Many readers have claimed this is their favorite book of all time. This is a magical, compelling story about the wife of the emperor Justinian, the empress Theodora. ''The Female'' by Paul I. Wellman is one of those rare novels that manages to blend riveting historical storytelling with unforgettable character work. Set against the backdrop of a tumultuous and vividly rendered frontier, the book captures the raw, often brutal forces that shaped early America — and places a fiercely compelling woman at the centre of it all. What makes this novel exceptional is not just its fearless exploration of female power in a world built for men, but the way it unflinchingly portrays the moral complexity of survival, ambition, and seduction. Wellman's grasp of historical detail is extraordinary — never dry, always immersive. Every page drips with grit, sensuality, and a kind of dangerous glamour. Even if you've read countless historical novels, ''The Female'' stands in a category of its own. It's seductive, brutal, and uncomfortably honest. And more than a few times, readers have claimed that it's possibly the greatest book they've ever read.