John Stump

The Lure of the Papyri: a Novel of Ancient Greece John Stump

Sometimes temptation is too strong to resist, even when it means doing wrong. That is the case for Democritus; a Greek spy who finds a book of magical spells as the Persians begin their second major attack on Greece in 480 BCE. Not only does he realize he can use the spells to hinder the Persian advance, Democritus learns he can use the spells to gain forbidden knowledge to satisfy his insatiable curiosity. Zarius, the Persian Magus who owned the spell book only a short time before losing it, also finds it difficult to stay on the path of righteousness. Desperate to get his book back from Democritus, Zarius pulls out all the stops in his attempts, resorting to such fiendish schemes as summoning wicked spirits from the Underworld and planting the seeds of destructive monsters. Will love break the lure of the book? Will the gods put a stop to the interlopers? Or will the book drag each of them down to their own doom?