Zenobia; or, the Fall of Palmyra

The story opens with a heartfelt letter from Piso, a Roman once rooted on the gentle slopes of the Coelian hill, now stranded amid the exotic bustle of Palmyra. He paints the city’s riverbanks with a riot of languages, cargoes of desert beasts, and glittering pleasure barges, while his mind drifts back to the familiar streets and debates of Rome. Through his eyes the reader feels the clash of familiar Roman order with the dazzling, chaotic splendor of the East.

Soon Piso becomes entangled in the currents of local power, where the charismatic queen Zenobia moves like a storm across the desert trade routes. As his loyalty to his homeland collides with the magnetic allure of Palmyran ambition, he witnesses the early stirrings of a rebellion that could shake the empire. Listeners will be drawn into a world of political intrigue, cultural wonder, and the personal cost of choosing between duty and desire.