The Flame Before Us

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Some review comments

Historical Novel Society: “Wide in scope and rich in detail and plot, this is an accomplished illustration of this era in the region: complex, informative, enjoyable and skilfully put together.”
Breakfast with Pandora: “…A surprising tenderness in the face of brutality, loss, and displacement is the emotion that underpins the action…”
Hoover Book Reviews: “…From the noble, nose in the air, Egyptians to the settlements of peasants to the nomadic clans, we have a tale of loss, hardship, and hope as cultures collide and times change…”

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The Flame Before Us carries the story another few years onwards. Starting north along the coast at the city of Ikaret (modern Ugarit), the story follows several inter-related groups of people as they cope with the sudden destruction of the city.

Groups of invaders are sweeping southwards. Their path of destruction began in the Hittite lands, in battles described in the epic works of the Iliad and Aeneid. Troy was simply the first stage of their path of conquest; The Flame Before Us picks up the story some months later.

Cover - The Flame Before Us — Cover – The Flame Before Us

Conflict and commitment in the shadow of a city’s downfall

The raiding ships have come before, but this time it is different. This time the attackers are coming to stay, and defensive walls will not hold them back. Nowhere is safe. One by one, the great kings and their vassal cities collapse as the newcomers advance.

The land is already a patchwork of many different peoples, bound together in a fragile web of traditional alliances and rivalries. How will political and personal promises change with the arrival of the new clans? Is war inevitable, or can a different answer be found?

Walk with refugees, migrants, and defenders of the land alike, as they struggle to create a different way of life beside the ruins of the old. Can alliance, commitment and love survive the turmoil?

Publisher: Matteh Publications (April 16th 2015)
ISBN: 978-0993-1684-1-3 (soft cover)
ISBN: 978-0993-1684-0-6 (ebook – kindle)

Available now on all international Amazon stores including Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk – search by name.
Also find it on Leanpub, Kobo, B&N.com (Nook), iBooks and Google Play.