C. Norman Noble | Akateeminen Kirjakauppa

Today it is a utilitarian waterway -- a 3.9-mile canal carved through the rough terrain of the Isthmus of Corinth -- serving the maritime industry in Greece by saving sailors many miles of sea travel around the Peloponnesian peninsula. Centuries ago, and for many centuries since, the canal was but a dream, and in this exciting and historically accurate novel, author C. Norman Noble tells the fictional story of young Lucius, son of the Roman Legate in charge of military affairs in the region while it was under the protection of Rome. Ambitious and fearless, as only the young can be, Lucius is easily recruited as their "salesman" by a pair of promoters aiming to raise a large sum of money from influential people, ostensibly to fund the digging of the canal. The adventure intensifies when Lucius boldly yet innocently approaches the Roman Emperor, Nero, who not only endorses the project but also comes to the Greek city of Korinthos (Corinth) to grace the project with his imperial presence, thus giving the appearance of legitimacy to this enormously difficult but potentially revolutionary effort. Only after Nero has bestowed his imprimatur and all the money has been raised does Lucius discover that his employers are actually "con men" -- convicts, actually -- whose intentions are far less than honorable. The tale then follows young Lucius through all of the ups and downs of growing into manhood and building a challenging dream, only to see it die as the criminals implement their plan to "take the money and run" and as the reluctant warrior pursues them, not only to recover the investors' money but also to rescue his own apparently ruined reputation. A swashbuckler, with just a touch ofromance and significant religious overtones, Changing of the Gods is a wonderful read for all who see history as fundamentally a gigantic, engaging, human drama.