PAGAN PASSIONS

Adult Science Fiction,
with the supernatural making complete sense.

The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece and Rome had returnedto Earth—with all their awesome powers intact, and Earth was transformedalmost overnight. War on any scale was outlawed, along withboom-and-bust economic cycles, and prudery—no change was morestartling than the face of New York, where, for instance, the EmpireState Building became the Tower of Zeus!

In this totally altered world, William Forrester was an acolyte ofAthena, Goddess of Wisdom, and therefore a teacher, in this case of atotally altered history—and Maya Wilson, girl student, evidently hada totally altered way of grading in mind—but what else would aworshipper of Venus, Goddess of Love, have in mind?

This was just the first of the many Trials of Forrester, every bit asmighty and perilous as the Labors of Hercules. In love with GerdaSymes, like him a devotee of Athena, like him a frequenter of thegreat Temple of Pallas Athena (formerly known as the 42nd StreetLibrary)—dedicated, in short, to the pleasures of the mind—Forresterwas under the soft, compelling pressure of soft, compelling devoteesof Venus, Bacchus and the like, and in need of all the strength that heand his Goddess, the beautiful and intellectual Athena, could musterto save him from the endless temptations of this new Earth.

And into this sensuous strife strode Temple Myrmidons—religiouscops sworn to obey orders without question or hesitation—with apickup order for William Forrester.

Where he was taken, what happened to him, the truly fantastic discoverieshe made about himself and the Gods and Goddesses—hereare the ingredients that make up this science fiction novel of suspense,intrigue, mystery and danger. For science fiction it is, with the supernaturalmaking complete sense, and fun too, despite the Sword ofDamocles hanging by a thread over Forrester's head!

by Randall Garrett and
Larry M. Harris