Ambition, passion, and fate combine in Isabelle Schuler's debut novel, the thrilling historical drama Queen Hereafter (published in the U.K. under the title Lady MacBethad). Raised in the newly Christian land of Alba but prophesied by her pagan grandmother to become a queen, Gruoch expects that she will marry a king and reclaim the lands of her deposed father. She devotes herself to being a strong queen who can protect herself and her people, and when she is betrothed to Duncan, the heir-elect, she willingly leaves her childhood love, MacBethad, to go to court and meet her destiny. But as her marriage approaches, a sudden upheaval shatters all of her plans, and she must find allies where she can and build her own fate.
Schuler smoothly weaves history and invention into a whole as layered with drama as anything by Shakespeare, with a healthy measure of Shakespearean references as a bonus. Gruoch's path is also as bloody and full of revenge as anything by the Bard of Avon. She withstands violence and returns it with interest. Many scenes are not for the faint of heart, but given that this is the origin story of the character we know from Macbeth, no spoilers are required to know that this stage of her life will end in triumph. Fans of Madeline Miller, Claire North, and other authors' stories of women in bygone days creating power for themselves through pure determination will be eager to see more from Schuler. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library