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| Toward the Gleam | |
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| Publication Information | |
| Author | T.M. Doran |
| Publisher | Ignatius Press |
| Released | 25 March 2012 |
| Pages | 467 |
| ISBN | 978-1586176334 |
Toward the Gleam is a novel by American engineer T.M. Doran. It draws from themes explored in, and presents a fictional origin story for, Tolkien's Middle-earth. Doran has independently published two sequels, The Lucifer Ego and Kataklusmós.
From the Publisher
Between the two world wars, on a hike in the English countryside, Professor John Hill takes refuge from a violent storm in a cave. There he nearly loses his life, but he also makes an astonishing discovery — an ancient manuscript housed in a cunningly crafted, metal box. Though a philologist by profession, Hill cannot identify the language used in the manuscript and the time period in which it is was made. But he knows enough to make an educated guess — that the book and its case are the fruits of a long-lost, but advanced civilization.
The translation of the manuscript and the search for its origins become a life-long quest for Hill. As he uncovers an epic that both enchants and inspires him, he tracks down scholars from Oxford to Paris who can give him clues. Along the way, he meets several intriguing characters, including a man keenly interested in obtaining artifacts from a long-lost civilization that he believes was the creation of a superior race, and will help him fulfill his ambition to rule other men. Concluding that Hill must have found something that may help him in this quest, but not knowing what it is and where it is hidden, he has Hill, his friends at Oxford, and his family shadowed and threatened until finally he and Hill face off in a final, climactic confrontation.
A story that features a giant pirate and slaver, a human chameleon on a perilous metaphysical journey, a mysterious hermit, and creatures both deadly and beautiful, this is a novel that explores the consequences of the predominant ideas of the 20th century.
Sequels
The Lucifer Ego
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| The Lucifer Ego | |
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| Publication Information | |
| Author | T.M. Doran |
| Publisher | TMDoranBooks |
| Released | 17 August 2017 |
| Pages | 280 |
| ISBN | 9781732472600 |
From the Publisher
Frodo Lyle Stuart is looking forward to his sabbatical, hoping to unearth evidence that will add new lustre to his reputation as a first-rate archaeologist. But Lyle's Uncle Henry, abbot of a nearby monastery, has other plans, recruiting him to track down a stolen artifact — a manuscript of unimaginable antiquity his uncle believes is the source for the greatest work of literary imagination in the 20th century.
Kataklusmós
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| Kataklusmós | |
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| Publication Information | |
| Author | T.M. Doran |
| Publisher | TMDoranBooks |
| Released | 31 October 2020 |
| Pages | 378 |
| ISBN | 1732472637 |
From the publisher
Two years after the forced separation of Oxford archaeologist Frodo Lyle Stuart and his “betrothed,” psychologist Beatrice Adams, a cataclysmic event takes Lyle and his brother, Sam, to Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and China in search of solutions to confounding questions. Stalked by danger and despair, Lyle finds his personal and professional worlds turned upside-down.
Did the events recorded in the ancient book really occur, and are those with connections to that world still shaping this planet’s history?