Mercury's Tales / Dragon Lady and the Pirates by Pendragon Tales of Spymyths

Synopsis

In this supernatural thriller, Western Catholicism and Eastern Taoism collide. Yet these two diverse worlds find they have much in common when a mystic shroud with healing powers links them together. The quest for the shroud draws characters from both sides, who are motivated by power or piety.

Secrets of the confessional and a dying pope’s dream ignite a series of events leading to miracles and murder. Scenes unfold in the College of Cardinals, where intrigue attempts to force chance’s hand in electing the next pope, and hushed-up topics are boldly aired. Forbidden love is awakened between a senior Church official and a grandmother.

The story spans the East Orient and Mediterranean as private investigator Tommy Tong pursues his nemesis, the Dragon Lady who rose from concubine to leader of a drug empire. Beautiful and ruthless, this mysterious woman goes to all lengths to be the sole possessor of what she considers the key to ultimate power–youthful immortality. German, British, Maltese, American, and Chinese World War II spies resurface along her trail.

Fans of the old Charlie Chan movies and Nancy Drew stories will enjoy their contemporary counterparts: Tommy Tong and his two teenaged granddaughters, Nancy and Suzie. Instead of Confucian sayings, however, Mr. Tong spouts Taoist words of wisdom, and the girls thwart culprits using martial arts as well as wits.

A wealth of characters are neatly woven into the story, to include a mysterious Maltese monk who emerges near the ancient ruins of Malta. These are also two Hong Kong mercenaries who meet their match in the Maltese-Irish dancers, Deirdre and Fiona, bringing unexpected levity amidst tragedy. Even dog lovers will find a special canine hero, who shares in the great epiphany. Suspense builds with pirating on the high seas, an elusive assassin, and secret passages in the underground catacombs. In more serene moments, however, visions of Atlantis are juxtaposed with St. Paul’s Cathedral in the Vatican City.

As aptly expressed by a monsignor (ambassador) from the Church on the back cover, "Dragon and the Pirates’ cast of characters, along with its healing mantle, become intriguingly credible as the suspense develops. We know these ordinary, selfish, predictable, and unholy; from another: saintly, ingeniously cooperating with God’s grace, heroically making sense of the human condition. We want to meet them again." Fortunately we will, for another book is on the horizon.

Synopsis

When the universe becomes too predictable, the High Gods intervene. Consequently a series of events unfold, leading to interdimensional war.

It is the age of the Italian Renaissance when Duchess Lucrezia Borgia flees mutinous armed troops with hounds at bay. Believing she has taken matters into her own hands, she uses the rare, magical mineral Mercury’s fire to transport herself to another world named Borzhi, where she is mistaken for the Queen of Fire. Through luck she rises to power; through guile, she maintains it, for the men around her are constantly looking for ways to use or depose her.

One such man is the High Priest Rammos, whose clerical position forbids him from assuming the throne. Ruthless, cunning, and having an unsatiable appetite for power, he devours or manipulates his enemies. Only the degree of his excesses, however, makes him unique in this harsh realm of rigid human castes, beneath which serve the trolls as slaves, and all other beings as exploitable resources. Though disease is unknown and all could potentially live forever, most meet a premature, violent end.

Contrasting with Borzhi is the world of Maili, ruled by the sea goddess Mailia and rain god Thundor. As on Borzhi, disease is unknown, but there the similarity ends. Frolicking unicorns, nature sprites, and humans people this realm, and all species have an equal voice in their world’s affairs. Distrust is unknown, eating and lovemaking are the main pastimes, and procrastination is a virtue. Invasion turns the world upside down, however, and only a determined outsider can turn the Mailians into warrior.

Caught up in the midst of all major events are two heavily muscled, low-browed privates. Somehow they always find themselves in the company of the most powerful elite, bringing a sense of perspective to what transpires around them. Readers will delight as these two bumble and stumble their way through misfortune and fortune. Things are never black and white in these worlds, where magical beings and mythical creatures mix with good people, bad people, and good people who do bad things. Just when you think you have a favorite character, a new individual pops up, or an old individual acquires a new twist, and the unexpected happens.

Pendragon Tale's’ Biography

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The author "PenDragon Tales" is the collective nom de plume for three writers (Lori Alaniva, Steve Burch, and Dennis Casey). Dr. Casey is a professional historian and has published seven books and over 150 articles and oral histories for the Department of Defense. A former Fulbright scholar of cultural anthropology who studied in Guatemala, he is the consummate researcher of ancient mysteries and myths. Mr. Burch is a former combat arms soldier and US Army intelligence operations officer who served along the German east-west border. He is a natural-born storyteller who "spins a mean yarn." Ms. Alaniva worked as a Soviet area analyst, linguist, and researcher at all levels of the national intelligence community. She takes the yarn and weaves it into a story. "PenDragon Tales" served in the misty, smoke-filled rooms of intelligence during the Cold War. They worked with characters whose feats and eccentricities bordered on the fantastic. Having looked into the past to predict the future, they are dreamers who never lost the thrill of exploring, unraveling and solving the puzzle. Specializing in fantasy, adventure, and supernatural thrillers, they are your authors for true entertainment.