Changing of the Gods

It’s 66 A.D. Young Lucius is the son of the Roman Legate in charge of military affairs in the district surrounding the Greek city of Corinth, which is under the protection of the Roman Empire. The inexperienced innocent is recruited as a “salesman” by a pair of unscrupulous promoters aiming to raise a large sum of money from influential people—but not in the least interested in anything but accumulating and fleeing with all the money. The adventure intensifies when young Lucius boldly approaches the Roman Emporer, Nero, who not only endorses the project but also comes to Corinth to dedicate the site. Only after Nero has bestowed his blessing and given the project the appearance of legitimacy does Lucius discover that his employers are actually excaped convicts whose intentions are far less than honorable. The tale then follows Lucius through the ups and downs of growing into manhood and building a challenging dream, only to see it die as the criminal implement their plan, then “take the money and run,’ thus forcing Lucius to accelrate his growth as a man by pursuing the thieves, not only to recover the investors’ money but also to rescue his own apparently ruined reputation. A swashbuckler, with just a touch of romance and significant religious overtones, Changing of the Gods is a wonderful read for all who see history as fundamentally a gigantic, engagingly human drama.