This was a fascinating and delicious immersion into 10th century Europe, full of Vikings and kings, ruthless political struggles, conflict between paganism and Christianity, and several women holding their own as empresses and queens in a world run by men. While the uncertainty surrounding the real Swietoslawa’s life makes her part in this tale primarily one of conjecture, this is a beautiful tribute to a woman who was very nearly written out of history. I also wonder that in all my previous historical travels, I have never run across Theophanu before. Her life is better attested, but rarely discussed today. On the whole this was one of those books that pulled me into a world I’d never encountered before, and it left me with a burning need to learn more.