jo_graham (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} jo_graham) wrote,@ 2008-10-02 09:56:00 |
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New Book!
The time has come to start talking about my new book, Hand of Isis! Hand of Isis will be out from Orbit in the US and UK in March, and I'm terribly excited!
Set in Egypt in the time of Cleopatra, Hand of Isis follows the life of her handmaiden and half-sister, Charmian. For three centuries Egypt has known peace under the rule of the Ptolemies, but now that is threatened by the rising power of Rome. As Egypt struggles to maintain its independence in the face of a new world empire, Cleopatra is its reigning queen and Charmian stands at her right hand. It's a story of lovers who defy even death, of fatal encounters between Roman generals for the rule of the world, and of the Gods of Egypt who seek to preserve all that has been won. Handmaiden, royal minister, and avatar of Isis Pelagia, Charmian's fate is bound to Egypt -- through death and beyond.
In the Halls of Amenti
In twilight I approached the doors, and in twilight they stood open for me. I was not surprised. I knew that I was dead.
I walked through the doors and through the hall beyond, pillars thick as the tallest trees carved round with symbols in red and gold, with stories of those who had walked this way before. Above the high capitals ornamented like lotus blossoms was not the star-painted ceiling one might expect, but the wide expanse of the night sky, blue black and deep as eternity. I stood in the Halls of Amenti, the uttermost West, and the sun did not come here. I walked in starlight.
Light glimmered at the end of the long hall. I walked among the pillars, my feet soundless on the stone floor. Shades make no noise, even in their sorrowing.
At last I came to the end of the hall, where the veil stretched between two pillars, and before it on a dais sat the thrones.
Serapis wore a robe of white. His gray hair was cut short and His eyes were as dark as the sky, an old man but hale, with a black hound sitting alert at His feet. Beside Him, Isis glimmered like the moon. Her gown was white as well, but Her dark hair was covered by a black veil, and beneath it Her face was pale and beautiful.
"Welcome to the Halls of Amenti, daughter," She said.
I knelt. "Gracious Ones," I said. To the side I saw the scales, Ma'at with a feather in her hand, the golden balance waiting.
"You know what must be," He said, seeing where my gaze went.
I nodded, and moistened my lips. My heart should be measured against a feather to see whether the deeds of my life condemned or released me. I knew the formulas. Every child learns them. "Hear, Gracious Ones, how I have not offended. I have not done wrong. I have not robbed. I have not slain men. I have not spoken lies. I have not defrauded the gods…."
Isis raised Her hand, and it seemed for a moment that there was amusement in Her voice. "Well we can believe that you have memorized all the words, Charmian. But when you stand before the Thrones of Amenti, it is not enough to have learned the words that should rest by your side on a sacred scroll. Your heart must be weighed on its own merits. You must be judged by your own deeds."
I looked at Ma'at, where she stood beside the scales with justice in her hands, and I knew how heavy my heart must be. "Then condemn me now, Gracious Lady. I shall offer no defense." I felt the tears pricking behind my eyes, and all the sorrow of these last days came rushing back. "I have no defense to offer, and readily accept whatever punishment you shall name."
"It is not that simple," Serapis said. "We are just, and do not condemn out of hand."
"Surely if the prisoner will offer no defense, the judge must convict," I said, and heard myself choke. Whatever should happen would be no greater than this pain which already was.
Her voice was calm. "In a human court, perhaps. But we are in no hurry. We shall wait for your testimony as long as it takes."
I bent my head and the tears overflowed my eyes. "I can give no defense, for I have failed in my charge. I have failed, and through my weakness have destroyed all those I love. I can make no excuses, now or ever."
Serapis put His hands together, like a philosopher in disputation. "I think perhaps you overestimate your own culpability. But we shall see, when your testimony is complete."
"I cannot do that, Gracious Lord," I said, and I could not even see His face through my tears, my hands pressed against the stone floor. "I beg you to condemn me. There is no punishment you could devise worse than what already is."
