The most internationally anticipated religious suspense-thriller since
Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code, WR.PARK’s The Franciscan is now available for sale
on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and CreateSpace. Written
14 years ago, The Franciscan eerily
forebodes current events in the Vatican predicting the coming of the current
Pope Francis and proves to be a timely novel more than a decade after it was
penned. This is the first book in The Franciscan Trilogy.
Synopsis:
“The pope is not infallible.” When the newly elected Pope Francis
utters this bold and unprecedented statement, he captures the attention of the
world’s population. His reforms leave no corner untouched as he strips away the
mask so long held before the face of the papacy. Bringing with him and open-minded
candor rarely seen by public figures – he’s an inspiration to his followers –
and a threat to those who oppose him.
“When I penned this novel about a fictitious Pope Francis fourteen
years ago, I never envisioned that a future pope would select the name, Pope
Francis I. This novel’s Pope Francis is a bold and courageous pope whose
sweeping reforms reversing ancient Vatican edicts place his life in grave
danger. The world can only hope and pray that today’s Pope Francis, as bold as
he is, will be fruitful in his endeavors and have a lengthy and healthy
reign,” said WR.PARK.
Praise for The Franciscan:
New York Times bestselling author James Rollins commented on WR.PARK’s
thirteenth novel: “I’ve been a fan of WR.PARK’s work for years.”
“The Franciscan featuring the first Pope Francis is about murder,
suicide, extortion, assassins, devilish plots with a narrative with more twists
and turns than a ride through purgatory.” – Publisher’s Auxiliary
“Unexpectedly thrust upon the throne of St. Peter by dark forces
within the Vatican, this pope is trying to institute a radical agenda of change
while contending with assassination attempts and political intrigue… and then
things get really exciting.” – The Leaven Catholic Newspaper
“The Franciscan is a fascinating tale and has great general appeal.
Readers who like intrigue and mystery in a colorful historical setting will
enjoy [WR.PARK’s] effort and will certainly look forward to his subsequent
offering.” – The Sun Newspaper
“Every now and then a book I’m asked to read and write about
pleasantly surprises me. The Franciscan is a case point. It’s an intriguing
read – weaving together two fascinating tales. It kept me interested up to
and including the end.” – Northwest Florida Daily News
Excerpt
NEARLY A WEEK HAD PASSED
since Symon's discovery, and he had read the translated manuscripts numerous
times. He consumed the written words as
a dying man gasps for breath. The
mystery surrounding the ancient narrative fueled his imagination and stimulated
his craving to know more. While he sat
by the opening of the cave, the sun warmed his body, and meditation purified
his soul. What could have been Assuri's
last words on earth, and the narrative of his days at the Library of Alexandria
bewitched him beyond belief.
“Somewhere,” he thought.
“Somewhere between the lines, somewhere hidden within Assuri's journal
could be a clue to a far greater treasure.
A treasure that has eluded humankind
for thousands of years. A treasure that
could help answer the question: what was the history of the world prior to the
mass destruction in Alexandria of recorded chronicles?” Once again, Symon read the rendering of the
second journal-manuscript.
“I, Assuri, a trusted slave of Babylon, journeyed by
the great river to the northwest (Symon's note: Euphrates River), disembarking at a predetermined site before reaching the town of Carrhae.
Then west by land over the mountain range to the sea and Tarsus. My beloved master had a relative who lived in
Tarsus and who arranged passage by boat to Alexandria. In all, I witnessed ten suns rise and set,
and paid homage to the gods for my safety, which was in peril as I will
relate.” (Symon's note: Estimating a distance of some 2,000 kilometers.)
“My thoughtful master, knowing all well that
I have never ventured far from the city, dispatched two mercenaries to
accompany, guide and protect this humble servant on the trek to Alexandria with
our most cherished volumes in tow. When
the request from Hypatia (Symon's note:
A most highly respected female mathematician and astronomer.) of Alexandria arrived, my master immediately routed a message to
inform his dear friend that he would certainly comply. It was an honor to have the writings of our
late high priest Berossus' three volumes of
the world dating from Creation to the Great Flood copied and
preserved in the Great Library at Alexandria.” (Symon's note: About all that is presently
known about the volumes is that Berossus estimated the time between the two
events to be 400,000 years—a hundred times longer than Old Testament
chronology.)
“I was excited beyond belief. The journey would be tedious and dangerous, but my master's description
of Alexandria and the library, and Hypatia's beauty filled my being with
joy. His entrusting the volumes greatly
humbled this person. My love for him
grew like a raging river as he told me of rooms upon rooms filled with writings
gathered for hundreds of years and valued more than gold.” (Symon's note: There were an estimated
500,000 scroll-books
from Greece, Persia, Israel,
India, Africa, and many other countries, all comprising the knowledge and
history of the world to date. Alexandria
was a community of scholars studying and teaching: physics, literature,
astronomy, philosophy, music, medicine, biology, mathematics and
engineering. The world's first research
institute. In the early 300's BC King
Ptolemy I wrote: ‘To all the sovereigns
and governors on earth. I implore you to immediately send me works by authors
of every kind: poets, rhetoricians and sophists, doctors and soothsayers,
historians, and all others, too.’ Thus
began the Library of Alexandria, and for hundreds of years the known writings,
including history, were duplicated and stored.
The line of Ptolemys, ending with the death of Cleopatra, set out to not
only collect every book in the world, but to translate them all into Greek.)
“With Berossus' works slung over my neck, close to my
person in a large leather sheep-lined pouch, and my guides aboard, we set sail
northwest. The night's encampments were
uncommonly dark. On the fourth night,
berthed on the bank where the great river sprang streams to both the north and
south, I overheard the two men plotting to
kill the servant and nip the valued prize. On the fifth night, playing the fool
and obedient servant, and after grinding a powder from a known venomous plant,
I sprinkled an amount sufficient enough into the
wine jug to render them in a death-like state for at least
two days. If they survived. They fell for my offering, and drank with
gluttonous passion. At first light I
left them in slumber, and pushed on, knowing full well they would not follow
once they realized I was two days ahead of them.
About the Author:
Author, columnist, teacher, lecturer, past president of three
advertising agencies, William R. Park, Sr. is nationally known and respected in
the advertising and literary worlds—and a Member of International Thriller
Writers, Inc. His past works include: The Talking Stones, Overlay, Fatal
Incision, plus ten others, each backed by glowing praise from numerous
bestselling authors.
WR.PARK currently resides in the Kansas City area with his wife Genie.
To learn more, and read what bestselling authors said about his body of work,
visit: http://www.wrparkpublishinggroup.com/
Connect with WR.PARK on
Twitter and Goodreads:
Thank you very much for posting this.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome Mike. Good luck!
ReplyDelete