In ancient Egypt, a forgotten princess must overcome her family’s past and remake history.

The winds of change are blowing through Thebes. A devastating palace fire has killed the Eighteenth Dynasty’s royal family—all with the exception of Nefertari, the niece of the reviled former queen, Nefertiti. The girl’s deceased family has been branded as heretical, and no one in Egypt will speak their names. A relic of a previous reign, Nefertari is pushed aside, an unimportant princess left to run wild in the palace. But this changes when she is taken under the wing of the Pharaoh’s aunt, then brought to the Temple of Hathor, where she is educated in a manner befitting a future queen.

Soon Nefertari catches the eye of the Crown Prince, and despite her family’s history, they fall in love and wish to marry. Yet all of Egypt opposes this union between the rising star of a new dynasty and the fading star of an old, heretical one. While political adversity sets the country on edge, Nefertari becomes the wife of Ramesses the Great. Destined to be the most powerful Pharaoh in Egypt, he is also the man who must confront the most famous exodus in history.

Sweeping in scope and meticulous in detail, The Heretic Queen is a novel of passion and power, heartbreak and redemption.


From the Hardcover edition.

Chapter One

Pharaoh of Upper Egypt

Thebes, 1283 bc

"Stay still," Paser admonished firmly. Although Paser was my tutor and couldn't tell a princess what to do, there would be extra lines to copy if I didn't obey. I stopped shifting in my beaded dress and stood obediently with the other children of Pharaoh Seti's harem. But at thirteen years old, I was always impatient. Besides, all I could see was the gilded belt of the woman in front of me. Heavy sweat stained her white linen, trickling down her neck from beneath her wig. As soon as Ramesses passed in the royal procession, the court would be able to escape the heat and follow him into the cool shade of the temple. But the procession was moving terribly slow. I looked up at Paser, who was searching for an open path to the front of the crowd.

"Will Ramesses stop studying with us now that he's to become coregent?" I asked.

"Yes," Paser said distractedly. He took my arm and pushed our way through the sea of bodies. "Make way for the princess Nefertari! Make way!" Women with children stepped aside until we were standing at the very edge of the roadway. All along the Avenue of Sphinxes, tall pots of incense smoked and burned, filling the air with the sacred scent of kyphi that would make this, above all days, an auspicious one. The brassy sound of trumpets filled the avenue, and Paser pushed me forward. "The prince is coming!"

"I see the prince every day," I said sullenly. Ramesses was the only son of Pharaoh Seti, and now that he had turned seventeen, he would be leaving his childhood behind. There would be no more studying with him in the edduba, or hunting together in the afternoons. His coronation held no interest for me then, but when he came into view, even I caught my breath. From the wide lapis collar around his neck to the golden cuffs around his ankles and wrists, he was covered in jewels. His red hair shone like copper in the sun, and a heavy sword hung at his waist. Thousands of Egyptians surged forward to see, and as Ramesses strode past in the procession, I reached forward to tug at his hair. Although Paser inhaled sharply, Pharaoh Seti laughed, and the entire procession came to a halt.

"Little Nefertari." Pharaoh patted my head.

"Little?" I puffed out my chest. "I'm not little." I was thirteen, and in a month I'd be fourteen.

Pharaoh Seti chuckled at my obstinacy. "Little only in stature then," he promised. "And where is that determined nurse of yours?"

"Merit? In the palace, preparing for the feast."

"Well, tell Merit I want to see her in the Great Hall tonight. We must teach her to smile as beautifully as you do." He pinched my cheeks, and the procession continued into the cool recesses of the temple.

"Stay close to me," Paser ordered.

"Why? You've never minded where I've gone before."

We were swept into the temple with the rest of the court, and at last, the heavy heat of the day was shut out. In the dimly lit corridors a priest dressed in the long white robes of Amun guided us swiftly to the inner sanctum. I pressed my palm against the cool slabs of stone where images of the gods had been carved and painted. Their faces were frozen in expressions of joy, as if they were happy to see that we'd come.

"Be careful of the paintings," Paser warned sharply.

"Where are we going?"

"To the inner sanctum."

The passage widened into a vaulted chamber, and a murmur of surprise passed through the crowd. Granite columns soared up into the gloom, and the blue tiled roof had been inlaid with silver to imitate the night's glittering sky. On a painted dais, a group of Amun priests were waiting, and I thought...

 

"Moran's careful attention to detail and her artful storytelling skills bring these people to vivid life, imbuing ancient history with suspense and urgency."

 

"Performing deft feats of Egyptian magic, Michelle Moran transforms stone-cold history-from-hieroglyphs into gripping narrative, peopled by unforgettable characters seething with conflict and passion. I couldn't stop reading, but I didn't want this book to end."

 

"Michelle Moran breathes new life into the faded paintings on tomb walls, bringing Ramesses, Nefertari, and the whole panoply of ancient Egyptian splendor to vivid, bustling, page-turning life."

 

"Authentic, captivating, and beautifully rendered, Michelle Moran's The Heretic Queen brings to vivid life the ancient courts and distant vistas of New Kingdom Egypt. A fascinating read."

 

"The Heretic Queen is a real page-turner! A heady, ancient Egyptian brew of magic and mystery; history, murder, and palace intrigue as well as romance. I read this enthralling novel in one sitting."

 

"A marvelous read. Moran renders the arcane Egypt of hieroglyphs and foundering monuments into a breathing world whose characters we care deeply about. I read it in a trice and wished there was more."

 

"The Heretic Queen is historical fiction at its best. Michelle Moran seamlessly incorporates accurate details into a story full of suspense, intrigue, and tenderness that's impossible to put down until you've reached the last page. An absolute triumph!"

 

The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
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