<p><b>''Visionary.'' Bettany Hughes</b><br><b>''Tremendous.'' Ben Okri</b><br><b>''Luminous.'' Rose Tremain<br><i><br>Even when he leapt from the parapet he talked.</i></b><br><b><br>Ancient Egypt. </b>The Prince is set to marry Pretty Flower, his sister, in the Great House¿s incestuous society. But the Liar speaks a truth that transforms everything ¿<br><b><br>A primitive matriarchal society. </b>While mothers raise children in the bucolic Place of Women, Chimp is tormented by the Leopard Men in their brutal hunts, until he gains new wisdom ¿<br><br><b>Imperial Rome.</b> In an era of invention and exploration, the emperor realises he loves his illegitimate grandson more than his own loutish heir ¿</p>