The story begins when a semi retired anthropologist, Professor Henry Williams, is drawn into an intriguing and unbelievable trail of fascinating clues. He receives a mysterious parcel from a dubious collector of antiquities, containing a papyrus from Egypt with an incredible story to tell. The papyrus is merely bait for a far more important document, one so important that the collector of antiquities will only deliver himself. A Mayan Codex so rare, that most Mesoamerican academics could never know of its existence.
Telling of mankind’s distant past The Codex, rewrites all history and defies belief. A document shaking the very foundations of civilisation as we know it. Defying scientific theory in all disciplines and forcing all major religions to be rethought, should the Codex come to light. It tells of the tale of a creature known as Typhon, and his influence on mankind‘s past.
Williams, and his colleague, Dr Piers Anderson, follow clues across two continents and are shadowed by a sinister society called The League of Horus, a group so suspicious and desperate to stop the academics from discovering the truth at all costs.
They travel to Egypt, to the ancient city of Akhetaten, home of the infamous Heretic King Akhenaten, Beneath the ruins of the once proud desert city, Williams and Anderson discover a vast cavern that shouldn’t be there. Here, they find clues that point them in the direction of Central America and they meet a mysterious woman by the name of Samantha Marshall.
In Mexico, they find that their lives are always threatened and on each discovery the journey becomes more hazardous. They befriend a professor of Mayan studies, Iago del Vigo and though sceptical at first, Iago soon understands that he will have to relearn everything. Nevertheless, he and his brother Carlos, help the two Englishmen along the way.
Famous places that they travel to include Chichen Itza, Palenque and Teotihuacan, each with their own hidden secrets and dangers. Along the way they encounter Don Pedro Vacharo and the sacred Crystal Skull which takes them back to a time of legend and myth. To Atlantis.
I was born James Robert Alexander in May 1958, in the village of Hampton, County of Middlesex. I left school at the age of 16 and moved down to the beautiful county of Devon in the heart of the West Country of England, where I live to this day.
In 1977 I met my wife Mandy and married her in that same year, and we are still happy together after 30 years of marriage.
Over the years, I can safely say that I have been educated in the University of Life, dodging all the kicks and punches that life can throw at one. From these experiences, both good and bad, I have learned to draw from and include in my writing.
I am an avid reader, enjoying mainly alternative history and science books. I love walking and enjoying the countryside, travelling (especially around the United States of America),and going to the movies.
In recent years, I have developed a wide interest in all things strange and paranormal, including Spiritualism and UFOs. I have even become pagan in my beliefs, choosing to follow the ways of my ancestors in the Northern European tradition known as Asatruism or more commonly as Odinism.
This novel, “The Feathered Serpent”, is my first novel and it is also the first novel in a trilogy, of which I hope you will enjoy.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Henry Williams, and I’m a semi-retired anthropologist. When I’m invited, I lecture around the country as a visiting professor. Yesterday, I arrived home after completing a most extraordinary expedition, the experiences of which I have to share with you.
As I sit here at my desk, I find myself staring at a crystal skull that I’ve just purchased from a local New Age shop in town. It’s completely fake of course, not pure crystal, but it serves to remind me of the most unique experiences that I’ve encountered over the past six months. Why a crystal skull? The answer to that question lies in my recent trip to Central America, Mexico to be precise. The expedition was at first unplanned, but through an odd and mysterious communication from a collector of rare objects, I found myself embroiled in a mystifying tale. A tale that at first I found hard to believe, but as I was drawn deeper into it, I concluded from the experience that all was not as it seemed about Mankind’s prehistoric past. As a scientist, I found that all the evidence that I have uncovered so far has proved to be factual and provable. Yet, it is quite unnerving for me, and has left me open to ridicule from the scientific community. No other scientist on the planet would have believed me, except for my assistant Piers Anderson, who was with me at the time. The tale, if that is indeed the best term for it, tells of how our ancient ancestors were in a state of advancement that far exceeds our current knowledge. They were so advanced in the disciplines of the sciences, arts, philosophy and medicine, far in excess of what we arrogantly think that we possess today.
Unbelievable. Well, that’s what I thought at first. It wasn’t until I found myself in a position where my own life was endangered, that I truly sat up and took notice.
I used to live with my beloved wife Georgina, in a suburb of an old run down market town on the edge of Dartmoor, in the county of Devon, England. That is, until she was murdered. It wasn’t until I was away in Mexico that I learned of her death, but it was the way that I found out that proved to be most mysterious. I was enlightened by paranormal means, and by paranormal means I refer to a visit to the other side of life, that is death itself. Now that’s a freaky experience and definitely not one to be recommended until it’s your time.
Georgina and I had been married for some thirty years, and like most married couples, we had endured the trials and tribulations of life and everything that it threw at us, but none more so than when we lost our only daughter Fiona and her husband David, in a mysterious car crash two years ago. I say it was mysterious, because nobody was ever caught for causing the crash, a crash that shouldn’t have happened, and I know that the car was mechanically sound. What made it worse was the fact that they were driving our car at the time. We never came to terms with their deaths.
They both died from the fatal injuries they’d received, and since then we had tried to get back to normality, with moderate success. I devoted my life to my work, while Georgina devoted hers to the home. Don’t get me wrong. She was no drudge or downtrodden woman. It was just her way of trying to exorcise the pain that all mothers feel when their offspring die first. I tend to hide my feelings, and bury them deep. Things were never the same between us and it was a hard struggle, but we coped. We chose instead to lavish our love and affections on our two grandchildren, six year old Marcus and four year old Rebecca. Our love remained between ourselves, but it was distant.
I mentioned earlier about my friend and colleague whom I must admit, I rely upon entirely, purely because he is much younger than me. Piers Anderson. This man holds a doctorate in anthropology and archaeology and specialises in the study of the civilisations of Ancient Egypt and Northern Europe, whereas I tend to concentrate more on the other side of the pond. The American continent. Native American history to be more accurate.
Fortunately, I’m wealthy enough that I have no need to rely upon University resources, and through a friend of mine at the local University, I am lucky enough to hire a room and laboratory facilities. The package comes complete with an indispensable secretary.
So here’s the story. Six months ago, I was contacted by a very mysterious and shady character whose name is Francis Mortimer. This man is a collector of rare and ancient artefacts and antiques. It is his sole mission in life to collect and keep, purely for the pleasure of owning and gazing upon beautiful and ancient things. His resources appeared to be limitless, as did his desire to possess and he would stoop to any measure to get what he wanted.