Book Review: The Bronze Scroll

 

A New-Age Journey of Discovery: For their first novel in the Knights of the Lost Temple series, co-authors Paul and Alia chose the so-called Copper Scroll (which is actually made of bronze) as a central element in the characters’ story. One of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in a desert cave in the 1950s, this artifact is a treasure map listing tons of gold and silver hidden at vaguely described locations that scholars had given up on deciphering. As a supposedly “unsolvable” mystery, the Copper Scroll would serve a symbol of the discontents of modern life, in which the great, achievable dreams seem to have already been accomplished. There was just one problem. The Copper Scroll wasn’t unsolvable after all. As Sam and his friends work to decipher this ancient treasure map, its mysteries unravel one by one.

The authors of this new adventure-romance series invite you to join them on this voyage. Currently working on the second book in the series, the authors believe that the world’s diverse spiritual traditions hold answers for our troubled times. Paul, who identifies as “spiritual but not religious,” and Alia, a “new-age Muslim” from an Afghan American family (writing under her pen name), believe that greater understanding among the world’s different faiths and beliefs is essential to solving the world’s current problems. Recognizing that even the smallest miracles—like an ancient treasure map found in a desert cave—can make a big difference, the authors welcome you to share this journey together.

My review: This is a slow-burn adventure which unfolds gradually, given the massive back history of the ancient world and the scroll itself. The authors mix history (biblical and ancient), geography, travel, suspense, villainy, and thrills to engage the reader with Sam and his quest. If you’re looking for the rollercoaster non-stop action and pace of Indiana Jones or Dan Brown, you will not find it here. There are many links and threads from the past that must be woven carefully into the present day to give meaning to the quest.

Sam is a thoughtful and spiritual protagonist who doesn’t actually understand his dreams and visions, especially those of people from the past who offer him advice and valuable pointers in his quest. The reader gets to know Sam, his dreams, and his desires intimately and thus has a deeper understanding of who he is and what the future has in store for him. There are many surprises waiting around the corner, it seems, as he learns more about his family and their history too.

If I have any criticism, it is that the factual information is really dense and could be spread out for an easier reading flow. In addition, while many historical details are very necessary for the plot to make sense, the extra details on just about every site of interest or antiquity were unnecessary and slowed the pace down. Facts not germane to the plot could be put in a glossary at the end for the interested reader to learn more. That said, the action really picks up in the last part of the story where there are big reveals, big betrayals, and lots of thrills in a life-and-death race against time. The end is astonishing as well and segues nicely into the next leg of Sam’s adventure while still wrapping up this mystery quite neatly. The book is well written and well edited. History buffs and fans of archaeological mysteries will appreciate the depth of the research and enjoy this book. 4/5

 Book website: https://www.knightsofthelosttemple.com/

Amazon Selling Page: https://amzn.to/3BcelQr

 

The Legend of the Scarab King

I have often been asked if the Scarab King, the foundation character of Book 1: The Secret of the Sacred Scarab is based on a real person. In ancient Egyptian pre-history, two centers of civilization developed: one in the north, around the Nile Delta, (Lower Egypt) and the other in the Nile Valley, to the south (Upper Egypt). Before the unification of Egypt in 3100 BC, the area was divided into small chiefdoms, each ruled over by a king, who was generally the leader of his tribe. The ancient Egyptians did not call the kings of Egypt ‘pharaohs.’ This word was used by the Greeks and Hebrews, and today is commonly used to denote the ancient kings of Egypt. At various times in its ancient past, the country was split up and there were at least several kings ruling different areas at the same time. There were also probably kings who ruled regions of Egypt before recorded history, and in fact, several ancient historians mention legendary kings who were elevated to the status of Egyptian gods. I’ve based my legend of the Scarab King on an idea of what a king of that time may have been like.

