The Sword of Agrippa

The Sword of Agrippa #1

by Gregory Ness

The oligarchs control science and religion. Roy Swenson, a scientist banned from the US is in Prague on a quest to discover dark energy, a form of energy which could transform the world and lead to a new tech revolution. Not everyone is happy with his prospects.

Mainstream science and religion view him as a threat. Dark energy could change humanity's view of everything and disrupt a lucrative status quo for the world's leaders and their backers.

Unconventional Science

Roy chases his dark energy dream with everything from graphene-coated sensors to experiments with pineal glands and DMT. His team of PhDs includes experts across an assortment of fields, from shamanism to advanced sensor technologies.

At night Roy's dreams take him through secret rooms in the Great Library of Alexandria as a young Roman soldier, Marcus Agrippa. Agrippa falls in love with an Egyptian slave priestess. In the secret chambers of the Great Library she guides him through racks of now lost scrolls.

Empire of Blood

Along the way Agrippa is forced into making painful, personal sacrifices for the glory of Rome. He eventually builds the Pantheon, not as a tribute to war, but as a quiet dedication to the priestess who introduced him to love and enlightenment.

Both heroes fight to the end, each in their own way. Their dreams power them through devastating events and sacrifices as they seek the betterment of humanity.

Genres: Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 24, 2014

About the author

Between an early childhood in the jungles of Asia and Silicon Valley, Greg circled the globe a few times, dug ditches, scrubbed floors and drove trucks in order to self-fund his education at Reed College and The University of Texas.

His novels mix technology, history and spirituality. Influences include Michael Crichton, Wilbur Smith, Graham Hancock, Rudolph Steiner and Philip K. Dick.


Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheSwordofAg...

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a ninja throat punch of tech savvy, psychological thriller. And it’s a cool historic fiction with some mysterious theological elements thrown in.

It’s actually really good.

Some critics will snark on the staccato deadpan delivery of author Gregory Lloyd’s style (were you the middle linebacker for the Steelers a few years ago?) but this experimental style is contextually correct for his narrative. This is post-modern and bold, a pop media stylized new writing that combines elements of arcane, occult and myth – balled up into rock video groove. Lloyd’s truncated syntax and fragmentary grammatical structure is a generational device, he speaks with the voice of today, and some more traditional readers will be put off by this style.

Set between near future Prague (a setting that I very much liked) and first century BC Alexandria, the narration shifts between the two, building a very interesting connection.

But …

And then …

I’m drawing near to the end and I’m thinking “hmmm, I’m really wondering how he’s going to wrap this up.”

And I’ll need to find out in the next edition.

I know that seems the way of publishing these days, but call me old fashioned, I like a “The End” and a denouement and a resolution. Actually I understand that back in the day (even back in Charles Dickens time) selling a book a chapter at a time was the thing to do. Just not my cup of tea.

Lloyd is a very talented writer and this is entertaining, and no doubt he will do very well with this storyline.

[Réal Laplaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antioch, by Gregory Ness is a masterful piece of writing. I had the opportunity to read an earlier version of this book published in 2014. I considered it a good book at that reading, but now, having just read the 2016 edition, I rate this book as excellent! Without spoiling this beautifully done story, it takes us back and forth between the present, which is some years ahead of contemporary times, and thousands of years into the past, and then rolls us back and forth in an ever-consuming tale between now and then. The detail and imagery laced into the text about ancient Rome and Egypt, as well as Persia and Turkey, and their cultures and people, animates them, as if the reader is walking the stony streets of Alexandria. There is a beautiful love story which transcends time, depiction of brutal wars and great power struggles between Rome, Egypt and others – and the perspective of how Julius Caesar was, as a man, and a leader, makes the history books seem shallow in design. But what really makes this story shine is the way the author draws us into the world of our memories, of past lives we have lived, and the scientific dialogues and intrigue which are unfolding in the now, and how, all of this ties into the grand story which we are reliving thousands of years before when Pharaohs were the most powerful rulers on Earth, when Caesar and his armies marched into Egypt and when the infamous Cleopatra had the two most powerful nations of that time, in the palm of her hands. Antioch makes you think about the nature of who we really are, about the veracity of having lived countless past lives, about the scientific import of a tiny organ in our brain – a portal which not only allows us to interact with the world around us, but quite possibly, is also the very link to our immensely distant past. An entertaining, gripping, beautifully written and highly insightful piece of work.

