A bright young zoology professor arrives at a prestigious Long Island college filled with jaded, materialistic scientists. But in a tower high above their heads, the college s angelic heiress devotedly watches over a collection of handmade animals made of a more mysterious stuff than cloth and string. A tribute to the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Menagerie of Marsepink is a moral allegory on the limits of natural science and the supernatural reality of the soul. This short story successfully captures the atmosphere and charm which characterize the works of the great 19th century scribe. Author: Claudio R. Salvucci Format: 48 pages, paperback Publisher: Arx Publishing ISBN: 9781889758503

The Menagerie of Marsepink

Literature & Fiction

Salvucci, Claudio R.

Contemporary

Arx Publishing

The year is AD 1523 and the island of Rhodes has just fallen to the Turks. Those sailing away in defeat from this captured bastion are members of an anachronistic crusading order called the Knights of St. John -- otherwise known as the Hospitallers. Among the dejected company is a stalwart young knight named Jean Parisot De La Valette. Were it up to him, the order would have defended the island to the bitter end. Forty-two years later, history has repeated itself. The Hospitallers are again besieged by the teeming armies of the relentless Turk. Their tiny island-fortress of Malta is all that stands between the armies of Suleiman and the very heart of Christendom. But this time the scenario is different -- La Valette wears the Grand Master's cape. Behind him stand the knights of his faithful order: men of incredible valor ready to "strike a blow for Christ" and sacrifice their lives to halt the invading Turks at the gates of Europe. What follows is a desperate struggle between East and West, Cross and Koran, faith and despair. Angels in Iron is based on the actual events surrounding the Siege of Malta in 1565. Nicholas C. Prata relates the tale in riveting and graphic prose which brings the extreme heroism of the knights and the unimaginable horror of combat sharply into focus. Prepare yourself for an epic adventure.

Angels in Iron

Prata, Nicholas C.

The year is AD 504. The all-powerful Roman Empire lies in tatters, its western provinces dismembered into a patchwork of new kingdoms ruled by barbarians. In Constantinople, the New Rome, the Eastern Roman emperor is beset by problems. New and dangerous barbarian hordes appear on the frontier year after year. The powerful king of Persia demands tribute and threatens Roman Mesopotamia and Syria. Religious controversies spawn catastrophic military uprisings. But unbeknownst to all, in that same year was born Belisarius, the greatest Roman general of them all. At a time when Roman power was practically extinct, Belisarius did what no sane Roman thought possible. He went toe-to-toe with the empire's most powerful enemies. Belisarius: The First Shall Be Last is a historical novel that recreates the early life of this amazing hero. Filled with action and intrigue, the book is replete with historical and religious detail drawn from ancient historians. The novel is a fascinating introduction to the Justinianic period the last gasp of the Roman Empire and the infancy of Christendom in both the East and West. The First Shall Be Last is the first book in the Belisarius series. The sequel, Glory of the Romans was published in November 2010.

Belisarius, Book 1: The First Shall Be Last

Belzoni, Paolo A

Kerebos

Here is the tale of Godfrey de Montferrat, a young Templar knight who swore an oath to defend the Kingdom of Jerusalem. It is also the tale of that kingdom, which men called Outremer The Land Beyond the Sea. With the miraculous success of the First Crusade, all said that the heroic tales of old had come to life in that place. But by Godfrey s day the kingdom is dying, chivalry fading, and foes pressing hard from every side. But Godfrey stands in contradiction to the prevailing corruption. Where others strive to become mighty warlords and kings, Godfrey desires only to become a hero and a saint. Around Godfrey swirl the loves, betrayals, adventures, and disasters of the kingdom s waning years. From the desert wastes of Egypt, to the bustling streets of medieval Antioch, to the Holy City of Jerusalem itself, Nathan Sadasivan paints a vivid portrait of the Crusades strewn with unforgettable characters: Amalric, the ill-tempered King of Jerusalem; Malik, the proud young Saracen; Jacques, Godfrey s childhood friend; Tristan, the single-minded swordmaster, and Andronicus, the enigmatic Byzantine prince, among many others.

Crown of the World-Book 1: Knight of the Temple

Sadasivan, Nathan

His tremendous victory over the Persians at the Battle of Daras wins Belisarius the adulation of a victory-starved empire but also the envy of his peers in Constantinople. The emperor Justinian now tasks his gifted young general with an even more difficult assignment: a campaign against the powerful Vandal kingdom in North Africa. But before Belisarius can set out on this seemingly impossible mission, he must prove his loyalty amid the ruins of a capital shattered by rebellion. Glory of the Romans continues the epic tale of Belisarius, the last great general of the Roman Empire. Aided by his resourceful wife, Antonina, and his stalwart band of 'biscuit-eaters', Belisarius strives to build the most formidable army fielded by the Roman Empire in over a century. But his determination breeds only suspicion in the empress Theodora and jealousy in the palace chamberlain, Narses. From the desert wastes of Mesopotamia, to the riot-torn streets of Constantinople, to the crumbling walls of ancient Carthage, Glory of the Romans follows the daring exploits of Belisarius as his fame increases and his virtues are put to the test. Glory of the Romans is the sequel to The First Shall Be Last and the second book in the Belisarius series.

