The Gnostic’s Fire
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The Gnostic's Fire is set in England, circa 1920. The protagonist, John Nelson, is a detective with the London Metropolitan Police Department who is soul-weary from having fought in World War One and has become cynical in his own beliefs about God and the meaning of life. Because of his professional expertise, he is personally tasked by the commissioner, Edward Allenby, to investigate the unusual deaths of three Catholic priests who seemed to have been killed by somehow being strangely burnt from within their bodies. At first, John is hesitant to accept, thinking he is past the prime of his career and is soon set to be retired, but the commissioner reiterates that John is the best man for the job and insists that he take the assignment.
Upon beginning the investigation, John finds out that the commissioner has selected Alex Milton, a young and enthusiastic historian, to help him on the case and whose academic specialty is the occult. John is put off by him being chosen as his partner, believing that there is a perfectly rational explanation for the deaths and that Alex is of no use. After the two of them see the body of one of the victims in the morgue, Alex tells John about his research into a mysterious ancient group known as the Gnostics and that it is believed that some of them once had possession of a magical relic called the Amulet of Solomon. He goes on to say that this object has great power and that it has been used in the struggle between good and evil far back in Biblical times, and that the uncanny deaths of the priests may be related to it.
As the plot unfolds, John encounters more of the bizarre deaths, as well as other eerie occurrences that point to a cult of shadowy demonic beings. They seem to be working to find the Amulet and release their dark lord, Asmodeus, who is trapped inside of it, in a stone that is a portal to another realm. John and Alex team up with Sarah Wilford, a friend of Alex and daughter of his late mentor Professor Wilford, and follow the clues surrounding the deaths, which leads them deeper into the paranormal world. They discover that the demons, called Archons, are the reason for the deaths and that they are searching for the Amulet, which Alex says was lost by the Gnostics during the Crusades, as part of a plan to subject the world to the forces of evil. John at times starts to question his very sanity, as he gradually comes to find that what Alex has been saying to him actually may be true.
The story culminates with the three of them following the trail to a forlorn castle in the desolate countryside of Wales, where Asmodeus has been released from the Amulet. Once there, they witness a powerful display of awesome and unearthly energy used in a fight between the Archons and the Gnostic monks, called the Brotherhood of the Snake; a climactic battle between the forces of light and darkness. The Archons are defeated and Asmodeus is forced back into the Amulet. John then concludes his investigation and has acquired a profound and renewed knowledge, not only about the existence of God, but about his purpose in the grand scheme of good versus evil.
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About the Book
Ghoulish deaths of three Catholic priests, the insides of their bodies seemingly burned away, baffles the London Metropolitan Police Department in 1920. Inspector John Nelson is requested by Commissioner Edward Allenby to handle the case. Soul-weary after his military service in World War One, John is hesitant to accept, thinking he is well past the prime of his career, but the commissioner believes that he is the best man for the job, and insists that he take the assignment. John learns that Doctor Alex Milton, an enthusiastic occult scholar, has been chosen to help him on the case. After they view one of the grisly corpses in the morgue, Alex tells John about his research on the Gnostics and their power to weld mysterious fire, suggesting that this is the cause of the uncanny deaths. He also describes a secret ancient cabal known as the Brotherhood of the Snake, which is believed to have once possessed the Amulet of Solomon, a mystical relic that is a source of this power and can be traced to Biblical times. Alex claims that shadowy demonic beings, called Archons, are connected with it. At first put off by Alex, John believes there is a perfectly rational explanation for the deaths. However, he soon comes upon haunting clues which lead him deeper into the world of the occult. After Sarah Wilford, a long-time friend of Alex, teams up with them, they come to discover that the Archons are trying to find the Amulet of Solomon and free their lord, Asmodeus, who is imprisoned inside of it. John comes to find that there is truth to what Alex has been saying, that evil forces are killing people with a supernatural energy. The investigation leads them across the English countryside to find the Archons before they can retrieve the Amulet. They come upon an old, secluded monastery in Wales where they encounter monks who are with the Brotherhood of the Snake and who can summon the same otherworldly powers to fight the rancorous demons. Only with their help, can Asmodeus and the Archons be defeated, and the Amulet reclaimed… before the world falls into terrible darkness.
About the Author
Joseph Landry is a police officer with over a decade of experience in law enforcement and criminal investigations. He is a twenty year-veteran of the U.S. Air Force and has served in many operations, to include the Persian Gulf War of 1991. During his time in the military, Joseph Landry was closely involved with the chaplaincy and became deeply interested in many subjects concerning religion, particularly those of Early Christianity. His academic work has led him to studies in various fields of science and history, and he has kept a keen passion for learning about the ancient world of the Bible. In 2009, he earned a Master of Science degree in psychology from the University of Phoenix, and in his law enforcement profession, he has pursued research into mental phenomena that relates to the acts of crime. Joseph Landry currently lives in Tucson, Arizona with his wife, Robin and has three children and two grandchildren.