The Genes of Isis

 

 

The Genes of Isis

by Justin Newland

GENRE:   Mythological Fiction / Fantasy

Akasha is a precocious young woman who lives in a world where oceans circulate in the aquamarine sky waters.

Before she was born, the Helios, a tribe of angels from the sun, came to Earth to deliver the Surge, the next step in the evolution of an embryonic human race. Instead, they left humanity on the brink of extinction and spawned a race of monstrous hybrids. 

Horque is a Solarii, another tribe of angels, sent to Earth to rescue the genetic mix-up and release the Surge. 

When Akasha has a premonition that a great flood is imminent and falls in love with Horque, her life becomes an instrument for apocalyptic change. But will it save the three races - humans, hybrids and Solarii – from the killing waters?

Excerpt:

Opening Fryme's package, she fingered the dark green leaves. She'd used hyssop many times before and had grown to enjoy its astringent odours. Deftly, she worked the herb into a paste and poured a droplet onto a wafer. Before lying down on the bench, she re-read the hieroglyphs on the wall: 'The Spell of the Gods' and beneath that, the warning, 'Use me wisely, lest I turn and rend thee.' 

This ritual was the ultimate. It was life and death. She had to be dedicated and fulsome, lest the warning would apply to her. She replayed every detail of the ritual in her mind before preparing for the trance. The timing was of the essence: according to the proscription of the ritual, it had to be conducted on the night of the round moon and completed by the rise of the sun. 

Carefully, she adjusted the aperture on the glow-lamp so the amount of light hovered on the twilight between astral and incarnate. Lying on the bench, she placed the wafer beneath her tongue, relishing the minty bitterness of the hyssop as it suffused her being. Slowly, a mists and vapours of the astral veiled her eyes. 

She drifted in and out of consciousness, as her ka eased out of her physical body, until she crossed through the Veil and entered its natural domicile, the huge edifice of the astral light. Immediately, she settled into her familiar astral cloak - the golden lioness. It felt good to be back amongst the warmth of her own kind. 

Oh, how she'd missed the freedom of the astral light, where she could fly the universe at the speed of thought and take wing through millions of years in an instant. Through her ka, she looked down on herself, lying on the bench. Would this be the last time she'd ever do so? She banished the thought. For now, she had to be meticulously correct. Her enemies were doubt, fear, and hesitation. 

About the Author:

Justin Newland is an author of historical fantasy and secret history thrillers - that’s history with a supernatural twist. His stories feature known events and real people from history which are re-told and examined through the lens of the supernatural. He gives author talks and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Bristol’s Thought for the Day. He lives with his partner in plain sight of the Mendip Hills in Somerset, England. 

His Books

The Genes of Isis is a tale of love, destruction and ephemeral power set under the skies of Ancient Egypt. A re-telling of the Biblical story of the flood, it reveals the mystery of the genes of Isis – or genesis – of mankind. ISBN 9781789014860.

“The novel is creative, sophisticated, and downright brilliant! I couldn’t ask more of an Egyptian-esque book!” – Lauren, Books Beyond the Story.

The Old Dragon’s Head is a historical fantasy and supernatural thriller set during the Ming Dynasty and played out in the shadows the Great Wall of China. It explores the secret history of the influences that shaped the beginnings of modern times.  ISBN 9781789015829.

‘The author is an excellent storyteller.” – British Fantasy Society. 

Set during the Great Enlightenment, The Coronation reveals the secret history of the Industrial Revolution. ISBN 9781838591885.

“The novel explores the themes of belonging, outsiders… religion and war…  filtered through the lens of the other-worldly.” – A. Deane, Page Farer Book Blog.

His latest, The Abdication (July, 2021), is a suspense thriller, a journey of destiny, wisdom and self-discovery. ISBN 9781800463950.  

“In Topeth, Tula confronts the truth, her faith in herself, faith in a higher purpose, and ultimately, what it means to abdicate that faith.” 

Q&A With the Author

Hey Literary Gold, thanks for hosting this stop on the Goddess Fish promotion of my mythological thriller, The Genes of Isis.

Thank you! Best of luck with your book!

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

The Genes of Isis was my first novel, and it’s a seminal book. You won’t find anything like it on the market place. It mixes mythology, legend, ancient history with genetics and questions about our genesis. 

I asked the questions: Who are we? What are we? What is our human genetic? Why are we like we are? Who made us? I enjoyed trying to answer these questions in a fictional story, but in as realistic way as possible. 

Can you tell us a little bit about your other novels?

Since The Genes of Isis, I’ve written three other novels. 

The Old Dragon’s Head is a historical fantasy and supernatural thriller set during the Ming Dynasty and played out in the shadows the Great Wall of China. 

A homage to Old China, it explores the secret history of modern China, as it struggled to shake off the yoke of Mongol invasion by Genghis Khan in the 14th Century.

My third novel The Coronation is set during the Great Enlightenment in the 1760’s in Eastern Europe. It reveals the secret history of perhaps the single most significant event that shaped our modern world - the Industrial Revolution. 

My latest novel is The Abdication. It’s a suspense thriller, a journey of destiny, wisdom and self-discovery. It features Tula, a young woman, as she confronts her faith in herself, her faith in a higher purpose, and ultimately, what it means to abdicate that faith. 

Can you tell us about what you have planned for the future?

My work in progress explores the secret history of the repulse of the Spanish Armada in 1588, and is a two-book series entitled The Shoes That Don’t Wear Out. 

How long have you been writing?

When I was a student, I wrote a novel about Ancient Greek gods and goddesses. Since then I read a lot, in different fields, fiction, non-fiction, plays, philosophy, and history. I spent many years reading and researching, until 2007, when I got serious about creative writing. Now I’m hooked. And when the muse says Write! You have to obey! 

Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans?

I’d like to mention something more about the Flood, since it plays a crucial role in the unfolding of the story in The Genes of Isis.

In the Book of Genesis, the flood lasted 40 days and nights. If that’s the case, how did all that water get up there in the first place? 

This is another area I explored in the novel. To do so, I went back into the historical record, and in this case, to an old text called the Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts. In it, there’s a quote:

'I shall cross the great lake in the sky and return home to the sun.' 

According to this, there’s a ‘great lake in the sky’. But how did that get there? I haven’t seen any lakes in the skies lately, have you?

Here’s a more recent quote from a Medieval prophetess from Yorkshire, in England: 

 ‘Beneath the water, men shall walk. Shall ride, shall sleep, shall even talk.' 

What if the ‘waters’ were already up there in the sky in a great lake? That would explain the 40 days and nights of rain, wouldn’t it?

It was these sayings that gave me the idea for the sky waters, an important element of the world of The Genes of Isis.  

Contact the Author:

http://www.justinnewland.com/

https://www.facebook.com/justin.newland.author/

Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Genes-Isis-Justin-Newland-ebook/dp/B07D7FMDZG/

GIVEAWAY

Justin Newland will be awarding one signed copy of the paperback (US or International) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway