Byzantium stretches a weakening grip across Eastern Europe, trying in vain to hold onto all that has made it an empire. Tyrian purple, the unique dye that denotes its power, is held under close guard by the imperial house.
However a Jewish merchant from Venice has sourced an illegal supply and Tobias the dwarf minstrel and his twin brother, Tomas, begin a dangerous journey to retrieve the purple and deliver it into the merchant’s eager hands.
But is this supply as secret as they had hoped?
Trade is cut throat, men are expendable, money is power and Constantinople provides the exotic backdrop during a time of scimitars and shadows.
This is Tobias – the story of a minstrel and a broken life…

Semi-finalist in this year's M.m. Bennetts Award for Historical Fiction (UK) to be announced in May.

'Although the time and the place of the story is very different, there was something about the interaction of certain characters, the absolute authenticity of the locations and the poetry of the prose that at times reminded me of the great Patrick O'Brian. For historical fiction, there is really no greater praise.' Matthew Harffy - The Bernicia Chronicles.

'Tobias by Prue Batten is an epic tale of courage, rebellion, helping the right and fighting the wrong. With crisp dialogues and genuine emotions, Batten has created characters that will live for a very long time in your mind...' Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite, USA