“Many thousands of years ago, long before the time of the great pharaohs, the gods walked with men on earth. It was a time that has long been forgotten. In the ancient land of Kemet, there lived a wise and good king. He was a humble man who looked to the earth and nature, the birds, beasts, and insects for inspiration on how to rule with wisdom and skill. He searched for a creature as his totem; a creature that would be a sacred symbol of his kingship and his beliefs. But what to choose, he wondered. There were already so many royal symbols: the serpent, the lion, the falcon, the scorpion, the sun …

The king was baffled. He had no answer. One day, against the counsel of his advisors and courtiers, he walked out alone into the desert. He believed an answer would come to him there in that vast expanse of sun and sand. After a few hours of walking, he became hot and tired, and regretted his decision. He sat down and just watched the scenery around him. Movement in the sand next to his sandal caught his attention. An insignificant black insect, a scarab beetle, scurried past him, rolling a ball of dung in which to lay its eggs.

“Khephri! The sacred scarab and god of the rising sun,” said the king. “The giver of new life and the symbol of the sun’s rebirth each day after the blackness of night.”

He chose this beetle, so humble and yet so vital in the Egyptian circle of life and mythology, as his totem, his symbol. He made the name Khephri part of his own name and had images of the sacred scarab carved onto the temple walls. Then he commanded his royal goldsmith to fashion a magnificent scarab from gold and jewels to hang around his neck. In the middle of the scarab, the jeweller placed the First Stone of Power, given to the king by the Seven Sages to help him rule wisely and well. The king became known thereafter as the Scarab King.

The king was tall, strong, and handsome. He loved to hunt. He was an excellent sportsman and a wonderful king. His people loved and admired him. Under his reign, the kingdom prospered. People were well fed, employed, and enjoyed their lives. The king married a beautiful girl but, sadly, they had no children. He had a stepbrother, Seti, who took his name from the dark god of chaos and storms, the god Set. Seti was the opposite of his handsome stepbrother who worshipped the sun god, Ra.

Seti was jealous of his stepbrother. He wished to rule in his brother’s place. One problem stood in his way. According to custom, in order for a succeeding king to take up his rightful place on the throne, a secret ceremony was held between the old king and his appointed heir or successor. The new king would receive special instructions: magical chants, particular hand signals, and other aspects of the mystic rituals that passed from king to king. Then the priests would know that the new king was a genuine successor, and not a pretender to the throne.

Seti needed to know the secret rituals. When he asked his stepbrother about them, the Scarab King replied, “Ah, Seti, why do you pester me with these questions? Why do you ask for what cannot be given? You will never rule after me because you do not share my beliefs in life. You think only of yourself when a king must think of his people first. Do not ask me these questions again! I have chosen my cousin on my mother’s side to succeed me. Senreset is a good and wise man. He will make an excellent ruler.”

Seti seethed with anger as the king dismissed him from the royal chambers. Once he knew the secret words and signals, the kingdom would be his.

Of course, the chicken-hearted priests will accept me, he thought. They believe in the ritual. I believe in the power. Once I am king, I will have the First Stone of Power, and then my control over the kingdom will be complete.

He sent his men to bribe the High Priest to reveal the secret rituals, but the man refused. Seti tried three times, but each time the High Priest sent them away. Seti was so angry that he ordered his men to slay the High Priest. However, his men were afraid of the wrath of Ra, and they disobeyed. Finally, Seti went himself to the High Priest. Although the man trembled before the king’s stepbrother, he would not reveal the sacred secrets of the rituals of kingship. Seti knew that the Scarab King, being healthy and strong, would live for many years. There was only one thing left to do: he must kill the king! He lured his stepbrother into a lonely part of the palace, under the pretext of discussing building plans. Then, when diagrams that Seti had brought along distracted the king, Seti struck him down.

The king fell to the ground, bleeding from the fatal blow. As the king lay dying, he groaned and grasped Seti by one hand. “You will never find it, my brother, and you will not be king for long. Your heart will be weighed on the Great Scales and you will be found lacking.”

Seti, frightened by these words, felt under the king’s tunic for the scarab. It was not there. Seti shrieked for his men and, within minutes, they had overrun the palace. Seti questioned the king’s priests closely, threatening them with torture, but they pretended not to know where the sacred scarab and the king’s regalia were kept. They also denied knowing the magic words of the ritual. Seti cursed the heavens and the gods for defeating his plans. His screams rose skyward and the city trembled beneath his wrath. The Secret of Power had gone with the king to his grave. However, Seti thought that when the king was buried, one of his priests would place the scarab in the king’s sarcophagus according to custom. If he could find the scarab, he could try to turn its power to his purposes.