[Harry Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Antioch (The Sword of Agrippa Book 1) by Gregory Ness – What a book! I am almost at a loss trying to describe it. This is great writing, with real depth. Historical allusions, crisp dialogue, plausible future science and a tale that spans the ages. Great stuff.
It is a bit dystopian, with a future that shows a popular revolt against hard science, and researchers that are forced to retreat to Prague to continue their research. The main protagonist, Roy Swenson is a technologist that is trying to combine an imaging system involving dark matter with high-tech imaging displays involving pineal glands. It is all fascinating stuff, but it gets more complicated when he begins dreaming of a certain Agrippa on Julius Caesar’s staff in Alexandria, over 2000 years in the past. Agrippa becomes involved with Samia, a sister of Cleopatra, who teaches him much about the spiritual side of life. This part of the novel seems to be remarkably well-researched.
It is not long before we figure out that Roy lived as Agrippa in a past life, and we are off to the races. Let me say that is not necessary to believe in reincarnation – I don’t. This is a tale of the imagination, and a ripping good tale it is. I consider it a “what-if” story, where we explore the possibilities of “what if we have lived past lives.” It is all good fun and the reader does not have to take it seriously; one only has to suspend disbelief, and the well-written tale helps us to do that.
Grammar police will note a few punctuation errors, but not enough to notice. This is a well-written and well-presented tale that is sure to please many. The reader should be aware that not all plot threads are closed. There are some awaiting a sequel. And the sequel can’t come any too soon for me.
Great 5-star read.

[Ellie Midwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and loved “Alexandria” – the second book in the series – and I just had to know how everything started, so of course I picked up “Antioch.” Unsurprisingly, it turned out to be a fabulous read!
I loved the reincarnation/time travel/past-life-dreams concept, which created a story within a story: one in the near future and another one in the times of the Roman Empire under Caesar’s rule. Shown through the eyes of the protagonist, a scientist in exile Roy, it seamlessly weaves both stories into one incredibly riveting narration.
What was also fascinating to follow were the ideas that Roy and Randall – his fellow scientist in exile – were exchanging, and which ultimately led them to start working on the concept of developing a device that would allow to see a person’s dreams.
The ancient world’s story is worth a separate praise, for it was meticulously researched and presented in a most compelling way. Another one of Roy’s incarnations, Marcus Agrippa, follows Caesar to Alexandria and meets Samia, Cleopatra’s half-sister and a priestess, who opens his eyes to many matters of utmost mystery.
Both books in the series were impossible to put down, and I’ll definitely be looking forward to more works by the author. Highly recommended!

[Tony Sunderland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gregory Ness in his book Antioch (The Sword of Agrippa Book 1) takes the reader an existential adventure that spans over 2000 years of real history and into an imagined future. His impressive ability to recreate the tumultuous period of Western civilisation that gave us Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and Augustus is juxtaposed against a bleak dystopian future ruled by an elite and ruthless Technocracy. However, beneath the historical story and the imagined future Mr Ness describes a deeper quest for spiritual illumination that binds the past and present together in a temporal journey of self discovery.
Antioch is a deep and layered text. It includes researched historical events with plausible explanations on the motivations behind them. Gregory Ness puts into play an entertaining narrative that transports the reader across time and culture while maintaining a relentless theme regarding the universal search for meaning.
I can absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the deeper aspects of human interaction and how events in life occur within a temporal rift of interconnection.

[Pete Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The confluence of two lifelines :

The principal story follows the struggles of a much persecuted scientist, Roy Swenson, in his search to unleash the power of dark energy. Effectively exiled from the U.S. he forms a team of like-minded scientists in Prague who together start to produce results. But Roy is a troubled man, he dreams and his dreams are vivid and memorable. At first, he believes them to be nothing more than dreams, until he is approached by a stranger who appears to know much more about him than he does himself. There is something in his past that will not rest. Is it connected with his dark energy research, or is he merely continuing a quest started aeons ago?

The secondary story, at least I call it secondary although it tends to dominate the latter part of the book, (and the title!) is the dream. Told vividly, through the eyes of a Roman soldier, Marcus Agrippa, it provides a detailed and believable glimpse into life in the times of Caesar and Cleopatra and the first stages of Agrippa’s rise in importance. Agrippa and Swenson, the reader soon realises are inextricably bound together though separated by thousands of years. No spoilers, so I won’t explain how, nor how the two stories are linked not only through the characters but also in the mystery of dark energy.

Whilst I don’t normally read saga-style books in which the end of the book comes before the end of the story, this one held my attention throughout, and leaving me wanting more. The characters were well formed, locations, particularly Prague and Alexandria were detailed and interesting – In other words, the canvas was full. Slightly disconcerting was the staccato language the contemporary characters used at the start of the story, and a slight confusion as to who was talking at times but this did not detract from the overall story.

I could quite happily have read of Agrippa as a separate book, likewise Swenson, but in combining the two tales the author has added a new level of intrigue which, no doubt, will unravel as the series continues.

I received this book under the Goodreads Science Fiction Review Group rules, and give it a 4 star rating.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: ANTIOCH by Gregory Ness

ANTIOCH is a creatively imagined novel which interweaves near-future prediction with ancient history and metaphysics and technological advancement. In a very ugly near future not far enough from today, narrow-minded oligarchy rules. In cooperation with fundamentalist religion, science has been either shut down or driven underground. Many scientists have been killed outright or have died in mysterious freak events. What science and technology remain are dumbed down, satiating uneducated masses while avoiding moving forward and eschewing any advancement. Innovation is deleted, the near-future equivalent of burning at the stake. Woven into this plot is ancient Rome, definitely a harbinger. This is first in a series.