Belisarius-Book II: Glory of the Romans

Literary

Her Frankish mother dead, 17-year-old Aemilia arrives at Soissons in Roman Gaul in search of her Roman father whom she has never met. She knows only that his name is Tarunculus and that he is a former centurion. She finds a firebrand, derided by the townsfolk, trying vainly to ignite a spark of patriotism in his fellow Romans.Soon, Aemilia is caught up in her father's schemes and the intrigues of the Roman nobility in Soissons. But in the end, which side will win her loyalty? In the war between Franks and Romans to decide the fate of the last province of the Western Empire, Providence will lead her down a path she could never have imagined.Centurion's Daughter is a thoughtful and compelling journey to the tumultuous last gasp of the Roman Empire in the West. Written and illustrated by master storyteller Justin Swanton, the book sheds light on a little known period of history when an empire fell and a powerful new Catholic kingdom emerged.

Centurion's Daughter

Swanton, Justin

Genre Fiction

Three hundred and thirty-two years after her death, Kateri Tekakwitha has become recognized as a saint of the Catholic Church. Read about her extraordinary life through the eyes of someone who actually knew her: Fr. Pierre Cholonec, one of the two main biographers of St. Kateri. Father Cholonec's account of Kateri's life, as presented in this book, helped solidify her name and reputation within the Catholic world and began the process that would culminate with her canonization in October of 2012. This new edition of Fr. Cholonec's famous biography, originally written in 1696, brings the courageous and endearing story of the Lily of the Mohawks out of hard-to-find academic texts to everyday readers, featuring antique illustrations exemplifying the saint's life and the environment in which she lived. Also included in this volume as an addendum to the biography of St. Kateri is Fr. Cholonec's heartwrenching and fascinating account of the Iroquois martyrs, the friends and neighbors of St. Kateri who preferred to die by torture than to give up their hard-won faith.

Kateri Tekakwitha, the Iroquois Saint

Biographies & Memoirs

Cholonec, Pierre

Community & Culture

The new 2015 edition of The American Martyrology features all the Saints, Blesseds, Venerables, Servants of God, and reputed martyrs honored in the U.S. throughout the year. It dramatically expands Holweck's compilation with the dozens of new saints and causes added since then, including not only feasts of the national calendar but also those of the traditional Roman calendar such as St. Valentine and St. Christopher and those of the Ordinariate calendar such as St. Alban, St. Columba, and the English martyrs. With rubrics adapted from the traditional office of Prime, and featuring extra prayers for the annual commemoration of family members and loved ones, The American Martyrology is not merely an invaluable historical collection but a wonderful devotional text and a perfect way to help live the liturgical year at home.

The American Martyrology

History

Claudio R. Salvucci

Fr. Frederick George Holweck

Americas

The fourth and fifth centuries AD were an era of intense political and spiritual turmoil in the Roman world, when ancient institutions suddenly crumbled and brilliant new edifices emerged from the rubble. Covering the momentous years between AD 324 and 425, the Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen is one of the most important primary histories of this period of upheaval and transition. A religious historian sympathetic to orthodoxy, Sozomen's focus is on the various quarrels, councils, schisms and reconciliations which roiled the Church at the time when Christians exited the catacombs and entered directly into the imperial administration. He provides exceptionally detailed descriptions of the heresy of Arius and the resulting religious controversies which followed the Council of Nicaea, including the recurring depositions and reinstatements of Saint Athanasius as bishop of Alexandria. With an obvious personal interest in monasticism, Sozomen provides some of the best contemporary accounts of the lives and deeds of famous monks from across the Roman world. Chronicling occurrences over the course of a century, Sozomen's History is an invaluable source on the fateful reigns of emperors such as Constantine the Great, Constantius II, Julian the Apostate, Valens, Theodosius the Great, and the empress Pulcheria. He provides anecdotes about Popes like Julius I, Liberius, and Innocent I, and great saints such as Anthony of Egypt, Ambrose of Milan, and John Chrysostom. He also includes verbatim reproductions of various ancient letters and edicts which circulated among saints, heretics and emperors as they debated the momentous religious and political questions of the age. Drawn from the elegant Bohn Ecclesiastical Library translation of 1855, this edition of Sozomen's History has been completely re-typeset for the modern reader. Obvious typographical errors in the original text have been corrected, and punctuation has been modernized to aid with text flow. To help make the text more accessible for students and general readers, this edition also includes numerous updated explanatory notes, a current bibliography, and an index of people, places and key terms.

The Ecclesiastical History of Sozomen: From AD 324 to AD 425 (Christian Roman Empire)

Sozomen, Salamanes Hermias

Ancient Civilizations

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