Seekers will enjoy this novel of transcendence and ancient family secrets.

Great for fans of Carol Roberts’s Atlantis, Starhawk’s The Fifth Sacred Thing.

FICTION The Rise to Power: The Legacy Series David Francis | Colvercroft Publishing 416p, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-954-43794-4

Exploring secret ancient histories, contemporary consciousness-raising, reincarnation, and the coming-of-age of a young man facing a world-changing inheritance, this kickoff to Francis’s Legacy series opens with apocalypse—the doom of the ancient, technologically advanced island utopia of Atlantis—and hope in the plans of the brilliant Cartius, who takes steps to ensure that the Atlantean ways are not lost to the future. Millennia later, in the mid-20th century, 14-year-old James Bannerman becomes, after his father’s death, the tenth Earl of Penbroke, heir to the family fortune, and the holder of an even greater legacy. Admitted at last to the mysterious East Wing of Penbroke Estate, James discovers a majestic throne whose jewels correspond to the seven chakras. Sitting in it, though, teleports him through time and space, to a distant planet and dimension.

There a strange old man calls him Cartius and explains to him, from an Atlantean’s perspective, secret workings of the universe and hints at James’s true urgent mission in this life: bringing Atlantean enlightenment to a money-mad world. Francis’s polished novel pulses with wonder and spiritual inquiry, as the uncommonly thoughtful James asks smart questions, reads the future-predicting notebooks of his grandfather, and continues to do what young men must, earls or not: going to school and experiencing romantic longings. Complicating matters is the scheming of the mother he’s never felt much affection for, as she strives to wring some cash out of the ancient treasures the family has collected over centuries.

Readers might expect that storyline to develop into traditional suspense, but a deep humanity sets The Rise to Power apart—this is a story of transcendence rather than tension. Francis builds a surprising what-if? twist as, rather than lock down its secrets, the family takes steps to share the throne and its power with the world, allowing others to experience transformative connections. The cliffhanger ending is a touch rushed, but that’s perhaps a consequence of Francis’s efforts at combining page-turning storytelling with exploration of the “divinessence.”

Cover: B | Design & typography: A | Illustrations: – Editing: A | Marketing copy: A