4 STARS

Pump Up Your Book Presents The Queen of Sparta Virtual Book Publicity Tour

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Pump Up Your Book is pleased to bring you T.S. Chaudhry’s THE QUEEN OF SPARTA virtual book tour April 6-30!

THE QUEEN OF SPARTA-

A Novel of Ancient Greece

T.S. Chaudhry

About the Author
T.S. Chaudhry was born in Karachi, Pakistan. He has a Bachelors Degree from Cornell University, a Masters in

Public Policy from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. A former Pakistani
diplomat, he has been working for the United Nations on peace and security issues in Africa.
The Queen of Sparta is Chaudhry’s first novel. The story came to him several decades ago while he was
reading Herodotus for his ‘A’ Level examination. It occurred to him that a case could be made for Gorgo of
Sparta orchestrating the Greek resistance to the Persian invasion without essentially changing any of the facts
presented by Herodotus. This is essentially an alternative retelling of a well-known tale.
He is currently working on a ‘prequel’ to the Queen of Sparta based on events leading up to the Battle of
Marathon, called Fennel of Field.

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4 STARS

Title: The Queen of Sparta
Author: T.S. Chaudhry
Publisher: Top Hat Books
Pages: 383
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: Paperback/Kindle

Author T.S. Chaudhry offers a new spin on Spartan history in his novel, THE QUEEN OF SPARTA. In the book, Queen Gorgo, the wife of the courageous Spartan leader, Leonidas, surreptitiously organizes the Greek resistance against the invasion of the mighty Persian king, Xerxes, and his massive army. Although founded on the writings of historian, Herodotus, Chaudhry’s revision of the 480 B.C. invasion challenges readers to imagine the brilliant and politically savvy Queen Gorgo as the Spartan leader who wielded her power with stealth and cunning to end the Persian occupation of Greece.
Gorgo devises a strategy using espionage and diplomacy, in addition to Sparta’s military might, to defeat the Persians and drive them out of Greece. During the last battle of the war, Prince Sherzada, a Saka, is captured while fighting on the Persian side. He is imprisoned by Gorgo, who has vowed to kill him. However, an unexpected alliance blooms between Gorgo and Sherzada, based on common perceptions and a shared dark secret. As allies, the queen and prince face new dangers from within Sparta that threaten the safety of Gorgo and her young son, the king.
As the story progresses, Queen Gorgo must choose between confronting the reactionary forces within Sparta directly or saving her life and the life of her child.
THE QUEEN OF SPARTA begins on the Banks of Indus, and takes the reader through time and space to Greece, Tuscany, Rome, and the Baltic coast of northern Europe and attempts to link some of the main cultures of that time period. “In the novel, I tried to present the conflict through the eyes of two protagonists,” Chaudhry states. “The Greek viewpoint is presented through Queen Gorgo, and the opposing one is represented by Prince Sherzada, who becomes her prisoner. The whole story is also a deliberate attempt to confuse ‘the possession’ of history because, actually, history belongs to all of us.”
THE QUEEN OF SPARTA informs the reader about the politics of ancient Greece in the 5^th Century, B.C. and about Sparta, its people, and its culture; the book also describes what made the Spartans great while sharing the flaws and contradictions within their society. Chaudhry notes that “fiction is art immitating life. That is how I see the relationship between historical fiction and history. History has wonderful stories to tell. And it gets more wonderful the further in the past you go where evidence is sparse, but the realm of creativity is rich. I love to find out how things happened the way they did. Ancient history provides us with a rich variety of potential answers that are always fun to explore.”
The author’s goal in writing THE QUEEN OF SPARTA was to share the message that “one must stand for one’s principles, for what one believes to be right, even in the face of overwhelming opposition.”

For More Information

The Queen of Sparta is available at Amazon.
Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Connect with T.S. on Facebook.
Find out more about T.S. at Goodreads.

REVIEW

The QUEEN OF SPARTA gives the reader information about the ancient Greece politics in the 5th Century B.C., about Sparta, its people and culture. The author also tells about what made the Spartans great even though they shared flaws and contradictions within their society. The author makes a note that "fiction is art imitating life." The author sees this as the difference between historical fiction and history. While history has great stories to be told, it becomes more wonderful the further back you go. Back when evidence was little and far between. Creativity was rich though. Ancient history is a rich variety of possible answers that are always educational and interesting to explore." The author's intent in THE QUEEN OF SPARTA was to get out the message that "one must stand for one's principles, for what one believes to be right, even int he face of overwhelming opposition."I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction. The author wrote in such a way that you felt you were there. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could be?

I was given a complimentary copy of THE QUEEN OF SPARTA from the author, T.S. Chaudhry and Pump Up Your Book for my view of this story.

I would give this book 4 STARS.