A captivating historical novel, Pope Joan is an international best-seller. Set in the brutal Dark Ages, a time when women were viewed as the root of sin, this novel tells the remarkable tale of one of history's greatest controversies. Denied the priesthood by society's rules, young Joan seizes her opportunity to join a monastery when she assumes her murdered brother's identity and takes the name John Anglicus. Putting her brilliant mind to good use, she excels as a scholar and healer. Joan eventually finds her way to Rome, where the lures of passion and politics threaten to expose her secret. But Joan rises above even these obstacles to achieve the pinnacle of Catholic power-the Papacy.