But the king’s loyal followers prepared his body, placing it in a sarcophagus of solid gold, and transported it at night, along with all the treasure, to a secret tomb so that none would violate it. They descended into the entrails of the earth and hid the body in the Place of Divine Inundation, protecting it with magical incantations. The Scarab King, like the sacred scarab, returned to the earth, later to rise in the sky as a star.”

If you’re looking for more adventures, then please visit The Quest Books, where Middle Grade authors Cheryl Carpinello, Wendy Leighton-Porter and I have teamed up to offer readers an array of exciting quests. Sign up for our monthly newsletter with exciting exclusive material and get your choice of any e-book on the site FREE!

Who Was King Arthur?

So much has been written about Arthur that it is hard to decide which resources have the right idea about Arthur’s origins. When I began researching Book 2 in The Chronicles of the Stone: The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, I felt quite overwhelmed. King Arthur is without doubt the greatest legendary figure in the western world. Countless poems, books, screenplays, and material have been written about him, speculating on his birth, his exploits, his legacy, and what he has come to represent to the world. Even death cannot touch him since legend says he is not dead, but sleeping in a cave on the isle of Avalon, waiting to be awakened in time of his country’s direst need. Mystery and magic surround the story of this man who became a leader, a kingly figure, a symbol of hope and renewal. Who was the real Arthur, the man who lived and fought in the tumultuous period in history called the Dark Ages?

 

 

THERE IS NO WORSE DEATH THAN THE END OF HOPE ~ KING ARTHUR

 

 

The Dark Ages (also called the Early Middle Ages) was a period of chaos and warfare that lasted from the 5^th Century to approximately AD 1000. It is appropriately called the Dark Ages because, not only was it a time when civilization collapsed, but very few records survive from this era. That is why we know so little about the period in which Arthur is said to have lived and why there is such debate concerning his historical existence. There was a real Arthur, a great and skilled war leader who performed many brave and epic deeds. He most likely was a nobleman of British-Roman ancestry. Arthur was believed to have had extensive knowledge of Roman military strategies and warfare, which he successfully used against the Saxons during the late 5^th and early 6^th Centuries. His possible birth date was circa AD 478. An important aspect of Arthur’s heritage, whoever he was, is that he was a Celt by tradition and history. At the time Arthur lived there was no distinct ‘England’ to speak of. He was a Briton, of Celtic stock, the product of a Celtic society.

By AD 410, Rome had withdrawn from Britain, leaving it vulnerable. It wasn’t long before the barbarian tribes that the Roman troops had kept at bay began to reappear. Soon the invasions increased in size and number as the news spread that Britain was easy pickings and practically defenceless since the British clans and kingdoms were unable to unite for their own protection. It is here that history starts to merge with legend and the famous names of Vortigern, Ambrosius Aurelianus, Uther Pendragon, and Arthur appear.

By AD 500, Britain had fragmented into a number of smaller kingdoms, a situation intensified by the tendency of rulers to leave their realms to be divided amongst their sons, instead of direct inheritance to the eldest. Thus tribal groups became even more splintered. The largest and strongest of these kingdoms was Powys. It is against this background that the figure of Arthur emerges. Arthur is thought to be one of the princes in South-Western England who fought in an alliance of British leaders against the Saxons and their allies, the Angles, Jutes, and Frisians, as well as the Picts and Scots who came from the north after the Romans left. The fighting continued until circa AD 516 when, at the Battle of Mount Badon, the united Britons inflicted a severe defeat on the Anglo-Saxons. This victory turned the tide of the barbarian advances for the next fifty years, permitting a final ‘golden age’ for Celtic civilization in Britain. The utterly defeated Saxons did not attack the Celts again until 571.

Live the adventure with young heroes Adam and Justin and get introduced to a new heroine, Kim. The Search for the Stone of Excalibur is available on Amazon and all major book sites.