[Faith Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This week I’ve read Antioch Part 1 by Gregory Ness and have also been lucky enough to read the first ninety or so pages of Part 2, The Sword of Agrippa, as an ARC taster of the next installment in the series. My main discussion will be about the first book because it’s not fair to give a review or a score to just a section of a second novel, where the missing majority might be of a different standard. Part 2 Section 1 was intriguing but, you know what I mean, I’ve got to be consistent.

Looking back, the key word I associate with this novel is breadth. First of all there’s a very broad selection of subjects that the author has tried to capture and intertwine here, certainly putting himself in danger of over-reaching and setting a goal way too ambitious to adequately realise. Lists are boring but I have to give you some idea: Ancient civilisation(s), modern cities, a medieval city as a haven for scientific research, mysticism, properties of graphene, properties of hallucinogens, the birth of languages, the birth of religions, old gods and symbolism, the nature of practical energy pinned down in the lab, the third eye, fracturing societies in the face of the mob, past-life dream worlds, regrets and tapping into trans-mortal consciousness. Most authors would have split diverse subject matter on this scale into three different books but one of the reason I enjoy reading indies so much is that the writers say “to hell with the rules, this stuff interests me” and sometimes they pull it off.

The reason why this story grows into a fully realised unity and you don’t question the subject separation too much is the amount of background research that has been applied to it. I’m suddenly fumbling for words and the reason why that’s happening is I’ve soaked up a higher end page-count story with no slack bits and about two thousand details and references which I almost want to paste a link to because these are all pinnacles of discussion ice-bergs, then I’m attempting to convey that feeling in a handful of paragraphs. Each one of the details appears like a sliver of knowledge from a wealth of life experience that’s been popped in like a mapping pin to hold the thought in case he feels like returning there and expanding it. There’s no doubt the expansion could happen and further knowledge would unfold but the author leaves each as a point of gravid potential and then walks away from it. For someone like me (ancient civilisation buff, high tech fan), little lights blink on in my mind and make me want to email the sucker to say stupid things like “ah, but I bet you didn’t know that they also do this…”, sorry I can’t help opening email trails forty bounces long, when in retrospect it seems likely that someone who does their research this thoroughly probably does know much more than they included. This book could have been a mystical revelation about the beliefs of the old world, which would have been fascinating historical fiction on its own. It could have been an exploration of sci-fi discovery, what would be suddenly possible and how people and religions might react to that. It could have been a Roman boy meets Egyptian girl sort of culture and identity metaphor. Reconciling it all together and sprinkling it with illusions, insights and points of reference in real history makes this book a bit special, when you think about it. That shouldn’t have worked, but it has.

For people who can’t tell what is art and what isn’t, the best test I’ve heard of is to ask yourself “Does seeing that make me feel different?” Let’s see. If you read this book and go through the passages covering the end of the library of Alexandria, the worst loss of intellectual knowledge ever, well, I felt pain. I could feel the gap, the chasm which should have been filled with books and words we will never read, cultural references and memes that we’ll never get to use, the identities of discoverers of things and thoughts that we now credit to the second place scholar that came after them, the intense and horrible realisation that human stupidity chucked our species’ cultural heritage from pre-classical antiquity and the life’s work of the very best of us into a fire. Feel different? I should hope so. Then you’ll rage at the ignorant heathenism vs scientific progress topic, then the writer turns your emotions around again to chase the tail of the merits of Iron Age oneness and its closer connection to the human condition, which the modern reality has lost.

I like the idea the book is partly set in Prague, the magnificent city of architectural playfulness and deep, deep writers at the crossroads of Central Europe, a beer and sausage culture where the purveyors and customers reaffirm their own layers of cultural experience on top of the complex hundreds of existing ones that have seeped into the stonework of the old city before them. The lifetimes that this city and its intricate network of lived-in places attest to is no different from wandering amongst temples and public spaces in Egypt or Rome and visualising the immense wealth of history and the characters that traversed those same pathways before you. That feeling ties us to the past, which the author then explores by linking dream states across time too. Just imagine what fun you could have if it could all be reopened in virtual experiences. Yes please.

What I’ve seen of the sequel should not be read in isolation from the entirety, mostly because you’ll get the wrong end of the stick and think it’s just erotica. No, not that stick Gladys. The thing is, there’s a pretty imaginative scene involving a man, two girls and a mystical ceremony which looks like an excuse to hilariously mix an ancient Egyptian potion with gentleman juice which then glows in the dark and, essentially, the pretty girl gets painted up and sprayed like a techno dance addict in Ibiza who got told she could drink as much vodka as she liked because it doesn’t contain any calories and then danced her way into the boys’ dorm. That must be art as well then because I’m now feeling unusual. In reality, Egyptian history was rude in parts and when straight-laced British archaeologists discovered Egyptian tombs with murals depicting rude appendages and ceremonies (look up the lotus drug ceremony), the prissy Victorian prudes got their chisels out and edited them. That is absolutely true: modern people, uncomfortable with sexuality, habitually vandalised tomb murals that showed real scenes that the Egyptians really did, scenes from their religious practices and beliefs, because the western viewers of that time couldn’t bear the thought of their women fainting. Have you seen Pompeii? Those murals only survived because they were buried. These Egyptian ceremonies with religious excuses really happened, as did Saturnalia in Rome, and impressionable young things were really convinced that if they wanted to please the gods and pass to a higher spiritual plane, they had to get into the fertile spirit of the things and spread. I’ve heard the same thing about modern ashrams, that the best looking girls are considered ready to learn the tantric secrets long before the plain ones are. Then there’s the idea of making a donation to show your faith, which still works on fools in some cultures. Egyptians fell for this stuff too but it really happened, so saying that’s the way it was is perfectly fair. Scorpions sting. Egyptians partook of the blue lotus and then fooled about. It’s true. The reason that some version of this scene is necessary to the story is the requirement to set an important spinal support to the series, that a mystical ceremony links souls together so they can re-acquire each other through many lifetimes. I can imagine the Egyptian priests would come up with a ceremony for that which would get a bit rabbity, so the magic marker scene is legitimate and stays in.

