Brief

A fantasy novel that mixes ancient myths with ancient history in a daring and colorful way, retelling the story of the Great Flood and the departure of the Annunaki or 'Sky People' back to outer space, leaving humans to rebuild their world.

What We Liked

The author's broad canvas covers a swathe of ancient history from Greek myths and legends, to Biblical stories, Egyptian gods and the bloodthirsty Aztec empire in Mexico.

Film: The broad canvas and exotic characters, and the mix of myth, legend and history are all elements for a potential tent-pole movie.

TV: The vast-reaching canvas lends itself to a streaming series rather than short-form. Multiple characters and storylines are set against an ancient and exotic setting.

Key points:
Ancient history, following Greeks, Egyptians and Aztecs.
Colorful characters, costumes and weaponry.
Exciting action set pieces, the Great Flood, sea voyages, battles.
Strong female characters and balancing domestic life.
The triumph of good over evil.

Synopsis

Hobart, Tasmania, present day. JARED (15) is a bright high schooler whose mother was recently killed in a tragic car accident. Jared lives with his father PAUL (40s), a university history professor who is extremely knowledgeable. So, when he’s assigned a 5,000-word school essay on an ancient myth of his choice, which may or may not be historically true, he’s eager to pick his dad’s brains. Jared and Paul’s historical discussions will intercut the following saga but for ease of re-telling, only important present-day moments will be referred to.

Ancient Greece, 9,600 B.C. DIOKLES (15, long red hair) is from Athens and is sailing with his father HYGINOS (30s), a rugged trader of goods and silks. At one trading post, Diokles is kidnapped by a white slave trader but thankfully his father tracks him down and rescues him. They continue on, passing the great Pillars of Herakles (the Straits of Gibraltar) and out into a vast ‘lake’ which Hyginos tells him is the ocean. They head for Atlantis, situated around Bermuda, a mid-way point to the great ‘land beyond’ (the Americas). It’s a fantastic city, built in three concentric circles, with high stone towers in the middle. While his father does business, Diokles goes exploring. When three local boys try to rob him and he stabs one of them in self-defense, he’s arrested and thrown in jail! His father is sent for but luckily a kindly magistrate gets the truth out of Diokles, unfairly maligned by a mean guard, and lets him off. They set sail again next day.

In Ancient Sumeria, on the other side of the Valley of Ten Thousand Lakes (before it was the Mediterranean Sea), SERAI (20s) is a scribe to LORD ENLIL who is an ‘Annunaki’, a being from Outer Space. He and his fellow Lords live for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Serai has always been terrified of the ‘firebirds’ they fly in but he persuades her to go up in a plane and she is ago to see the world from above. He shows her the three great pyramids of Egypt and an immense stone lion, all of them allegedly built by his people, the Annunaki using their special laser tools to cut massive blocks of stone with complete precision.

The pyramids are exactly angled to follow the course of the solar system and stars that are crucial to Annunaki culture. Enlil invites Serai to join him and his brother ENKI in returning to his planet before the Great Flood hits – but she’s too afraid. However, she overhears them talking and is shocked to learn that Enlil is her father! However, he still doesn’t tell her the truth and she watches sadly as he and the other Lords depart in their sky chariots.

In the city of Pavlopetri, in Ancient Crete, THALIA (15) is a servant girl/maid to the Queen, LADY GAIA (40s). DEMETRIOU (30s) is Gaia’s court ‘Seer’ or prophesier, and he foresees a terrible flood that will destroy the earth as they know it. In Athens, DEUCALION’s (late 20s) father PROMETHEUS (50s) is in jail. He is the last of the Titans, gods cast out by Zeus who threatens them with a great flood. The prophecy dictates that ‘one good man will survive’ to re-populate the kingdom. Deucalion is married to his first cousin PYRRHA (20s, spoiled) and they have one baby. Prometheus, who is dying, urges his son to take his family to the safety of high ground on Mount Parnassus.

In the present day, NASA astronomers clock a massive asteroid they dub ‘Catastrophica’ hurtling on a collision course to Earth. They meet with the President and many advisors, warning him that wherever the asteroid hits it will cause a disaster for the planet. If it lands in the Sahara, the resulting sandstorm will block out the sun and create another Ice Age. If it smashes into the oceans, massive tsunamis will wipe out whole cities.

