Necromancer

Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolo da Pavia #5

by George Herman

"A charismatic priest suddenly appears in Rome and claims to be both holy man and a master of black arts. He conducts ""summonings"" in the old Roman Coliseum where thousands of demons appear and call for the deaths of certain cardinals and eventually the Pope, Alexander VI-all are realized within days.With help from forbidden books in monastery libraries, and the undercover investigations of street urchins known as Vavias, Leonardo uncovers the tricks used to create the demon illusions. At the request of Cesare Borgia and Cardinal della Rovere, Leonardo challenges the priest to a battle of magic, which exposes the tricks. The outcome puts Leonardo in danger of being entombed alive."

294 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2003

About the author

George Adam Herman, Jr. (born April 12, 1928) was an American playwright and writer.

Herman taught playwrighting and was the artist-in-residence at numerous American universities. For 16 years he lived and worked in Hawaii on the staff of the State Superintendent of Education. He directed over 200 plays for numerous schools and theatres, served as the Artistic Director for at least one theatre (the Commedia Repertory Theatre in Hawaii), and designed sets and lighting for more than 40 productions.

While in Hawaii, Herman also worked for as a theatre columnist and drama critic. He turned to writing novels at age 65, and published seven novels and one children's book to date.

As a playwright, Herman won numerous awards since 1953. His best known play is "A Company of Wayward Saints", which has been in print continuously since it was first published in 1963. His plays for radio, TV, and the stage have been produced around the world. He has five published plays, and number of his award winning unpublished plays are also available through his website. Herman has received more than 30 awards for his writing.