Rome, 234 AD.
Decima was born north of the Wall, but she was raised in Rome, and will do anything for her adopted homeland.
But this last request –
Couriering a red-haired boy back over the Wall, and then to his windswept island home?
And this boy—what is he exactly?
He not only has red hair, but his face holds a heaviness that belies his youth. He speaks no language that Decima has ever heard of, and worships a strange spirit named Kulkuz .
A strange spirit with whom Decima feels an even stranger connection.
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A message from the editor :
“When Jonathan sent me the manuscript for the novella The Pax Neandara , I read it in one sitting. I didn't know whether I wanted to categorize it as a YA Fantasy or an adult piece of Historical Fiction - but whatever the case, it's a page-turner.
"It’s about Neanderthals in Ancient Rome, but in true Jonathan Maas fashion—the ending finds a way to explain our current world.
Though The Pax Neandara is part of a larger series— Kulkuz, Angel of the Neanderthals —it functions as a standalone tale as well, and I’ll bet you’ll read it in one sitting just like I did.”
-J. Shaw, editor
Cynical Optimist Press
For fans of: Rosemary Sutcliff, The Eagle of the 9th, Neanderthals, Alternate History, Ancient Rome, Hadrian’s Wall, Barbarians, Centurions, Science Fiction, High Concept Fantasy, Michael Crichton, The Eaters of the Dead, evolution, genetics, On the Origin of the Species, angels, Charles Darwin, George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones, Ken Follett, The Pillars of the Earth, Historical Fiction
Genre: Fantasy
Decima was born north of the Wall, but she was raised in Rome, and will do anything for her adopted homeland.
But this last request –
Couriering a red-haired boy back over the Wall, and then to his windswept island home?
And this boy—what is he exactly?
He not only has red hair, but his face holds a heaviness that belies his youth. He speaks no language that Decima has ever heard of, and worships a strange spirit named Kulkuz .
A strange spirit with whom Decima feels an even stranger connection.
/***/
A message from the editor :
“When Jonathan sent me the manuscript for the novella The Pax Neandara , I read it in one sitting. I didn't know whether I wanted to categorize it as a YA Fantasy or an adult piece of Historical Fiction - but whatever the case, it's a page-turner.
"It’s about Neanderthals in Ancient Rome, but in true Jonathan Maas fashion—the ending finds a way to explain our current world.
Though The Pax Neandara is part of a larger series— Kulkuz, Angel of the Neanderthals —it functions as a standalone tale as well, and I’ll bet you’ll read it in one sitting just like I did.”
-J. Shaw, editor
Cynical Optimist Press
For fans of: Rosemary Sutcliff, The Eagle of the 9th, Neanderthals, Alternate History, Ancient Rome, Hadrian’s Wall, Barbarians, Centurions, Science Fiction, High Concept Fantasy, Michael Crichton, The Eaters of the Dead, evolution, genetics, On the Origin of the Species, angels, Charles Darwin, George R.R. Martin, Game of Thrones, Ken Follett, The Pillars of the Earth, Historical Fiction
Genre: Fantasy
Used availability for Jonathan Maas's The Pax Neandara