The Tiger Queens

Praise for the Novels of Stephanie Thornton

The Tiger Queens

“A gripping epic of sacrifice, revenge, and conquest during the time of Genghis Khan as four very different women struggle to keep his empire from shattering.
The Tiger Queens
kept me riveted from beginning to end!”

—Michelle Moran, bestselling author of
The Second Empress

“A vivid depiction of warrior women [as] tough as the harsh, windswept steppes [that] nurtured them and who, as the warring Mongol clans battle for supremacy, survive . . . to ensure their men emerge the victors. Gripping stuff!”

—Alex Rutherford, author of the Empire of the Moghul series

“From under the felted
ger
tents of Genghis Khan emerge four powerful women. It is a testament to Thornton’s writing prowess that she can so intricately whittle heroines that are both compassionate and ruthless from the bones of our ancestors . . . a stunning achievement!”

—Barbara Wood,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Serpent and the Staff
and
Rainbows on the Moon

“A sprawling historical saga centering on the wives and daughters of Genghis Khan. These bold, courageous women make tremendous sacrifices in the face of danger, revenge, and high-stakes survival, all in the name of family love and loyalty. Be prepared to be swept away by Thornton’s richly drawn epic of an empire and its generational shifts of power.”

—Renée Rosen, author of
Dollface
and
What the Lady Wants

“They were the Golden Family of Genghis Khan. Yet their lives were anything but golden as they struggled to hold together the very center of the largest empire the world has ever known. An empire that was built in one lifetime, and would have been destroyed in the next had it not been for the wives and daughters of the Great Khan. This is historical fiction at its finest.”

—Gary Corby, author of
The Marathon Conspiracy

“Three generations of strong women live, love, suffer, and triumph in a fresh and gritty setting—Genghis Khan’s forging of an empire in thirteenth- century Mongolia. Marginalized in most histories, these Mongol mothers and daughters, empresses and slaves, claim their voices again in Stephanie Thornton’s
The Tiger Queens
. Unusual and imaginative!”

—Elizabeth Loupas, author of
The Second Duchess
and
The Red Lily Crown

“Stunning.
The Tiger Queens
sweeps the reader into the ruthless world of Genghis Khan’s wives and daughters with a gritty realism as intense as the eternal blue sky and blood-soaked steppes. Vivid characterization and top-notch writing. This story of strong women, their enduring friendships and passions, gives a rare glimpse into a shadowy period of history. A worthy successor to Taylor Caldwell’s
The Earth is the Lord’s
.”

—Judith E. French, author of
The Conqueror
,
The Barbarian
, and
The Warrior

Daughter of the Gods

“Stephanie Thornton’s heroines are bold, brave, and powerful.”

—Kate Quinn, author of
Lady of the Eternal City

This is the kind of book that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. A remarkable story, remarkably told.”

—Kate Furnivall, author of
The Russian Concubine
and
Shadows on the Nile

“An epic saga that brings ancient Egypt to life with vivid imagery and lovely prose. Stephanie Thornton is a rising star!”

—Stephanie Dray, author of
Lily of the Nile
and
Daughters of the Nile

“Hatshepsut crackles with fascinating complexity.”

—Vicky Alvear Shecter, author of
Cleopatra’s Moon
and
Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii

The Secret History

“What a heroine! Stephanie Thornton’s Theodora is tough and intelligent, spitting defiance against the cruel world.”

—Kate Quinn, author of
Lady of the Eternal City

“Loss, ambition, and lust keep this rich story moving at top speed . . . a remarkable first novel that brings a little-known woman to full, vibrant life again.”

—Jeane Westin, author of
The Spymaster’s Daughter

“A fascinating and vivid account. . . . The life of the Empress Theodora leaps from the page.”

—Michelle Diener, author of
The Emperor’s Conspiracy

“Thornton’s well-conceived and engrossing tale exalts a historical figure of ‘true grit.’”

—
Library Journal

“If there is one book you choose to read on ancient times, let it be
The Secret History
. Theodora is a true Byzantine icon, and her story is a timeless inspiration that needs to be heard.”

—Historical Novel Society

“You’ll feel for Theodora. You’ll want to scream, to save her, and to cheer for her bravery all at the same time. . . . Theodora’s dramatic tale is exquisitely crafted in this can’t-miss summer read. I couldn’t put it down for a moment.”

—
San Francisco Book Review

The Secret History

Daughter of the Gods

New American Library

Published by the Penguin Group

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First published by New American Library,

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Copyright © Stephanie Thornton, 2014

Readers Guide copyright © Penguin Group (USA) LLC 2014

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REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA R
EGISTRADA

LIBRARY OF
CONGRESS CATALOGING
-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
:

Thornton, Stephanie, 1980–

The tiger queens: the women of Genghis Khan / Stephanie Thornton.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-101-60768-8

1. Genghis Khan, 1162–1227—Fiction. 2. Mongols—Kings and rulers—Fiction. 3. Mongols—History—To 1500—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3620.H7847T54 2014

813'.6—dc23 2014019843

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

To Isabella, for inspiring me to write about the love between mothers and daughters

O
ur names have long been lost to time, scattered like ashes into the wind. No one remembers our ability to read the secrets of the oracle bones or the wars fought in our names. The words we wrote have faded from their parchments; the sacrifices we made are no longer recounted in the glittering courts of those we conquered. The deeds of our husbands, our brothers, and our sons have eclipsed our own as surely as when the moon ate the sun during the first battle of Nishapur.

Yet without us, there would have been no empire for our men to claim, no clan of the Thirteen Hordes left to lead, and no tales of victory to sing to the Eternal Blue Sky.

It was our destiny to love these men, to suffer their burdens and shoulder their sorrows, to bring them into this world, red-faced and squalling, and tuck their bones into the earth when they abandoned us for the sacred mountains, leaving us behind to fight their wars and protect their Spirit Banners.

We gathered our strength from the water of the northern lakes, the fire of the south’s Great Dry Sea, the brown earth of the western mountains, and the wild air of the eastern steppes. Born of the four directions, we cleaved together like the seasons for our very survival. In a world lit by fire
and ruled by the sword, we depended upon one another for the very breath we drew.

Even as the steppes ran with blood and storm clouds roiled overhead, we loved our husbands, our brothers, and our sons. And we loved one another, the fierce love of mothers and sisters and daughters, born from our shared laughter and tears as our souls were woven together, stronger than the thickest felts.

And yet nothing lasts forever. One by one, our souls were gathered into the Eternal Blue Sky, our tents dismantled, and our herds scattered across the steppes. That is a tale yet to come.

It matters not how we died. Only one thing matters: that we lived.