Night
of Pan, by Gail Strickland
Genre:
young-adult, historical-fantasy
Publisher:
Curiosity Quills Press
Date
of Release :
November 7, 2014
Series:
Book
One of The Oracle of Delphi Trilogy
Description:
The
slaughter of the Spartan Three Hundred at Thermopylae, Greece 480
BCE—when King Leonidas tried to stop the Persian army with only his
elite guard—is well known. But just what did King Xerxes do after
he defeated the Greeks?
Fifteen-year-old
Thaleia is haunted by visions: roofs dripping blood, Athens burning.
She tries to convince her best friend and all the villagers that
she’s not crazy. The gods do speak to her.
And
the gods have plans for this girl.
When
Xerxes’ army of a million Persians marches straight to the mountain
village Delphi to claim the Temple of Apollo’s treasures and sacred
power, Thaleia’s gift may be her people’s last line of defense.
Her
destiny may be to save Greece…
…but
is one girl strong enough to stop an entire army?
Find
Night of Pan Online:
--
And now a GUEST POST from the Author!!
Thank you Sister Sinister for inviting
me to join the conversation!
My name is Gail Strickland. My book, a
YA historical fantasy called Night of Pan, is filled with
Greek gods and oracles, mystics and visionaries. Night of Pan
is a coming-of -age story about a young girl. You may have noticed
there are a lot of coming-of-age books. Night of Pan is
different. For one thing, there is no prom.
Let me ask you a question: Do you think
the Oracle of Delphi in 5th century BCE Greece was a
drug-crazed teenager manipulated by politically-savvy priests as many
modern historians would have us believe? Or was she a wise visionary
who helped save the cradle of democracy when the largest invasion the
ancient world had seen attacked from the north—the Persian army, a
million soldiers led by King Xerxes lusting after revenge for the
death of his father at Marathon?
My fifteen-year-old Oracle, Thaleia
comes of age in a time when philosophers created democracy, a time
that shaped our western world more than any other. This is the same
time in history that the movie 300 takes place. That movie presents
prophecies from the Oracle of Delphi that I believe are inaccurate.
As a Greek scholar in college, I translated the four prophecies we
know from the ancient historian Herodotus and based my story on these
four Persian oracles that all came true.
An army a million strong really did
attack 300 Greek soldiers over two thousand years ago. This is all
true, but the movie depicts Greece as defeating the Persians with
only armed might and female warriors. These distortions of history
teach that men controlled the world and that arms and might
prevailed. That was not the whole story. Though the Battle of
Thermopylae is in my book, my story isn’t about the kind of courage
where someone picks up a sword and chops off heads. My book is about
the courage it takes to know who you truly are.
Night of Pan tells the story of
a simple village girl who is very brave. She is a fictional
character based on the real Oracle of Delphi. Her name is
Thaleia.
Thaleia lives in the mountain village
Delphi—sacred center of the ancient world. Her parents and the town
have her destiny mapped out for her. Uncertain who she is or what her
destiny is, she knows the traditional path is not for her. She runs
away when her father tries to marry her to a gross and much older
man. Running free but unsure where to go, she follows mysterious
flute music up Mt. Parnassos and meets the satyr-god Pan. He gives
her a choice: Live forever in his magical meadow or return to Delphi
to save her family, her home … all of Hellas. Thaleia decides to
return.
Like any true hero’s journey, that’s
when her troubles really begin.
The priests deny Thaleia’s visions
and her wisdom. They manipulate the villagers’ fear to gain control
and power. They are willing to lie and deceive and even betray the
citizens to the Persians, so that they can claim power, wealth and
prestige.
Thaleia discovers her own identity and
power as she listens for the song of the universe. Like strands in a
spider web, the song connects Thaleia to the earth and trees, the
wind and stars and those she loves … and ultimately to the gods.
Defying the villagers, priests and even death, she discovers that she
is the true Oracle. Neither her parents nor the village priests want
her to assume that role.
With wild poppies sprouting in her
hair, Thaleia claims her identity as the Oracle of Delphi, the most
powerful Oracle in all Greece and confronts the invading army as they
march into Delphi to seize the gold and jewels and power.
Is one girl strong enough to stop an
entire army?
--
While studying the Classics in college, Gail Strickland translated much of Homer’s ILIAD and ODYSSEY, Herodotus’ prophecies and THE BACCHAI by Euripides. Living on the Greek islands after college, she discovered her love of myth, the wine-dark sea and retsina.
THE BALTIMORE REVIEW and WRITER’S DIGEST have recognized Gail’s fiction. She published stories and poems in Travelers’ Tales’ anthologies and the San Francisco Writer’s anthology. Her poetry and photography were published in a collection called CLUTTER.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Gail grew up in Northern California. She raised her children; was a musical director for CAT children’s theater; taught music in schools; mentored young poets and novelists and introduced thousands of youngsters to piano and Greek mythology. Gail is passionate about bringing the richness of Homer’s language and culture to today’s youth.
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