TOO SOON The NIGHT: A Novel of Empress Theodora (The Theodora Duology Book 2) by James Conroyd Martin – Historical Fiction, Eastern Roman Empire, Women Leaders

Too Soon the Night by James Conroyd Martin shows the thrilling heights to which Empress Theodora rose and the crushing depths to which she fell, in the latter half of her life. This story picks up from Fortune’s Child, the first volume of this epic duology.

This half of Theodora’s incredible journey opens at its close – as she succumbs to the cancer that drove her to dictate the record of her life. She left the task of recording her meteoric rise from actress to empress in the hands of the scribe and historian Stephen, even though she imprisoned him for several years out of fear that he would reveal her greatest secrets.

But as much as Stephen should hate her for her cruelty, he has his own axe to grind against the man who would slander Theodora after her death with a scurrilous character assassination disguised as biography. So he takes up his pen and continues his recording of – if not Theodora’s unvarnished truth – at least something closer than whatever her enemies would conjure to blacken her name.

Where Fortune’s Child focused on Theodora’s early years and her rise to power with Emperor Justinian, Too Soon the Night follows her many attempts to consolidate power, protect Justinian, and secure their legacy – even with no direct heir for their throne.

In spite of the chasm of time between the mid-first century A.D. and the early 21st century, Theodora’s drives and fears are easy to empathize with and understand, even as her complex machinations push the story forward.

The story is split between Theodora’s history as she tells it to Stephen, and Stephen’s perspective of Theodora as he carries out her will.

He provides insight into Theodora’s motives and the court and city in which she lives, allowing the reader to see the Empress both as she wants to be seen and as she truly is.

The story’s setting shows people jockeying for positions in Justinian’s court, unrest among the populace, and the Emperor’s unrealistic dreams of turning the Mediterranean back into a Roman sea. These struggles and desires give the story its tension, framing the life of a singular woman, uniquely powerful for her time.

This is a long and complex journey, befitting an equally long and complex saga. Those who start at the epic’s beginning will be rewarded with an utterly compelling immersion in a fascinating life.

Too Soon the Night by James Conroyd Martin won Grand Prize in the 2021 CIBA Chaucer Awards for pre-1750s Historical Fiction.