There’s also an introduction to Hermes Trismegistus, which makes me interested in reading the rest of the series to see where the author takes that. Briefly, HT could have been a dominant western religion but it got pushed out in the power struggle which Christianity won. The Medicis were keen, as was an obsessed Pope (even to this day there’s a painting of Hermes Trismegistus in the Vatican) and HT/Christianity/Islam still have a lot of shared teachings from this time in the Bronze Age. When the author couples this shared history of knowledge with another ancient and very real belief, that of the existence of the books of Thoth (tablets of wisdom brought down from above and given to humans), then the fictional fantasy of tracking down the original temple of Thoth, that’s bait on the hook for readers. Yes, it’s an interesting series and the author has done a thorough job of revealing several worlds based on his interesting knowledge and then portraying it in a way that we swallow it whole. What an impressive trick. Let’s see where it goes.

A quick update to say that the sequel, Alexandria, is already available for pre-order: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X92GPZF?...

This is my regularly updated blog: https://havingfaithbookblog.blogspot....

[Jeffery J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Antioch is a smorgasbord of technical and mystical delights. Not only does the author’s imagination entertain readers but so does his grasp of history — e.g., the birth of the alliance of Caesar and Cleopatra. And even more than the science that we learn, there is the lost knowledge of the ancient world — pre-Egyptian! — that we hope to discover. Indeed, seeking knowledge (like seeking the Holy Grail in a different era) is a central theme for the characters in both Egypt and Czechia.

In their quests, the main characters — a beautiful aid to Cleopatra parceling out higher mental states and an inventor keeping one step ahead of the future's anti-science assassins — generate gripping tension. Under the shadow of pending tragedy, the Roman Agrippa and the technologist Roy Swenson strive toward their goals — the secrets of the gods in the past, the key to infinite energy in the future. Despite the wars in the past and the assassinations in the future, our heroes experience joy and enjoy some successes.

As the story unfolds, it begins to dawn on one that the wealth of characters are in fact a smaller cast reborn, making major decisions and struggling through each lifetime. Both eras and settings draw one in, stirring our longing to experience more of the wonders and the exotic ways of other worlds. Fans of sci-fi, of historical fiction, of mysticism, and of cutting-edge science will all find more than enough novelty for them to keep turning the pages.

[J C Steel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Antioch follows the story of Roy Swenson, a scientist in an age where science has become reviled by extremists and scientists are hunted and killed on the streets; and in another incarnation, the story of the young Marcus Agrippa, following his Caesar to Alexandria to start a series of events that will echo through history. Other events in that time, less public, still shadow Roy’s life two thousand years later, as he struggles to find support and funding for a ground-breaking research project in one of the few remaining oases of education – the ancient city of Prague. Somehow, the two lifetimes are inextricably linked...

Author Gregory Ness has created a compelling contrast between the two timelines; Egypt in the time of the Caesars, and a close-future society where the vogue for denying science has become even more fashionable. The talking points of Swanson’s research offer interesting food for thought – I would have been happy to see those storylines developed a little more; in this first novel, Agrippa’s timeline dominates the story, and interesting as it is, I felt it rather overshadowed the other. The book is also clearly preparing the way for the next in the series, with a cliff-hanger of epic proportions to lure the reader on. That said, the book was a pleasant read, offering a tempting mix of myth, mythology, and science to pull a reader into the plot.

Reviewed for By Rite of Word.

[Nathan Mercer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As humans, we like to think that we are in control of things and that our knowledge puts us at the top of the evolutionary pyramid. But how much do we really know? If you consider just our senses - there are many examples showing that we are inferior to most other creatures. That leaves us with the ability to reason as one of the things that sets us apart. And because of this, the science industry is trying desperately to sell the idea that we now know everything there is to know.

Anything that can't be explained by science is tackled by the religious establishment, who have their own reasons for wanting things to stay the same. Don't think that by wrapping themselves in the blanket of religion, that they are going to be understanding of those (especially scientists) who make new and profound discoveries. Look up Giordano Bruno and see how the church dealt with scientists who may have held a view differing from theirs.


