and Humanities Partnership.
Her body of work examines history, literature, gender and sexuality, music, mythology, and the supernatural, which she has explored through short fiction, research, editing, journalism, teaching and performance. Her work has been recognised with the Otherwise Fellowship, the Toto Award for Creative Writing, and a Sangam House residency. The Poison Palace is her first novel.
Her body of work examines history, literature, gender and sexuality, music, mythology, and the supernatural, which she has explored through short fiction, research, editing, journalism, teaching and performance. Her work has been recognised with the Otherwise Fellowship, the Toto Award for Creative Writing, and a Sangam House residency. The Poison Palace is her first novel.