***A best-seller in France***

***Recipient of the Historical Novel Palatine Prize 2011***

What would life have been like for the sons and daughter of Cleopatra? Cleopatra's Children, the first volume of a trilogy, retells the tragic legacy of a famous mother. Through the eyes of Selene, the only daughter of the last queen of Egypt and Mark Anthony, Chandernagor gives us a fascinating look at the Ptolemaic dynasty, the rise of Roman power, and the strange lives of Cleopatra's children.

Cleopatra-Selene, named after her mother, was born in 40 b.c. in Alexandria. Her second name in ancient Greek means "moon" and is the counterpart of her twin brother's second name, Helios, meaning "sun." They have an older brother, Caesarion, born of Cleopatra's affair with Julius Caesar, and a younger brother, Ptolemy. The children seldom see their parents and all grow up under the care of nannies and tutors whom they can easily control and even tyrannize.

Selene, at the age of six, is made ruler of Cyrenaica and Libya and is told she will be a queen someday. She plays with her twin, Helios, is secretly in love with Caesarion, and takes care of Ptolemy, who suffers from poor health. Selene witnesses her father's agony as his reign wanes and watches her mother's manipulations. Cleopatra has perfected the art of diplomacy in order to preserve the independence of the kingdom.

When Selene is ten years old, Alexandria comes under siege and her parents commit suicide. Her brothers are killed and Selene, the family's only survivor, flees the city. She becomes a prisoner of Octavian, the ruler of the Roman Empire. From captivity she plots revenge for the destruction of her kingdom, her dynasty, and her gods, as well as the loss of the life she had been promised.