Peter Tomlinson signing his new novel, The Voyages of Delticos at The Castle Bookshop in Ludlow (UK)

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The satisfyingly self-contained novel is the third in his acclaimed Petronicus Legacy series, set in an age lost to history and a civilization philosophically advanced but technologically backward - a fascinating reversal of the 21st Century western situation.

In the first of the series, The Stones of Petronicus, a new-born baby is left naked and exposed to die on a city wall while his father is hanged for theft a few feet away amid the cheers and hoots of a blood-crazed mob. Petronicus, an itinerant healer, takes the babe to heart and together they begin a quest for knowledge, groping through a maze of magic and madness to find answers in the cruel and mysterious ancient world.

The boy grows to manhood in an era of turmoil when a select few risk death in their search for truth, bitterly opposed by ruthless rulers and puppet priests who strive to enslave their subjects in a perpetual dark age of superstition and suspicion.

The second novel, The Time of Kadrik, opens ten lifetimes later and features the early life of Kadrik. In a seemingly hopeless attempt to save his people Kadrik - accompanied by an outcast and two creatures barely human - sets out on a perilous voyage in a pathetic wooden boat, the last hope of a dying people devastated by plague and famine and ravaged by desperate bands of marauding outcasts.

In The Voyages of Delticos, we follow the principle characters as they battle tyranny and lies, armed with only raw courage and the wisdom of ages.

Each of the novels stands alone as a complete story in a bittersweet saga of wisdom and courage, with enchanting characters that will haunt your dreams, and sage sayings that will creep into your vocabulary and enrich your thoughts.

An appendix to Voyages of Delticos also provides a special section of collected original selected adages from the books' heroes and wise men … unforgettable lines that form the true Petronicus Legacy.

"It's a book that, only a few years ago, I thought I would never write," said author Tomlinson at his home in England. "The Stones of Petronicus was originally to be a single stand-alone novel. But the characters got into my blood; I just couldn't leave them behind.

"So I continued the idea, following the adventures of a new generation decades later in The Time of Kadrik … and the characters, again, just became more and more intriguing.

"And that's where Voyages of Delticos came from. It closes a circle on characters from two major dynasties. And, at last, I'm able to compile my collection of wise words the main players had given me over the course of the series. You see, the characters became so real to me that I really do believe these sayings come from their minds and not my own. The words often surprised me as I wrote them down - as if I was taking dictation from Petronicus and the others."

The Petronicus Legacy website: http://www.bewrite.net/petronicus_legacy.htm
Title: The Voyages of Delticos
Author: Peter Tomlinson
Print ISBN: 978-1-905202-60-7
eBook ISBN: 978-1-905202-61-4
Release Date: October 2007
Distributors: Bertram Books, Gardners, Baker & Taylor, Ingrams
For updates, further information and review copies, please contact: Cait Myers at BeWrite Books