An unputdownable novel about the Empress Theodora, considered by many the most influential and powerful woman in the history of the Byzantine Empire. The reader follows her journey from her humble beginnings, the loss of her father, the compromises she must make between her personal sense of honour, faith and survival, and we watch with fascination as this strong woman fights her way through the ranks, from public entertainer and high-class prostitute to empress, to rule alongside her husband, Emperor Justinian. Heese unwinds a story of immense intrigue and historical detail. Her previous novel, The Double Crown, won the Commonwealth Prize (Best Book: Africa) 2010. Once again we are reminded that power tends to corrupt (and absolute power corrupts absolutely). And significantly, the colour of power is not the purple of royal robes, it is the colour of blood ...

The sequel to The Colour of Power Engrossing and moving, this sequel about the second part of Theodora’s life as empress of Byzantium opens with intrigue as one of Justinian’s old enemies, Cappodocian John, is revealed as a threat to the throne. Theodora’s unremitting feeling of guilt for a massacre she did not foresee, motivates her faith and many of her actions. And Justinian’s strange reference to the triple-headed serpent also lingers in her mind, casting a shadow… But Theodora once again emerges as a woman of strength and courage, who commands the love and dedication of two powerful men. Praise for The Colour of Power: “Heese ... has captured the mood of an era, the soul of a woman and the ethos of a world.” – Shirley de Kock Gueller in the Cape Times. “Her ability to transport her readers back to Constantinople in AD 505 and have them walk in Theodora’s shoes is magical ... You’ll learn more from this novel about the ways of the world and woman’s struggle to be an equal than in most feminist manifestos.” – Natalie Bosman in the Citizen.