In between the establishments of science and religion, there is an area where a person can feel the walls of both moving together with them in the middle - and this is exactly where Roy Swenson is. Roy is on to something - something big. Something that will shake the establishments down to their core. Dark energy. Energy that will change the world. Energy that powerful will surely draw some attention.


What Roy doesn't know is that he has been chasing this dream not just his whole life, but for lifetimes spanning the past 2,000 plus years. As a Roman engineer named Agrippa. Some of this is starting to come back to Roy, but things are still a little hazy. Roy finds that there are many people who are willing to help him that have been with him through lifetimes, but also just as many who have gone out of their way to stifle his search for just as long.

__________________

The Swords of Agrippa: Antioch is an book with quite an ambitious plot. The size of the plot is much too broad for one book to contain it, unless you want something on the scale of Stephen King or George R. R. Martin. I believe that Lloyd has a great concept for an excellent series. I would like to see more character development, as it is hard to connect with them since the time of the book setting shifts from 2025 to the times of the pharaohs. I knew from the plot concept and the size of the book that everything wasn't going to be wrapped up nice and tight with a bow on it at the end, but the author already has book two started, so the wait won't be long.

The only other observation about the book is that, other than the abstract "people" who aren't going to like the path that Roy Swenson is headed with his experiments, we never really quite get to know the actual "danger" that he is facing. I am hoping this side of the story gets told in book two.


I can easily see this being at least a four or five book series - and one that, when finished, could be truly noteworthy.


(This review is part of a paid ad that only allowed the book to move to the head of the line on the wait list. This in no way has any bearing on the review.)

[C.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first novel in a series and it is about ideas, always hard to translate into a good yarn. I enjoyed the basic story line, subscribe to many of the concepts the author champions, and found the characters memorable, especially Samia. I would have given it at least another star except the prose needs polish, preferably by a professional editor. There are basic grammar and diction errors that distract the reader and detract from the novel's effect. The action jumps back and forth in a way that is confusing, too. The good news about indie e-books is authors have the ability to improve their work and sell a better version without the tedium of printing a new edition. I hope the author makes the investment because he's got the makings of a great story.

[Joselyn Moreno · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting book, a little too technical for me, I can recommend it for people that likes very structured writing.

The writing is very specific and realistic and the future it portray is an interesting one where science seems to have reach its peak and some people want or are aware that everything around them is evolving even more.


for me as I said it was a little too heavy but it was very interesting the way the narrative tells you how everything have changed in a period of time and what have this done to people, a very cool addition on any sci fi lover shelf.


more reviews www.bookwormiespot.com

[lynn baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

a different sort of story and very enjoyable to read. interesting plot and characters. also an interesting look back in history.

[E.M. Swift-Hook · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ‘God of the Gaps’ Science Fantasy.

“When you read, you tint the words with your own experiences. There is no such thing as an objective historian.”

Roy Swenson is a researcher who lives in a not-so-distant future where science and religion have somehow divided society into two exclusive and intractable world views. A fatal accident during one of his experiments and a desire to work in borderline areas of science, cost Roy his job and he relocates to Prague where there is still some academic freedom. As he assembles a team to continue his research he also starts having strange dreams and visions of another life in Ancient Rome.

This book is a fascinating dystopic science fantasy which uses real world myths and legends to weave into a plot about scientific developments. There is time-travel, drug-induced visions, wise shamen and cutting edge speculative physics warped in a very clever way to fit the rationale of the book. Shades of the ‘Illuminatus’ trilogy but it reminds me more of the pseudo-history works of the likes of Baigent and Leigh and Graham Hancock, only unlike Baigent and Leigh and Hancock, it makes no claim to be real, just a fascinating hodgepodge of cherry-picked ideas brought together in a clever bouquet.

“I am now even more honoured to be in your presence as you learn to grasp the subtleties of sarcasm.”

The book is well written in terms of its language use and the author has clearly done a lot of research into spiritual traditions as well as physics and biology - and also into the more outlandish and ill-founded areas of pre-historical speculation. There are even veiled references to Kabbalah and Hinduism in the Ancient Roman sequences. It plays a lot on dark energy - the latest scientific ‘unknown’ - being assumed to be some kind of ‘Force’ like shared-consciousness or spiritual awareness in a clever ‘God of the gaps’ sort of way.

The characters are believable people going through some strange experiences which throw their view of themselves and the world into disarray. This is something that is very hard to write and kudos to the author for achieving that in a convincing manner. But despite that, the focus always seems to be more on the ideas than either the characters or the storyline.

“Scientists and theologians, people very important to innovation, knowledge and wisdom have become ‘certaintists’. Mankind needs innovation to shake things up, to expose the certaintists.”

I found the excessive amount of pseudoscience and pseudo-historical exposition very trying and often preachy. The sheer quantity of it slowed the pace to a crawl for much of the book. It seemed to me that, at times, the author was more interested in presenting these ideas than in telling the story. The characters don’t have many regular conversations they more often lecture, preach or philosophise to each other. We even have an in-story lecture written out verbatim. At best this can be viewed as world-building gone mad, at worst as an author on a mission. In my opinion, it would have been a much better book without all this.

