The great Minoan island is waning. Famine spreads, the gods fall silent, and from the north the Achaeans advance, hungering for power across the sea.
In Phaistos, Ide, daughter of the archon, is promised to Agathon, prince of Pylos - a union meant to save her people through alliance rather than war. Yet her heart belongs to Geros, captain of the Phaistian fleet, whose loyalty has long shielded Crete from danger. As Ide sails towards distant Pylos, she begins to doubt the purpose of her marriage. The Achaeans speak of peace, yet their gifts conceal the shadow of conquest. Can Agathon be trusted - or is he the instrument of a subtler invasion?
Meanwhile, strange omens trouble the palaces of Crete, and the old faith begins to crumble. Caught between love, duty, and the fate of her homeland, Ide must uncover the truth before both Phaistos and her heart are lost to a new and perilous age.
Written by Leipzig-based author Heike Wolff, this novel brings the lost world of Minoan Crete vividly to life, blending meticulous research with a powerful human story of love, loyalty, and loss.
Autorentext
Die in Leipzig lebende Autorin Heike Wolff schreibt an der Schnittstelle zwischen Vergangenheit und Gegenwart. Während ihre Romane die Leser in ferne Welten und vergessene Epochen entführen, beschäftigen sich ihre kürzeren Werke mit der Unmittelbarkeit des zeitgenössischen Lebens. Seit den 1990er Jahren ist sie in der Leipziger Literaturszene aktiv und kuratiert seit 2017 die Offene Lesebühne in Delitzsch.
Ihre regelmäßigen Reisen nach Griechenland haben eine bleibende Faszination für Kreta und die minoische Kultur geweckt, die in ihrem Roman "Der Untergang von Phaistos" lebendig wird.
Leipzig-based author Heike Wolff writes at the intersection of past and present. While her novels transport readers to distant worlds and forgotten eras, her shorter works explore the immediacy of contemporary life. Active on Leipzig's literary stages since the 1990s, she has also curated the Open Reading Stage in Delitzsch since 2017.
Her regular journeys to Greece have shaped a lasting fascination with Crete and Minoan culture, vividly brought to life in her novel "Ashes of Crete".