One deranged Emperor unified a country. One fearless adventurer can destroy it.

Abyssinia, 1866. The crazed (some say) but dynamic Christian King of Kings has taken power as Tewodros II. His vision: to reunite Ethiopia under one crown, one God. To that end he moves his massive, gorgeously arrayed army from province to province. But rebellion is continuous and, in the end, he is Emperor of only the remote and inaccessible rock Magdala, where he holds political prisoners, spouses, and relations he's tired of and fifty Europeans.

Into the barbaric and breathtaking kingdom comes American adventurer, linguist, and ethnologist, Captain Ravinger Howland. Becoming Tewodros' right-hand man, Ravi is allowed all the privileges of a royal son: concubines, armory, all the raw beef he can eat but not the returned Queen of Sheba.

American doctor Delphine Chambliss, Tewodros believes, is the reincarnation of Makeda from who all Abyssinian kings are descended. But even as Ravi begins to question Tewodros' sanity, he falls for the bitterly bereaved Dr. Chambliss. And now, as the kingdom crumbles, Ravi and Tewodros lock horns over the woman in a battle to the death .

"THE FOUR QUARTERS OF THE WORLD is an amazing journey into a piece of history few Westerners are aware of. Considered by scholars to be one of Africa's greatest rulers, Emperor Theodore of Ethiopia is brought to life in this adventurous, heart stopping tale. For a unique and entertaining read, I highly recommend THE FOUR QUARTERS OF THE WORLD."
~ Romance Reviews Today

"This is a very well written historical novel in which a great deal of care has been given to make it historically accurate. The characters are well developed and believable... Karen Mercury did a fantastic job of making the reader really feel that she were there with the flavor of the country and involved in this truly good story."
~ Affaire de Coeur

ACTION-PACKED!
"Ms. Mercury, with two novels on her resume, has moved to the forefront of late nineteenth century African historical novels that entertain while they educate."
~ H. Klausner, Independent Reviewer

"... pace is excellent ... (white-hot love scenes, anyone?) ... descriptions of Abyssinia, of nomadic life at the court, and of the characters and their actions are fascinating and evocative ... a life-like picture of a pivotal time in Ethiopia’s history."
~ Claire Morris, Historical Novels Review, Issue 36, May, 2006

"Mrs. Mercury has once again succeeded in drawing the reader into the hot and steamy world of Africa where all is not what it appears to be, and where - at least in the past - the misdeeds of decades could be redeemed with the heroism of the hour…this book will make wonderful reading for the many adults who enjoy historic fiction with a strong dose of romance."
~ Sylvia Cochran, Round Table Reviews