And finally, I will warn you - although the author does not - there is literally no sense of end point to this book, it just stops mid-narrative.

This is a book for those who enjoy the idea that science is one day going to verify spirituality and who have a love of long philosophical discussions about the possible implications of theoretical physics and weird theories about ancient civilisations, but like to have that all bundled into a decent storyline. Such a person would slap a 5 star rating on it for sure. For me it was nearer 3.5 and I round that up to 4.

[Damon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take on Sci-fi/ Ancient Roman empire story. Chapters are alternating in the past/ in the future. The main character is Agrippa, the famous engineer who modernized Rome during Augustus's rule. IN this story he visits Alexandria in Egypt and becomes fascinated by a cult that he stumbles into, They include him in a search for Ancient mysteries, after having lost the great Library to the fire during a port battle.

[Hock Tjoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel covers a lot of ground.

It is set in contemporary Silicon Valley and Prague as well as Alexandria and Antioch about the time of Julius Caesar.

The characters change as well with the assumption of reincarnation - between the present day scientist and the Roman general, for instance. "While they bore no physical resemblance, a sense of commonality existed ... Mannerisms, perhaps. The energy in their eyes, facial expressions. Behavioral quirks." And there is Jude the Tzaddik, a mysterious observer who senses their thoughts, their guilt. Perhaps something to be expected from one who was on a mission and worked closely with Jesuits as well as Doctors Without Borders.

The book blurb claims that this novel involves hard science fiction, conjuring up perhaps the Foundation trilogy as opposed to the Dune saga. But what does one do about dark energy, pineal glands, and sensors - appeals to ethnobotany and riffs on revisionist ancient Egyptian history? Melchisedek appears as one of the first to teach of monotheism, influenced by Zoroaster and Buddha. "Some have suggested Thoth could have been a monotheist as well... competing schools of theology." And Essenes walk through these pages, offering the benefits of hallucinogenic fish.

"We are talking about energy management software modeled after ImageVis3D. The art is in how the energy, collected by the cell, is transferred into a visible state. A single comprehensible image transported directly to the brain. Still the best computer ever created for visualization. And perhaps quite useful for your dark energy experiments." Or dark energy as consciousness or creation - big, very big.

Such energy would enable the mining of asteroids at a third of the cost of mining on earth. All proceeds would go into a trust to be distributed equally. The trust would be self-sustaining, generate grants with near-zero bureaucracy.

The writing is well done although the font sometimes changes, perhaps only in size. But this is not a story in the usual sense. There is an overwhelming amount of narration, open air harangues, longish monologs from an honored guest at cozy parties.

What is lacking is a plot. The goals of the characters are vague - "exponential thinking, beyond sub-atomic." Indeed. The fears are equally vague - the spread of anti-knowledge, of techno-evangelists, of empty bureaucracy. It is a tale, full of sound and fury.

[Alex Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some interesting ideas in this book. Although ambitious, this book is only of a novella size. The major issue with this book is that there isn't any real development. There is a beginning, and a middle but no end. This isn't simply because it's a serial piece, but it's because the two twin story arcs leads nowhere. The story abruptly ends. There's also some weakness with the writing, as the author opts for truncated sentences without too much explanation. Ursula Le Guin complains about sci fi today that it doesn't explore any new ideas or seek out new arrangements for society. This book does do some of that, but it also tries to be technical without substance, to argue by analogy rather than analysis. You see the protagonist have tragedy in his life, but it doesn't seem to mean much. Additionally, he's a big shot with big ideas but there's a lack of reasoning behind it. We get that the protagonist is floating on a cloud of investors and so on, but if this is a struggle where is it? If he's opposing others, who are they? How should we the reader understand them? We only hear his account of the situation, we don't experience him being interviewed, or facing naysayers, or read any articles about him from his detractors. His "enemies" are anonymous. We only experience his reaction to them, which is far less interesting than a real confrontation... it's very much like Gregory Lloyd wishes only to present his view on things and nothing else, that he hasn't taken the time to spell out how these ideas fit in a nest of anything else. For a book focused so much on ideas and exploring them, at least in this first book, there's nearly no presentation on how these ideas came about, only that they can change the world. There's no real development in the characters or in how these ideas work, in who is opposing him or what they say about him. We only see that he's keeping them at a distance, and that's kind of boring. If Lloyd developed the antagonists, if he presented the protagonist from the point of view, of say, an intern or a young relative who isn't familiar with these ideas, we might get a sense of how these ideas fit into OUR world as well. Rather, the author is too focused on one vision to the exclusion of all other reason, and as such the ideas in the book are also nebulous, mysterious and lack any extension beyond "Isn't this cool? This can be our future!" If Lloyd fleshed out the society of this book with its struggles and its alternate views, we may get a sense of what our world is like today and how this book applies. Perhaps Lloyd should have written a speculative article rather than a work of fiction.

Overall, I wish the author had taken some time to critically develop the structure of his book rather than focusing so much on the mystery of his concepts and where they lead to. I suppose though, that this is fiction, and we should allow for some license in presentation, but really, this reads as an incomplete draft more than a polished piece of craft. I didn't give this book one star though, because I think there's potential.

