From Publishers Weekly
Biographer and journalist May (_Adventures of a Psychic_) turns to fiction to offer a privileged woman's view of religion, spirituality, sex and marriage in the time of Christ. May imagines 14-year-old Claudia Procula living with loving parents and holding a secret devotion to the goddess Isis and a gift for seeing the future. Six years later, Claudia marries the handsome and ambitious Pontius Pilate just before her family falls from imperial favor. While Pilate busies himself with affairs of state (and those of the extramarital variety), Claudia chats with her Jewish slave Rachel, visits her gladiator lover Holtan, tangles with the conniving Empress Livia, dines at Herod's palace and attends Jesus' wedding. Though blessed with the ability to see the future, Claudia never manages to prevent the tragedies she foresees. May is at her best when unencumbered by literary or historical precedent; Claudia's sister, the unwilling Vestal Virgin Marcella, for example, is better realized than the shallowly rendered Caligula, and descriptions of Antioch and Caesarea are more compelling than those of well-known locations like Pompeii. (Nov.)
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From
May displays a deft flair for historical fiction in this authentically detailed account of Claudia Procula, the wife of Pontius Pilate. The daughter of a distinguished Roman military commander distantly related to the emperor, Claudia spends her childhood in one army camp after another. During a stint in Egypt, she hones her gift of second sight, concocts a magic serum to snare handsome Pontius Pilate, and becomes a handmaiden of the goddess Isis. Indeed, her devotion to Isis and her visionary powers will become the guiding forces in Claudia's life. Of course, reader's familiar with the Bible will remember Claudia's unheeded warning to Pilate about the enigmatic Galilean, but this is not at the heart of the story; rather, May concentrates on painting a portrait of a remarkable woman firmly entrenched in her time and place. Though some might balk at the author's alternative view of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, readers who suspend their disbelief will be amply entertained. Margaret Flanagan
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