MOTHER OF ROME

The popularity of audiobooks that reinvent classical characters has led novelists to literary figures who were previously ignored. Novelist Bear, author of MEDUSA'S SISTERS, now turns to the mother of Rome's founders, Romulus and Remus, who, legend claims, were suckled by a she-wolf. Here that improbable origin story is treated realistically. In pre-Rome Latium two young women, royal cousins, face dramatic dilemmas--a tyrannical, usurping king, a murdered lover, and forced entry into the Vestal Virgins. Zura Johnson narrates this charged tale in a breathy tone that is appropriate for a narrative set more in the consciousness of the two beleaguered young women than in a realm of swords and marble. Caleb Summers narrates chronicles featuring male characters, including Romulus and Remus. And, yes, a she-wolf does figure. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2025]