Vestals are sacrosanct, sworn to chastity on penalty of death, but the emperor, Nero, holds himself above the law. Suspense in ancient Rome Elissa Rubria Honoria is a Vestal Virgin-priestess of the sacred flame, a visionary, and one of the most powerful women in Rome. No longer trusting Roman gods, she follows a new god, Jesus of Nazareth, jeopardizing her life and the future of The Roman. Or is Elissa really the pursuer? She stumbles on dark secrets. He pursues Elissa, engaging her in a deadly game of wits and sexuality.

Although it's a short book, there are a lot of ideas to take in all at once, and you may find yourself thinking about the implications long after you've turned the final page.Suspense in ancient Rome Elissa Rubria Honoria is a Vestal Virgin-priestess of the sacred flame, a visionary, and one of the most powerful women in Rome. I may have enjoyed the pictures more as a collection of images in the middle (or at the end) of the book.Īltogether, a fascinating concept and hypnotic language make this book a mesmerizing ride through a future that may one day become ours. There were a few times I thought the chapter had ended abruptly because the words stopped two-thirds of the way down the page at the end of a paragraph, but the chapter actually continued on the next page, after an inserted picture. The placement of the pictures created some unexpected page breaks in my digital version of the book, which led to a bit of confusion on my part. While the visuals were thought-provoking, it was distracting to me to have them included in the book. This book is illustrated by Borislav Varadinov, a finalist in the AntiMotion: FUTR WRLD digital art contest. those possibilities were staggering and eye-opening. The possibilities involved in pairing one brain with the brain of another, of having an reality that doesn't require a body, of experiencing a life without the boundaries to which we are accustomed. Every time I thought I might have gotten a grip on reality, a new surprise threw me, once again, into another conversation with the Mad Hatter, making me question my own understanding of reality.

There was something fluid and hypnotic about the phrasing in this story, making me feel very much like a futuristic Alice who had just fallen down the rabbit hole into a whole new world.

It's awe-inspiring and somewhat terrifying to think of a future where these things are not only possible, but a normal part of human- and posthuman- existence. A extensive summation of his research is included in the 'Notes and References' section of the book. Leonid Korogodski, a PhD in Mathematics, has explored some fascinating science to create the premise of this short novel.

Vestal Virgin by Suzanne Tyrpak