Maurya | A Deon and Eurydice Adventure in India

by Jay Penner

Deon and Eurydice return in this new adventure!

309 B.C. A place where Deon never wanted to go.

It has been nearly fifteen years since Alexander the Great's death, and his kingdom, from Macedonia to the borders of India, has been torn to pieces by his rapacious and ambitious generals. Seleucus Nicator reigns in Babylon, presiding over the eastern empire from Syria to the Indus River.

But no expanse of land is enough for the insatiable ego of a man who seeks glory by accomplishing what his deified King once could not—conquering the vast and wealthy India, where a powerful new emperor, guided by a cunning and brilliant mentor, poses a threat to Seleucus' ambitions.

Now, Deon, with his prodigious memory, and Eurydice, with her linguistic prowess, are back, assisting Seleucus in a diabolical new mission into the heart of the unknown. The two are about to plunge into a dangerous and unfamiliar world, where wit is as much a weapon as a sword, and where one miscalculation can lead not only to their terrible deaths but end the entire Seleucid empire.

One of the few novels set in this period, Maurya brings to life ancient India during an exciting time.

359 pages, Paperback

Published August 27, 2023

Reviews

[Sumit · Rating 4 out of 5]

“𝑩𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒂𝒗𝒂𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒂, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂, 𝒊𝒔 𝒗𝒂𝒔𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒖𝒔 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔. 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒘𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔, 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒘𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔, 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒔. 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒏, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒏𝒐 𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒏𝒅.”

🦚The book — 6th in the Whispers of Atlantis series — follows Deon and his wife Eurydice, whose extraordinary talents — his prodigious memory and her gift for languages — place them in the service of Seleucus Nicator, the ambitious general of Alexander the Great. Seleucus seeks to accomplish what his great commander could not: the conquest of India, a land vast, wealthy, and fiercely defended.

Standing in his way is the formidable new emperor, Chandragupta Maurya, guided by his brilliant and calculating mentor Kautilya, who will stop at nothing to protect his empire from foreign domination.



🦚Having read Jay Penner’s earlier books in the series, I can say he once again brings history vividly to life. His portrayal of ancient India during the Mauryan era is rich and immersive — supported by detailed maps, a glossary, and a historical note that make the world feel textured and authentic.

🦚The plot is intricately woven, with vivid depictions of landscapes, culture, traditions, and the Indian pantheon. References to the Bhagavad Gita and the Rig Veda further ground the story in its historical and spiritual context. The battle scenes are intense and often gruesome, heightening the stakes of the conflict.

🦚I particularly loved the chemistry between Deon and Eurydice — their banter is engaging and adds warmth to the story. Characters like the Persian trader Thefeni, Seleucus Nicator, his spymaster Kyros, and the legendary Kautilya all play meaningful roles and help drive the narrative forward.

🦚However, the middle portion does slow down due to the heavy philosophical discussions, and the book could benefit from an additional round of proofreading to clean up minor errors.

Overall, Maurya is an enjoyable historical adventure that can easily be read as a standalone, as it is independent of the rest of the anthology. If you enjoy historical fiction set in ancient India, this one is definitely worth picking up.

𝙈𝙮 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐⭐⭐✨(3.5/5)

[Duane E Gilchrist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, very well written.

Very good read! Will read more by this exceptional
writer! Fun and lots of
intrigue! Highly recommended! Creative humor as well.