The Poison Palace
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The Poison Palace
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About this listen
But fate puts Eka and Ira on the path of the vishkanya, or poison girl. Initiated into the worship of the snake goddess, the palace commands they are fed a diet of poison and trained in its deadly arts. With Alexander the Great sweeping towards their lands and their feelings for one another deepening, they are sent undercover into his camp.
In Alexander's court Eka must play a dangerous political game, all while trying to protect the woman she loves. Raised to do the bidding of one king, and faced with the terrible ambition of another, Eka must make a choice that will change the world . . .
A stunning blend of historical and speculative fiction, The Poison Palace tells the story of Alexander's invasion of India as it has never been told before. ©2026 Shreya Ila Anasuya
Critic reviews
An intimate epic - two women journey from the margins of history to stand against the greatest of conquerors. A story of power, love, survival and resistance, meticulously researched, lyrically written and structurally ambitious. A stunning debut. (Samit Basu)
The Poison Palace is a dazzling debut that takes you on a tumultuous journey from the courtyard of a courtesan in ancient India to the punishing deserts of Iran and finally, Babylon where Alexander was felled. Shreya Ila Anusuya has entwined fantasy with myth and history to give us a novel as rare as the fabled snake-jewel. It will doubtless snag readers in both East and West. (Annie Zaidi)
Such an unusual, intelligent and lucidly written book, which opens up an old story with the most surprising glints and insights (Professor Ruth Padel)
Shreya Ila Anasuya's The Poison Palace unfolds the era of Alexander the Great's conquering rampage across Eurasia with a graceful, fiery verisimilitude both intimate and mythic, starting from the Indian subcontinent and stretching all the way to ancient Babylon--it resounds in time, and sings to the present with a singular voice. Don't miss it. (Indra Das)
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