<p><b>The bestselling epic novel of family, treachery, rivalry, religious fervour and the turbulent fate of a royal African dynasty<br /><br /></b>It is 1797 and the African kingdom of Segu, born of blood and violence, is at the height of its power. Yet Dousika Traore, the king&apos;s most trusted advisor, feels nothing but dread. Change is coming. From the East, a new religion, Islam. From the West, the slave trade. These forces will tear his country, his village and the lives of his beloved sons apart, in Maryse Condé&apos;s glittering epic.</p>