Greece, 9,600 B.C. Still skeptical, Deucalion loads up his wagons and travels to a rustic shepherd’s cottage high up on Mt. Parnassus. Pyrrha complains about the lack of luxury and they try to do the best they can with furs, food, animals in stalls – a servant girl, ZENA (8), has smuggled herself along, unwilling to leave her mistress. They watch in horror as several mysterious craft fly over Athens and destroy it with blinding lasers/bombs. Thalia, Gaia and Demetriou also escape and make their way up the mountain and Deucalion takes them in, along with XANIOS (11) an orphaned shepherd boy. Shortly after the UFO attack on Athens, the asteroid smashes into the polar ice cap, creating a ripple effect on the global tectonic plates and resulting in a series of devastating tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. It rains for 40 days and nights. Atlantis is completely destroyed by an earthquake, sinking to the bottom of the ocean. The sea levels rise and flood through the Pillars of Herakles and into the great Valley of Ten Thousand Lakes, creating the vast Mediterranean Sea. Europe and Africa’s land bridge is submerged, and Britain becomes an island, as does Tasmania, where Jared and his father live now.

After a few weeks and the rain has eased off, Deucalion heads down to the ruins of his former city, trying to figure out where he could start again. He runs into STANISLAUS and MYRRTA (both 50s) from the Northern Lands, who live near three large, fine, empty stone houses: their owners had fled or were killed. There are vineyards, other crops and enclosures for livestock. Deucalion moves his family in while young Xanios and Zena soon become their surrogate son and daughter. They are soon joined by LOUKAS and HELEN (30s), survivors looking for a new community. With the great flood, Serai is safe in her stone mansion, built by the Annunaki and making it especially strong. She also has a fully stocked larder. She takes in two drenched servant girls, RUTH and NAEL (both 14) when they beg for help. But, with desperate survivors threatening to break in and steal their food – or worse – the three girls decide it’s time to leave. They are joined by another court member, ZIUSUDRA (early 20s, male). Gaia, Thalia and her party have ended up on higher ground in the Libyan desert where they are set upon by bandits. Gaia’s men defeat them and take their horses. They continue east, soon arriving in Egypt, as does Serai and her group, after a long and daunting journey.

Meanwhile, Hyginos and Diokles have reached the Americas but their usual landmarks have been submerged by rising sea levels. Many Caribbean islands have disappeared altogether. They take in a few castaways but once they reach land (Mexico), the natives attack Hyginos, hitting him with a poisoned blow dart and sadly killing him. Diokles is furious and beats the two men to a pulp, killing them. Those who have seen him fight dub him ‘Huitzilopoxtli’ or ‘the Sun God’ for his flaming hair. During their journey south to Egypt, Serai comes across farmer NOACH (40s, tall, long hair) who had dreams of the Great Flood. He built a huge wooden boat, an ‘ark’ and sailed to safety with his wife and three sons, SHEM, HAM and JAPHETH (all 18-mid 20s). Ham and Nael are immediately smitten and he decides to join Serai’s group, bringing horses, sheep and goats.

The party continues on and arrives in Western Egypt, crossing the great river Nile with difficulty. When their horses balk at swimming, Ruth leaps astride one and guides them across. They arrive at the area near the pyramids where there are plenty of left-over scattered blocks of stone. They use these to construct homes and call the place, ‘Giza’, meaning ‘hewn stone’. Thalia, Gaia and Demetriou join the community and Serai soon falls for the Seer. Deucalion and his group also come across Noach and his sons and live with them for a short time. Pyrrha gives birth and has twin girls!

In Aztec Mexico, an elder awards Diokles/Huit a ‘lady of the night’ for his first sexual experience. Unfortunately, she has her period and Diokles is disgusted at the sight of blood. He pulls a knife, only meaning to scare her about being ‘unclean’ but in a struggle, she is accidentally stabbed and killed. His native friends TLALOC and CIPACTLI (both 30s, male, gay couple) are aghast and quickly calm an angry crowd by declaring the local whore disrespected their ‘Sun God’. They pay off the woman’s family but slip out quietly that night, heading for the central city of Atzlan. To their surprise, when they ride into town, hundreds of people line the streets hailing Diokles as a God!

Deucalion catches married Japheth raping Zena, his and Pyhrra’s servant girl. He is furious and gives him a good beating and banishes him from their growing community of New Athens. Japheth flees east to Persia with his family. Diokles asks Tlaloc to find him a virgin for a bride: it’s time that he marries. MEZTLI (13) weds him in a fine ceremony and she is soon pregnant. They move to a new area outside the city where Diokles plans to build his own small empire, starting with an island in the middle of a lake. Meztli’s younger sister XCOCO (11) comes along too – and Diokles ends up having sex with her. They both become pregnant! Meztli is furious at first but loves her sister too much so she ends up living with them. They both give birth to boys.

