CONSTANTINOPLE
a historical fiction
apprx. 80,000 words

by 
SAHIN ALTUNER

 

          "Constantinople” follows the trials and tribulations of two protagonists during the last throes of the Roman Empire from 1451 to 1453.
          Who these protagonists are depends on the reader. 

          On the surface it is Mehmet and Constantine, two kings of their respective empires. The former is only twenty years old, once-dethroned, and attempting to manage his second (read: last) chance at being the sultan. The latter is forty-eight: Unexpectedly thrust into the position of emperor only a few years prior, he is a tired man struggling to make sense of his severe depression in the face of depressing realities. 

          Yet equally this is the story of Kismet and Wisdom, the inner voices of the two kings that guide them during these extraordinary times. Like the timeless tale of West versus Anatolia, the two voices seem infinitely different on the surface, only to reveal themselves to be one and the same; a unified voice that lives within us all.

          And, what happens when the two protagonists meet on that fateful day of 29 May 1453; when Mehmet and Constantine lock eyes, when Kismet and Wisdom reveal themselves, and when Anatolia moves into the City? What does the City of Kings do when she is presented with two Kings of the City?
         The answers are for the reader to contemplate.

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REVIEWS: An earlier version of the manuscript was submitted to ScreenCraft's Book competition with very favorable feedback. See below:

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