"We will wait," She said. "In time you will be ready to speak to us."
I pressed my forehead to the floor, my hands in fists.
Above my head, I heard Him speak. "And yet while you are here, time runs true. Even the gods may not stop time. In the world, days and nights are passing."
"And what is that to me?" I asked bitterly. "There are none I love who still walk beneath the sun and moon."
"I do not think that is true," Isis said quietly. "Are there not those you love who have not yet crossed Death's threshold? In the world that is, time is passing for them, and things happen that cannot be amended."
"And what may I amend, dead as I am?" I asked. "There is nothing I can do for them, and you cannot persuade me that I am not really dead."
"No," She said. "You are dead. Even now your mummy lies in your tomb, preserved by the embalmer's art. Your life as Charmian has ended, and never again in that mask shall you walk under the sun. And yet your spirit endures."
"I should rather that it did not," I said, "When I have lost all, and when I can do nothing for those I have failed."
"You do not have the choice of that," Serapis said. I looked up at him, and there was something in His face both familiar and serene, though a line of worry creased between His brows. "Your spirit is old, and you have endured much worse. But time runs true beneath the sun, and ships ply the seas homeward bound under the stars of heaven."
Ships… There had been something about ships, something in that last day…. "The children," I whispered. "Oh, Gracious Lord, the children…."
"Even now they sail," Serapis said. "Horus and his brother, and the moon their sister. Even now, they are bound for Rome. And you sit here lamenting."
I knelt up on my knees, swaying before Their thrones. "Are you saying there is something I may yet do? Gracious Ones, if there is anything I may do at any cost…."
"There may be," She said. "But firstly your heart must be judged. You have come before the Thrones of Amenti, and what must be, must be. Speak true, and recall to yourself all that you have been, that we might test the weight of it."
"Then I shall begin, Gracious Lady," I said. And I stood up.
Interested in pre-ordering? Hand of Isis is available on Amazon US here: http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Isis-Jo-Grah
The time has come to start talking about my new book, Hand of Isis! Hand of Isis will be out from Orbit in the US and UK in March, and I'm terribly excited!
Set in Egypt in the time of Cleopatra, Hand of Isis follows the life of her handmaiden and half-sister, Charmian. For three centuries Egypt has known peace under the rule of the Ptolemies, but now that is threatened by the rising power of Rome. As Egypt struggles to maintain its independence in the face of a new world empire, Cleopatra is its reigning queen and Charmian stands at her right hand. It's a story of lovers who defy even death, of fatal encounters between Roman generals for the rule of the world, and of the Gods of Egypt who seek to preserve all that has been won. Handmaiden, royal minister, and avatar of Isis Pelagia, Charmian's fate is bound to Egypt -- through death and beyond.
In the Halls of Amenti
In twilight I approached the doors, and in twilight they stood open for me. I was not surprised. I knew that I was dead.
I walked through the doors and through the hall beyond, pillars thick as the tallest trees carved round with symbols in red and gold, with stories of those who had walked this way before. Above the high capitals ornamented like lotus blossoms was not the star-painted ceiling one might expect, but the wide expanse of the night sky, blue black and deep as eternity. I stood in the Halls of Amenti, the uttermost West, and the sun did not come here. I walked in starlight.
Light glimmered at the end of the long hall. I walked among the pillars, my feet soundless on the stone floor. Shades make no noise, even in their sorrowing.
At last I came to the end of the hall, where the veil stretched between two pillars, and before it on a dais sat the thrones.
Serapis wore a robe of white. His gray hair was cut short and His eyes were as dark as the sky, an old man but hale, with a black hound sitting alert at His feet. Beside Him, Isis glimmered like the moon. Her gown was white as well, but Her dark hair was covered by a black veil, and beneath it Her face was pale and beautiful.
"Welcome to the Halls of Amenti, daughter," She said.
