Book Presentation/Reading by W. Ruth Kozak, “Shadow of the Lion: The Fields of Hades”
Shadow of the Lion: The Fields of Hades is Volume Two of an epic story set in the aftermath of the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the bloody Wars of Succession which follow. W. Ruth Kozak’s novel seethes with conflict and dramatic tension as the Successors begin to battle over Alexander's territories. The joint-kings arrive in Pella just as the Regent is dying and has named Polyperhcon his successor. This sets Kassandros into a rage and he departs to Athens where he stirs up animosity between the Athenians and Macedonians and tries to enlist support from some of the Successors. Meanwhile, the royal women vie for control of the throne. Alexander's 18-year-old niece, Adeia-Eurydiike, wife of Arridaios, leads her faction in a civil war against Olympias, Alexander's mother. Caught up in the strife and palace intrigues, Roxana tries to protect her son. The boy, Alexander IV (known by his Persian name, Iskader, tries to understand his role and struggles to survive. The story ends on a climax of a true Greek tragedy, the end of Alexander's dynasty, fulfilling the novel's theme of "How blind ambition and greed brought down a world power."
W. Ruth Kozak is a Canadian travel journalist with a strong interest in history and archaeology. A frequent traveller, Ruth lived for several years in Greece and instructs classes in travel journalism and creative writing for the Vancouver School Board. The novel was extensively researched in Greece, with the support of Classical scholars, the Greek Ministry of Culture, the Society of Macedonian Studies (Thessaloniki), the Finnish and Norwegian Institutes in Athens and with research undertaken in the Gennadius Library and the British Library in London