[D.C. Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entangling two books into one; that is how I resolved the parallel plots in Antioch (The Sword of Agrippa Book 1) by Gregory Lloyd. (The author describes the plot well in the description of the book, therefore I did not replay them in this review. The book is also listed under Religion & Spirituality, Occult & Paranormal , Hermetism & Rosicrucianism, and Alchemy versus Science Fiction, yet there were elements of science fiction and future technologies throughout, including a connection or correlation to the unifying theory of the universe.)

I loved this book.

Tragedy leads to introspection, which leads to extrospection, and so the cycle continues throughout the book. Hiding knowledge and (the few) holding it tightly against their chests for control and power, versus spreading knowledge to educate and enlighten all, was a consistent thread.

In this well written and engaging story with fantastic character development, energy versus matter is explored in a new light. The concept of how energy (albeit “dark” or otherwise) permeates and guides who we are is not new, but beautifully explored and described in new ways in Antioch.

After conceding that the notion of “certainty” (of scientific knowledge) and how corruption in the upper echelons in government, universities, corporations, and religious institutions can corrupt and stifle a society and their ability to reach higher, farther, Roy, the protagonist and scientist embarks on a complex and dangerous journey to spark a renaissance of sorts.

Within the pages is a balancing act between science/technology and mysticism/spirituality, as well as power versus passions (including passion for knowledge, architecture, and art). The spiritual connection to Earth, the universe, and beyond is being stifled or eliminated from society, and this cannot be a good thing.

The parallel plots play on the ideas that history repeats itself, and that “the end justifies the means.” There is a lot of deep concepts throughout that will naturally force you to explore your personal life choices, and where you would draw the line ethically or morally (pineal gland experimentation), or in advancing a society (as you would guide and nurture it). Could it be that those that aspire so passionately to a better world could be “wrong” in their approach? We are only human, after all…

Some of the dream sequences are very long (although well written). The balance tilts to the dreams in ancient times versus the current or future timeline in the story. There are also a few cases (not many) of long scientific explanations (which I personally like and consider a high tech or scientific shot in the arm), but others might find it a bit much. At times I did get lost in the dialogue; who was speaking to whom.

But, overall, I really enjoyed reading Antioch. It has a hard hitting ending, and is a short, fast read. My final words, give me more sword!

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s 2020 and Roy Swenson is a scientist pushing the limits with his theories but with America under the stronghold of strict laws regarding science and religion he finds himself exiled by the science community, the religious establishment and even organized atheists. He goes off to Prague a place where science is less regulated by laws and he calls upon others like him willing to push the boundaries. Using science, engineering, drugs and a bit of mysticism they’ll work toward finding a way to find new sources of energy, dark energy. During his scientific pursuit Roy will discover much more than he ever imagined. A connection to his past lives and an ability to mind travel to them with the help of a priestess he once knew.

The Sword of Agrippa is fiction taken to a whole other level. There is so much going on in the book from the futuristic debates over the control of science and religion to past life excursions where fictional history is explored. In every aspect of the book the underlying theme is how power and organization of ideals and thoughts can lead to the development of dangerous institutions where Oligarchies reign and the pursuit of knowledge becomes stunted for the sake of conformity.

I found the book quite thought provoking. The entangled scientific theories concerning dark matter, religion and quantum physics was interesting but throw that into a future where science, religion and non-religion (atheism) have become cult like organizations controlled by popular social leaders pushing for conformity and you have a world where rogue scientists push the boundaries by accepting mysticism as an important part of scientific research. You have Shaman and biologists working together to discover new theories. It all very odd yet somehow Lloyd mixes the concepts together beautifully. My favorite parts of the story are the flashbacks to Roy’s past life as a Roman engineer.

It’s a well-written book that will have you questioning your beliefs and wondering what direction we may be heading in society.

Copy provided for review.
Reviewed by Joy for Crystal's Many Reviewers

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the more enjoyable books that I have read over the past few years and the first that I have felt compelled to review. Not typically a science fiction fan but found myself gripped not only with the two main characters' - Roy & Agrippa - individual arcs, but if/how they ultimately intertwine (you get a sense early on that there is a connection and thinking through that relationship was probably my favorite part of the novel).

Finished the entire thing on a cross-country flight and immediately moved on to book 2 in the series...looking forward to seeing where everything goes.

[Rebecca Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit nervous about this one, having never reviewed a sampler before. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about reading such a small portion of an ebook. What if I truly like it? Can I recommend something I haven't read through to the end?

Those questions and more swirled about within my brain, threatening to suffocate me with my own anxieties. But then I realized something...

If you don't try something different, you'll always wonder what could have happened if you did.

And you know what?

I'm glad I did. Lloyd is an immensely intelligent person that has no fear of metaphor - and uses it with great effect. Adjectives, which have a tendency to slow down the action in most stories, are used aplenty... but they're all necessary here, adding to the story, rather than detracting from it. Not only that, but he's an author with the ability to make science seem like poetry.

Oh, wait... I'm biased. I have a degree in geology.

