Product Description

Mitra and her little brother, Babak, are beggars in the city of Rhagae, scratching out a living as best as they can with what they can beg for–or steal. But Mitra burns with hope and ambition, for she and Babak are not what they seem. They are of royal blood, but their father’s ill-fated plot against the evil tyrant, King Phraates, has resulted in their father’s death and their exile. Now disguised as a boy, Mitra has never given up believing they can rejoin what is left of their family and regain their rightful standing in the world.
Then they discover that Babak has a strange gift: If he sleeps with an item belonging to someone, he can know that person’s dreams. Soon Babak and his abilities come to the attention of a powerful Magus–one who has read portents in the stars of the coming of a new king and the dawn of a new age. Soon Mitra and Babak find themselves on the road to Bethlehem . . .
The acclaimed author of Shadow Spinner returns to ancient Persia in this spellbinding saga–a tale filled with the color of the caravansaries and the heat of the desert, a tale that reimagines the wonder and spirit of a lost age.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1334518 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-08
• Released on: 2006-08-08
• Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Binding: Audio CD

From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up–Mitra and her younger brother, Babak, are refugees in ancient Persia, living in a labyrinth of caves, scraping by with the food they can steal in the nearby marketplace. Disguised as a boy for safety and mobility, Mitra dreams of returning to her former life of opulence before her father's plot against a despotic king scattered the family. When it is discovered that Babak possesses the ability of prophetic dreaming, he comes to the attention of a local magus, Melchior, who takes the children under his protection as he travels westward, following signs in the stars. Joined by two more scholars, each with his own gifts, the caravan continues on a harrowing journey that leads them into the Roman territories, and eventually to the tiny village of Bethlehem. While the focus is always on Mitra, readers experience a growing awareness of who these three wise men actually are and what portentous events Babak is dreaming for them. Fletcher explains in detailed author's notes her long-standing fascination with the story of the Magi and provides insight into the research process. A fine weaver of historical fiction, she creates a fully realized world for her characters and builds a plot full of suspense and anguish. Mitra and Babak's plight is that of any children caught between warring factions. Their journey is one of seeking a place of safety to call home, and, for Mitra, it is a coming-of-age quest that leaves her changed forever.–Connie C. Rockman, Stratford Library Association, CT
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From AudioFile
Meera Simhan elegantly delivers this enchanting and intricate story of one of the greatest mysteries in the history of Christianity. In the time before Christ's birth, protagonist Mitra and her brother, Babak, find themselves victims of political and social upheaval. Left to fend for themselves in the City of the Dead, they find that Babak has a special gift they may use to gain passage to find their family. Simhan deftly carries off the Old World diction and syntax of the dialogue. Fletcher's detailed descriptions of setting, well researched and true to the time period, also add charm to the listening experience. D.L.M. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
In a richly imagined novel, Fletcher dovetails her own characters and plot with an utterly familiar New Testament story. Mitra comes from Persian royalty, but most of her family is dead. Now disguised as a boy, she steals food and shelters in burial caves with her younger brother, Babak. Political enemies of their father pursue them, as does the magus Melchior, who has heard of Babak's gift for dreaming others' dreams. The complications facing a pubescent girl living as a boy and the rhythms of desert life form one intriguing dimension to the novel; another is the journey set in motion when Babak dreams of a portentous star, and the siblings follow Melchior and his two magi companions as they seek the king it represents. Teens will recognize their own longings in proud, headstrong, and passionate Mitra; steer slightly older readers to Anne Provost's In the Shadow of the Ark (2004), another novel about a resilient young woman swept along by biblical events. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved