Harem. The Real Life of Hürrem

«Harem. The Real Life of Hürrem» by Colin Falconer — is a gripping story of betrayal, revenge, and murder spanning four decades. From medieval Venice to the slave markets of Algeria, from the mountains of Persia to the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Suleiman the Magnificent, the greatest sultan of the Ottoman Empire, must protect his legacy at all costs. On the battlefields and behind the gates of the forbidden palace, his sons and viziers find themselves caught in a deadly intrigue for absolute power. The concubines compete for his favor, whatever it may cost them. One of them — Hürrem. She knows there is only one way out of the sultan's golden prison: to attract his attention and bear him a child. In Venice, Abbas — the impulsive and stubborn son of the city’s military leader. He embarks on a reckless romantic adventure with horrifying and unimaginable consequences. Irony of fate brings Abbas and Hürrem together in the Byzantine world of the Ottoman court. Their intrigues threaten the future of the Ottoman throne, and if they are exposed, both face a terrible death.