But this wasn't geology that he wrote about - it was theoretical physics... something I'm not prone to getting excited about. Yet, I did. Dark energy became beautiful. A discussion about energy and sensors? Riveting.

Lloyd took a risk.

Sword of Agrippa is set in the very near future. The reason I call this a risk is that it could backfire. If specific social scenarios within the reality-based portions of the novel don't occur in the next few years, some readers may hold it against him.

Personally, though, I liked that.

It's a calculated risk, and it's very low-key. At the moment, the political and social atmosphere he created is very believable. Those of us with a more pessimistic worldview would even go as far as to say it's accurate.

(This is a truncation of my full review of a free review copy as posted to Undiscovered Tomes.)

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent first novel from Gregory Lloyd that reads like a Dan Brown novel in terms of pacing but draws more deeply on history, quantum physics, and the esoteric influences that seem to have shaped the worldview of the author than the level you usually find from Brown. Part one of a series that explores the race to tap into the potential of dark matter by a group of "fringe" scientists that have been exiled from the overly complacent and corrupt scientific and religious community in the US. Though the story takes place in the future, it is not far off and it feels realistic to the arc and trajectory that our intellectual community is on. Lloyd draws deeply from his seemingly extensive knowledge of ancient Roman and Egyptian history, science, spirituality and other topics to spin a good tale. The characters are not one-sided and have depth, the kind you have to grow into which is promising for a series. The love story takes potentially a little too long to build and is rushed at the end occupying potentially too much of the concluding part of the 1st novel, but the author leaves the reader in a place where that is natural and with just enough teasers to make you want to read the next installment when it comes out so we can find out what happens next. After reading this book, I feel like I would enjoy conversations with Mr Lloyd and am glad he found the time and built the right level of passion to share this story.

[Andrew]

I am a sucker for historical fiction. And taking me to the setting of Ancient Egypt, Antioch had me at hello. From the jacket liner, you knew that the story would travel to Ancient Rome and Egypt, but getting there was all the fun.

It begins in modern times. The main character is a modern day, silicon valley executive who is embroiled in a technology war. And as the epic unfolds, we are whisked away on a modern day thrill race to discover a new groundbreaking technology. And through this technology, a parallel story that takes place in Ancient Rome evolves and in interwoven through the pages. And storytelling gimmicks aside, the meat of the story lies in the epic journey into the past.

As for history, while the characters we meet are well known (Caesar, Antony, Brutus, Cleopatra), they are brought to life in events that have been lost in time. And even more amazing are the locales and cities that have since slipped away into the storybooks. Like Ancient Rome, Alexandria and Antioch.

And all this at an action pace that I could not put down. I highly recommend Antioch, the first of a series of a few books that I definitely look forward to.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its over?!? Too short! I kept thinking as the number of pages was getting nearer the end... "how can it be over soon, its just starting!"

(Just a note: I received this from the author for a review)

I liked this a lot! Its not quite what I was expecting, but it was wonderful. I did feel frustrated at times because its not always made clear who is talking when dialog shows up, that's really my only complaint though. The dialog itself was weird sometimes, but I think it was done on purpose, stylistically for certain characters, to give them differences. I could see some people not liking it, but I didn't mind this.

The story was fun, it jumps back and forth between the past and the near future, I think it was handled well. The characters sometimes could have used more... I don't know, back story maybe, or more detail, but hell I don't care, I liked this book so much, I can not wait to read more!

[Vicki Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Past and future collide, the author is very good expertise provoking piece of fiction. Roy’s dreams take him through secret rooms in the Great Library of Alexandria as a young Roman soldier, Marcus Agrippa. Agrippa falls in love with an Egyptian slave priestess. In the secret chambers of the Great Library she guides him through racks of now lost scrolls. Agrippa will grow up to become a pillar of the newly formed Empire, thanks to the knowledge acquired in the Library. this book is mind blowing. A good read if you like adventure.DISCLOSURE: I received this product for free in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Troy Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book because the story was exciting and the events kept my interest. The Author provided a professional, and gradual approach when presenting the highlights of the story. The characters were created with the level of personification to create such an amazing story. I appreciated the graphics which were astronomical and not too far-fetched but connected my imagination with the setting and tempo in each chapter. Wonderful Read !!! Impeccable Story !!!

[Esi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy this book. I walked away feeling inspired by the story line. If I were to judge the book by the way it began I would've never guessed that it would've ended being such a powerful story woven with ancient history, technology, love and spirituality.

[Richard Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book

This book has a very interesting concept in that the protagonist flows from present day to Roman and Egyptian times. Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, the soul never dies and it retains all the knowledge learned in each life period. A very interesting concept for us today to think about our ancestors and what they may have taught us.

[Rebecca Augustine · Rating 3 out of 5]

So-so Narrative on Parallel Lives

I love ancient history and novels that involve time travel. Marcus Agrippa, one of the close friends of Octavian (Later Caesar Augustus), is an unusual choice to have as a "parallel protagonist." Prague is also intriguing as a setting for the modern day scientific gathering. Still, I wasn't quite "drawn into" either setting.