The further adventures of Charlotte Holmes and her companion Dr Watan as they attempt to foil a rebellion. A melancholic Dr Watan tries to seek solace in marriage and accepts a proposal from a widow with a grossly deformed child; much to the annoyance of Charlotte. Charlotte must visit her husband's family and must also negotiate with the Viceroy as they threaten to confiscate the estates. Charlotte is charged with thwarting a rebellion in the Northern Territories, led by the Warlord Walid Khan who is using the emergence of a miracle child, The Mahdi, to start a Jihad. When circumstances turn against the British, Watan is obliged to accompany Charlotte to Peshawar, to learn the truth about the Mahdi; they find the Russians are in league with the Warlord and plan to invade British India from the North. An epic, perilous journey to the Khyber Pass to thwart foreign agents, foil a blood-thirsty Warlord and determine the provenance of a miracle child, prophesied to herald the End of the World.
A Postmodern re-imagining of the Great Detective as a traumatized polymath and an Indian doctor. Charlotte Holmes & Dr Watan investigate a new courtesan who may be a Maharaja's illegitimate daughter and Branwell stumbles upon a plot to assassinate the new King. Loyalties are tested and friendships are shattered in the conclusion of the Calcutta Quartet of the Charlotte Holmes Mysteries.
Charlotte Holmes, a brilliant polymath, and her companion Dr Watan, an Indian doctor, continue their adventures as they deal with a supernatural event and her pregnancy. Charlotte decides to undertake her confinement at Redoubt, her matrimonial home, but the pregnancy becomes dangerous for both mother and child when she is haunted by the ghost of her dead child. Maldehyde compels Branwell to apprehend the traitor Charles de Beque and he undertakes the quest with the aid of his guide Durga. Their perilous search leads them to a Chinese brothel, the murderous Wu Tu clan and a showdown with Charles de Beque over a gorge. Matters come to ahead when her husband and lover fight to be recognised as the father and they try to resolve the fallout from the Christmas Coup. A haunting defies rational explanation as Charlotte struggles with a difficult pregnancy whilst her brother pursues her treacherous husband & the paternity of the child proves problematic.
"With shades of Umberto Eco and Paul Auster, this brilliant, addictive adventure novel is about the search for a mythical lost city located somewhere in modern-day Iran. As a succession of explorers and shady characters dig deeper into the landscape, the ancient secret of Suolucidir is gradually revealed. This is brainy, escapist fiction at its best."--Publishers Weekly, Starred & Boxed Review "The author's prose is rich with winking allusions and sendups of modern tomb-raiding tropes, down to an explorer with 'a long stiff braid down her back.'"--The New Yorker " . . . cerebral, satirical, and entertaining archaeological thriller . . . this richly crafted and handsomely written novel rewards rereading."--David Cooper, New York Journal of Books "It's always a delight to discover a voice as original as Susan Daitch's."--Salman Rushdie "One of the most intelligent and attentive writers at work in the US today."--David Foster Wallace Indiana Jones meets Italo Calvino in a masterful, absurdist blend of biting social satire, rollicking adventure, invented history and mythology. A series of archeological expeditions unfolds through time, each one looking for the ruins of a fabled underground city-state that once flourished in a remote province near the border of present-day Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Sealed off for centuries by seismic activity, Suolucidir beckons with the promise of plunder and the glory of discovery, fantasies as varied as the imaginations of her aspiring modern-day conquerors. As the tumult of the twentieth century's great wars, imperial land grabs and anti-colonial revolutions swirl across its barren, deserted landscape, the ancient city remains entombed below the surface of the earth. A succession of adventurers, speculators and unsavory characters arrive in search of their prize, be it archeological treasure, oil, or evidence of crimes and punishments. Intrigue, conspiracies, and counter-plots abound, and contemporary events interfere with each expedition, whether in the form of the Axis advance, British Petroleum, or the Revolutionary Guards. People disappear, relics are stolen, and the city closes in upon itself once more. A satiric, post-colonial adventure story of mythic proportions, The Lost Civilization of Suolucidir takes place against a background of actual events, in a part of the world with a particular historical relationship to Russia and the West. But though we are treated to visual "evidence" of its actual existence, Suolucidir remains a mystery, perhaps an invention of those who seek it, a place where history and identity are subject to revision, and the boundaries between East and West are anything but solid, reliable, or predictable. Praise for The Lost Civilization of Suolucidir: "Susan Daitch has written a literary barnburner of epic proportions. The question buried at the core of The Lost Civilization of Suolucidir is one of empirical--or is the imperial?--knowledge itself. Her labyrinthine tale of archeological derring-do calls to mind both 1984 and 2666, and does so by looking backward in time as well as forward. It is also utterly original, the work of a visionary writer with an artistic sensibility all her own."--Andrew Ervin, author of Burning Down George Orwell's House "This is a novel of archeology and history, of mythology and empire, powered by an undeniable call to adventure and a deep yearning for understanding, written by a novelist who manages to surprise on nearly every page."--Matt Bell, author of Scrapper "Daitch's latest is a beguiling and virtuoso companion to our inevitable end: a novel that wrenches, sentence by fine sentence, some order from the chaos, while never shortchanging the chaos itself."--Mark Doten, author of The Infernal "Daitch's novel is Indiana Jones for the introspective crowd--a continual, thrilling, and harrowing search for historical treasures."--Michelle Anne Schingler, Foreword Reviews
This ground-breaking book contains contributions from 12 different religious traditions: Hinduism, African Traditional Religion, Judaism, Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Shintoism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Unitarianism and Bahá'í. Interfaith worship and prayer can be complex, but this book demonstrates that in a world of many cultures and religions, there is an urgent need for religions to come together with trust and communication, especially when there is a crisis. Full of insights and examples of practice, the book demonstrates how religions can be a powerful means of unity and compassion. The book opposes the 'clash of civilisations' model as a way of interpreting the world and promotes peace, hope, and the possibility of cooperation. Religious believers can be sincere and committed to their own faith, while recognising the need to stand firmly together with members of other religious traditions.
THE TEMPLE AND THE LOST TRIBES OF ISRAEL addresses two main prophecies that must occur before the return of Christ. First, the lost tribes of Israel must be located in order for all Israel to be saved. Second, Gentile Christians must help Israel build the Temple in its ancient and proper location. These two missions begin to bring all Israel to faith in Jesus. And so, all Israel will be Saved (Romans 11:26).
