Was there ever really an Og, mysterious ancestors, and fantastic ancient weapons? History is just that, a story, and sorting fact from legend will occupy historians and archaeologists for centuries to come. What we do know is that legends once dismissed as complete myth, such as Atlantis, seem to have some basis in geologic truth—and that the more we learn about ancient people, the more ingenious they seem.
This novel was made possible by the research of scores of nonfiction authors who have written on the lives of its principals, the Barbary Wars, and the history of France and the Mediterranean. The book was also a wonderful excuse to visit lovely lairs such as Santorini and Syracuse. Special thanks to Huxley College and to Nick and Cynthia Zaferatos, who introduced me to Greece. Once again, my appreciation to the team at HarperCollins: my editor, Rakesh Satyal, publisher Jonathan Burnham, assistant editor Rob Crawford, senior production editor David Koral, publicist Heather Drucker, online marketing manager Kyle Hansen, foreign rights marketer Sandy Hodgman, and the designers, artists, copy editors, and marketers who make any novel a team effort. My agent Andrew Stuart adeptly keeps me in business. And, as always, my wife, Holly, remains as travel assistant, first reader, necessary skeptic, and muse. May the adventure continue!
About the Author
WILLIAM DIETRICH is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including the most recent Ethan Gage adventures, Napoleon’s Pyramids, The Rosetta Key, and The Dakota Cipher. He is also a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, historian, and naturalist. A winner of the PNBA Award and Washington Governor Writer’s Award, he is a professor of journalism at Western Washington University.
ALSO BY WILLIAM DIETRICH
Fiction
The Dakota Cipher
The Rosetta Key
Napoleon’s Pyramids
The Scourge of God
Hadrian’s Wall
Dark Winter
Getting Back
Ice Reich
Nonfiction
On Puget Sound
Natural Grace
Northwest Passage
The Final Forest