Purple Quest — Frank G. Slaughter

A turbulent story of violence, desire, and intrigue in ancient Phoenicia. Straton, royal descendant of a past rul­ing house, watched as his native land—the great Phoenician port city of Tyre—was torn apart by intrigues within the government. Called home from his voyages, Straton saw young King Pygmalion yielding to the degen­erate influences of an evil stranger. His love for Hera and the jealousy of Queen Elissa obscured by the turmoil that threatened to destroy them all, Straton tried to heal the rifts within Tyre. The treasure he had carried home from a distant island—the Dra­gon's Blood—promised to bring great wealth to the city and to unite the peo­ple. But as the Phoenicians struggled with their fears and superstitions, their Abyssinian enemies prepared for war. With the clash of swords and the thrust of spears, The Purple Quest builds to an exciting climax as blood flows in the city of Tyre and on the ships that for five hundred years had carried the Phoenicians to the farthest corners of the ancient world.