This sequel to The Curse of the Wandering Jew: Book I, continues the story of Cain, a being doomed to witness the follies of humankind millennia after millennia. Cain, the cursed half-Nephilim son of Eve, persists in his efforts to save life as we know it on the planet earth. The only stable government is, ironically, the small city state of the Vatican City, whose traditions of rules and discipline-if often broken-at least offer some semblance of order. This eternal pariah forges ahead, collaborating with the newly promoted Cardinal Hans Regenmacher, Auxiliary Bishop Ciann O' Donnegal, and Mother Lucia to find and reassemble the legendary Crown of Thorns, whose mysterious power might save earth from its final apocalypse-a catastrophic meteor strike. This epic supernatural-sci-fi fantasy was inspired by Eugène Sue's classical 19th century epic fantasy novel, The Wandering Jew.
About the Author: Steve Burch credits the time he spent working with the US Army as an intelligence officer during the Cold War with sparking his love for astonishing characters and incredible stories. His experiences inspired his love of myths, legends, puzzles, and ancient history. Some years ago, during the reign of Pope John Paul II, I took a trip to Rome, the Vatican City, and Malta's island of Gozo with my wife and future editor. While visiting these places, I snapped hundreds of photos of paintings, statues, ruins, catacombs, and many other things that inspired us. We marveled at the beauty of Saint Peter's Basilica and its Sistine Chapel. We both felt the magic of the centuries-old treasures in this sacred space, which house the bones of Saint Peter. We saw the site of a former mountaintop monastery, torn down to make room for an apartment complex. Though the complex was drab and functional, there was an aura about it, hinting of its past sacredness. A very special treat was our visit a mystic, healer, and holy man passed away in 1967, but we had the privilege of meeting his nurse, Signora Sunta. The petite lady showed us his rooms, garden of healing herbs, and wall covered with mementos from grateful individuals he had healed. She was there when the bed-ridden mystic, healer, passed away. "I have seen dying people," she told us. "He was not dying. He told me he was going to fly away like a bird. I thought he was being silly. I left his room briefly. When I returned, he was gone. He had flown away like a bird." This book was inspired by Eugene Sue's classical 19th century epic fantasy novel, The Wandering Jew. Steve Burch and Lori Alaniva served in the misty smoke-filled rooms of intelligence during the 'Cold War.' They worked with characters whose feats and eccentricities bordered on the fantastic. Having looked into the past to predict the future, they are dreamers who never lost the thrill of exploring, unraveling, and solving the puzzle. Steve is a natural-born storyteller who "spins a mean yarn and takes the yarn and Lori the editor weaves it into a polished story. He is a student of myth, lore, and legend, and a lover of ancient history. Former US Army and Air Force intelligence officers respectively, they are no longer in Government service and collaborate on other non-fiction works, historical fictional, and fictional novels about, spies, swords, the supernatural, and fantasy.