The Tsar is returning to Russia?

Well, not in real life.  But have you ever wondered what it would be like if Russia had remained an autocracy?  I’ve always been curious, but then again, I love history, and it’s one of the reasons why I read this book.

The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry begins with the failure of Communism in Russia.  The citizens have decided to bring back the tsar, who will be chosen from relatives of the last tsar, Nicholas II.  Miles Lord, an American lawyer, is in Russia to prove that Stefan Balkanov is the closest heir and he should rule as the next tsar.  However, while having lunch with Artemis Bely in Moscow shots are fired, killing Bely and forcing Lord to flee.

Lord survives, and heads back to work but finds something interesting. In letters written between Tsar Nicholas and the tsarina, Alexandra, she tells Nicholas about a prophecy Rasputin – the only man who could heal the tsarevich, Alexei – told her.  Rasputin foretold his death, but different things would happen depending who killed him.  The worst case scenario was that if Rasputin was killed by a member of the Romanov family, none of the Romanovs would survive past two years.

Next, Lord meets Semyon Pashenko, a professor at Moscow State University.  Pashenko questions the fact that since two bodies of the Romanovs were never found (Alexei and one of the Grand Duchesses, Anastasia) there might be a direct heir still alive, causing a problem for Lord’s client.  Pashenko urges Lord to visit, St. Petersburg, but while returning to Moscow the same men from Moscow are after him again.  Lord ducks into a train car meeting Akilina Petrovna, an acrobat, who shields him from the men, who Lord suspects are members of the mafiya, the Russian mafia.

Lord and Petrovna are chased again once back in Moscow, but are saved by one of Pashenko’s men.  They are taken to Pashenko’s home, where he tells the duo he is the leader of the Holy Band, who were formed to protect the tsar.  Pashenko reveals that Lord’s information that he found about Kolya Maks and Starodug is the beginning of a quest to find Alexi and Anastasia.  Lord and Petrovna are the raven (Lord) and eagle (Akilina means eagle in old Russia) that Rasputin mentioned in his prophecy.

Soon Lord and Petrovna are off on a wild chase finding clue after clue to find the youngest Romanov survivors.  They visit other parts of Russia and even the United States.  The question is – is there really a direct descendant of Nicholas II still alive?  How will this affect Lord and his career as a lawyer to defend Balkanov’s claim?  I’m not going to spoil it for you readers, for this is something you have to read for yourself.

I am a big fan of historical fiction and as a child I loved the cartoon movie, Anastasia.  I thought it would be very cool to find out one day that I was a long lost duchess and had a family I never knew about.  Many have speculated when the two bodies were found missing that Anastasia and Alexei did survive – but recently, remains were found and all of the Romanovs are finally at rest.  Still, it would’ve been interesting if a direct descendant remained alive, let alone restoring the monarchy like Barry did in this novel. 

I would highly recommend this novel, especially if you’re a big history buff like me.

What’s up for next week?  I’m going to reread a book series which just came out with its fourth and final novel.  The series is The Luxe by Anna Gobbersen.  I’m excited to see how this series comes to an end!

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll be back next week!