The Wandering Queen
by Claire Heywood
Dutton
Princess Elissa is her father’s (King Mattan of Tyre) favorite. His rule has seen the Levantine city-state grow rich. Mighty realms like Egypt seek alliances and trading links. However, prosperity brings jealousy and dark ambition. After Mattan dies after a short illness a conspiracy of powerful men deprives Elissa of her birthright in favor of her weak, younger half-brother Pygmalion. Elissa is driven out for speaking out against the injustices of the new rule and has to find another home for herself and those who choose to follow her. She becomes Dido—the Wandering Queen—and assumes the leadership of her people in exile.
After many adventures they establish the city of Carthage at the other end of the Mediterranean Sea. Years later Carthage is settled and prosperous when Dido encounters Prince Aeneas shipwrecked on her shores. He and his people are also exiles, driven from fabled Troy by the victorious Greeks. From the first, Dido feels sympathy for Aeneas. She is pleased by Aeneas’ recognition of her formidable strength and sees in him and his warriors potential allies to increase the power of Carthage. Their mutual respect turns into love, but when Aeneas claims a destiny that will take him away from her Dido finds she has to make an impossible and dangerous choice. Will she do her duty to her gods and country or follow the path of love?
In The Wandering Queen Heywood tells a re-imagined version of the classic tale of Aeneas and Dido. The narrative has clear characters and a strong feminist vibe, but as the author explains in order to reconcile the anachronistic nature of the original story the ending is different to what the reader might expect.