In New Athens, Deucalion forms a small army for protection, worried that Japheth will want revenge. His adopted son Xanios and his friend ATLAS (teens) prove to be strong young warriors. Deucalion’s suspicions are confirmed when one of Japheth’s spies, TIRAS (30s) is caught: Deucalion cuts off several fingers and sends him back to Persia with a warning.

In his new city, Tenoctitlan, Diokles is now 20, with four children by two sisters. He has built a fortress on the island, protected by a drawbridge system. But Diokles angers many people when he chooses a third child bride (13) only to brutally sacrifice her on the town’s central altar to appease the gods of harvest. Her father TUPOC is furious and confides in Cipoctli, wanting revenge. The latter is also fed up with Diokles’ brutal reign.

In Giza, there are many new babies: Thalia and Aetos have son, Leo; Gaia and Ziu have twins, ISIS and OSIRIS, a girl and boy. Demetriou has a vision of them as rulers of Egypt and that the siblings will marry but that will be killed by his future brother. Deucalion and his army overcome Japheth’s army when they attack again, using a cleverly laid ambush. Sadly, Stanislaus is killed. Japheth and Tiras are taken prisoner and the latter is furious when he learns that his leader tried to rape a child. Deucalion saves Tiras from execution and banishes him back to Persia. Japheth faces decapitation by sword or a more painful death if he can’t outrun Deucalion’s war hounds. He dies a horrible death.

Fifteen years later, Serai is now 55 and her son by Demetriou, KUSH, is 15 and leader of his own African kingdom, Nubia, with its goldmines, as prophesied by the Seer. They’re astonished to find Enlil’s gold mines untouched – the local desert tribes have no use for ‘money’. Kush becomes wealthy. In Mexico, Cipactli leaves his long-time lover and moves in with Tupoc, the father of the sacrificed girl. They gather other disgruntled citizens who are disgusted by Diokles’ blood-thirsty rule.

They make short raids at night to test their strength, stealing livestock and killing guards. Four suspects are captured and Diokles publicly cuts their heads off as a warning, tearing out their hearts as the crowd cheer their Sun God. In Giza, Ziu’s son SETH kills his brother Osiris as foretold: he tricks him into a ‘magic box’ that is covered with jewels and valuable and then sticks his sword in the airholes, stabbing Osiris to death. Ziu banishes his own son to the wilds of the desert where he befriends warlike tribes.

Osiris’s sister, NEPHTHYS, who is married to her own brother Seth, secretly takes his body to be buried in a secure tomb. She uses her new techniques of embalming and wrapping in cloth bandages. Isis is now pregnant by Osiris and gives birth to a son, HORUS, who becomes ruler of Egypt. In Mexico, there’s an all-out battle between Diokles and Cipactli and Tupoc and their army. Twenty prisoners are captured and decapitated. Diokles’ wife and her sister are so disgusted that they banish him from their room and refuse to have sex with him again. No matter: Diokles is soon siring many children with various women around town.

Cipactli is finally captured and Diokles brutally rapes his four-year-old daughter in front of him. He orders five virgins for the sacrificial ceremony in which Cipactli will be killed, and rapes them all the night before. Just before he’s about to cut Cipactli’s head off, lightning strikes his sword, felling him to the ground. Tlaloc steps in and kills his former lover. At the same time, Japheth’s grown sons lead a new army on raids on Athens. They’re countered by Deucalion’s sons, but ORESTEHEUS is peaceful and refuses to engage.

In Egypt, Seth and his desert rebels won’t stop attacking. Horus, now 14, sets up a clever ambush, challenging his uncle to a duel. He then nimbly outpaces him, exhausting him before killing him. Decades later, Diokles is an old man and suffers a fatal stroke. In Athens, Deucalion, who has plans for a beautiful temple (our modern-day Parthenon), dies of a heart attack on the grounds. 250 years later, Serai is still alive in Giza. Part ‘star-man’, she has the gift of almost eternal life. All of her friends and relatives are long gone. She values Thalia’s journal of their time during the great flood and the rebuilding of society. Egypt flourishes under wise, just Horus, who becomes known as ‘Amun-Ra’, the Sun God. Enki and Enlil send the COVID-19 virus to Earth to teach them a lesson and reduce their population. But they also give mankind a second chance when they nudge the asteroid off its collision course, saving the planet.

About The Author

Trevor Daffyd is a retired history professor living in Tasmania, Australia. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of ancient history and a fascination with ancient myths and legends, like the Annunaki or men from Outer Space and the vanished city of Atlantis. He is the author of five published YA novels. This is his first adult novel.