I knelt. "Gracious Ones," I said. To the side I saw the scales, Ma'at with a feather in her hand, the golden balance waiting.
"You know what must be," He said, seeing where my gaze went.
I nodded, and moistened my lips. My heart should be measured against a feather to see whether the deeds of my life condemned or released me. I knew the formulas. Every child learns them. "Hear, Gracious Ones, how I have not offended. I have not done wrong. I have not robbed. I have not slain men. I have not spoken lies. I have not defrauded the gods…."
Isis raised Her hand, and it seemed for a moment that there was amusement in Her voice. "Well we can believe that you have memorized all the words, Charmian. But when you stand before the Thrones of Amenti, it is not enough to have learned the words that should rest by your side on a sacred scroll. Your heart must be weighed on its own merits. You must be judged by your own deeds."
I looked at Ma'at, where she stood beside the scales with justice in her hands, and I knew how heavy my heart must be. "Then condemn me now, Gracious Lady. I shall offer no defense." I felt the tears pricking behind my eyes, and all the sorrow of these last days came rushing back. "I have no defense to offer, and readily accept whatever punishment you shall name."
"It is not that simple," Serapis said. "We are just, and do not condemn out of hand."
"Surely if the prisoner will offer no defense, the judge must convict," I said, and heard myself choke. Whatever should happen would be no greater than this pain which already was.
Her voice was calm. "In a human court, perhaps. But we are in no hurry. We shall wait for your testimony as long as it takes."
I bent my head and the tears overflowed my eyes. "I can give no defense, for I have failed in my charge. I have failed, and through my weakness have destroyed all those I love. I can make no excuses, now or ever."
Serapis put His hands together, like a philosopher in disputation. "I think perhaps you overestimate your own culpability. But we shall see, when your testimony is complete."
"I cannot do that, Gracious Lord," I said, and I could not even see His face through my tears, my hands pressed against the stone floor. "I beg you to condemn me. There is no punishment you could devise worse than what already is."
"We will wait," She said. "In time you will be ready to speak to us."
I pressed my forehead to the floor, my hands in fists.
Above my head, I heard Him speak. "And yet while you are here, time runs true. Even the gods may not stop time. In the world, days and nights are passing."
"And what is that to me?" I asked bitterly. "There are none I love who still walk beneath the sun and moon."
"I do not think that is true," Isis said quietly. "Are there not those you love who have not yet crossed Death's threshold? In the world that is, time is passing for them, and things happen that cannot be amended."
"And what may I amend, dead as I am?" I asked. "There is nothing I can do for them, and you cannot persuade me that I am not really dead."
"No," She said. "You are dead. Even now your mummy lies in your tomb, preserved by the embalmer's art. Your life as Charmian has ended, and never again in that mask shall you walk under the sun. And yet your spirit endures."
"I should rather that it did not," I said, "When I have lost all, and when I can do nothing for those I have failed."
"You do not have the choice of that," Serapis said. I looked up at him, and there was something in His face both familiar and serene, though a line of worry creased between His brows. "Your spirit is old, and you have endured much worse. But time runs true beneath the sun, and ships ply the seas homeward bound under the stars of heaven."
Ships… There had been something about ships, something in that last day…. "The children," I whispered. "Oh, Gracious Lord, the children…."
"Even now they sail," Serapis said. "Horus and his brother, and the moon their sister. Even now, they are bound for Rome. And you sit here lamenting."
I knelt up on my knees, swaying before Their thrones. "Are you saying there is something I may yet do? Gracious Ones, if there is anything I may do at any cost…."
"There may be," She said. "But firstly your heart must be judged. You have come before the Thrones of Amenti, and what must be, must be. Speak true, and recall to yourself all that you have been, that we might test the weight of it."
"Then I shall begin, Gracious Lady," I said. And I stood up.
Interested in pre-ordering? Hand of Isis is available on Amazon US here: http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Isis-Jo-Grah
