John Smith

Set during Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt, this prequel delves into the events leading up to THE ARK AND THE EMPIRE, answering questions previously left unanswered and exploring how the Shards first ended up in Alexandria.

Crossing the desert after visiting the Siwa Oasis, the Greek king encounters the army of the king and queen of Nubia, which soon sets Alexander and his friend and lover Hephastion on an adventure to recover the fabled Ark of the Covenant.

Linked to The Shards series.

Julius Caesar is dead, assassinated on the senate floor, and the glory that is Rome has been torn in two...

Octavian, Caesar's ambitious great-nephew and adopted son, vies with Marc Antony and Cleopatra for control of Caesar's legacy. As civil war rages from Rome to Alexandria, and vast armies and navies battle for supremacy, a secret conflict threatens to shift the course of history.

Juba, Numidian prince and adopted brother of Octavian, has embarked on a ruthless quest for the Shards of Heaven, lost treasures said to possess the very power of the gods - or the one God. Driven by vengeance, Juba has already attained the fabled Trident of Poseidon, which may also be the staff once wielded by Moses. Now he will stop at nothing to obtain the other Shards, even if it means burning the entire world to the ground.

Book 1 in The Shards series.

Three demons, inadvertently unleashed by Juba of Numidia and the daughter of Cleopatra, are in league with Tiberius, son and heir of Augustus Caesar. They've seized two of the fabled Shards of Heaven, lost treasures said to possess the very power of God, and are desperately hunting the rest.

Through war and assassination, from Rome to the fabled Temple Mount of Jerusalem and on to the very gates of Heaven itself, the forces of good and evil will collide in a climactic battle that threatens the very fabric of Creation.

Book 3 in the Shards series.