The first cut of this novel is complete.  I'm working on the second cut.

The Shadow of Light is the conclusion of the Aegypt novels for this month.  I left myself an out to write another, but the denouement in this novel provides a fulfilling conclusion to the series.  This novel follows Lumière from 1953 to 1959.  It is mostly set in America, Britain, and China.  The obvious focus is China in the cold war.  Because of the timing, the real world events don't end as well, but the other-worldly events fit nicely.  This is a book of high adventure mixed with poignant romance, mystery, and spy novel high jinks.  This novel really fleshes out the character of Aleksandr.  It doesn't add anything you don't know to Lumière's character, but you get more of her.  I love the character of Lumière.  I can't imagine a more perfect yet tragic being.

Here is a small touch of the theme of all the novels.  How would you conclude a goddess would act in the real world.  Depends on how you see a goddess's character.  I tried to portray the character of Leora as compelling, beautiful, perfect, black and white, loving, triumphant, but with a couple of flaws based on her powers and character.  She can't remain were the sun is covered in the sky.  This is a character of her power.  She loses the ability to be as she should be under these circumstances.  She loves and her love causes her pain and suffering because of who and shat she is.

Now, imagine a goddess in the same vein as Leora who is damaged emotionally and spiritually.  She has all the positive characteristics of Leora, but cannot imagine herself as good or perfect in any way.  She achieves, but her achievements don't seem to resonate in her.  She is great and others se her greatness, but she can't see these positive qualities.  This is Lumière.  Her powers are somewhat limited, but she is much more powerful than her mother and much more powerful than her aunt.

The goddess of darkness is somewhat one-dimensional.  I did try to show her personality in The Goddess of Darkness.  You see this in the dream sequences and in the interaction with Lumière.  She is a pretty bad being, but this should make sense.  A goddess like her would compel in similar ways to the goddess of light.  She would be beautiful (all of them possess unworldly beauty).  She would attract and people would desire her.  She would love the things of darkness and these provide her fatal flaw.  The flaw of evil is that it ultimately causes others to reject it.  It looks beautiful at first, but it's actions cause men of sober (spiritually aware) minds to reject it.  

The tragedy of Lumière Bolang has become a new hope for her.  She has escaped the clutches of the Soviet Union.  She is safe in America and reunited with her family.  She is with the love of her life, Aleksandr. 

Length of Novel:

121,000 words

Keywords and Market Focus:

Fiction, Egypt, Ancient Egypt, Cold War, China, Mao, Dragon, Yinglong, MI, British Foreign Office, Russia, Tomb, Suspense, Mummy, Archeology, Mystery, Germany, France, Britain, Moscow, Stalin, NKVD, SMERSh, MGB, MVD, Beria, Abakumov, Orthodox Church; will fascinate anyone interested in mystery and suspense—will appeal particularly to those who enjoy archeological historical mystery and suspense novels.

Genre:

Fiction Suspense

Synopsis: 

Lumière Bolang once had purpose and the ability to see that purpose through. She once had power and a calling and a man who loved her. Now, she has nothing. Since she defected with her love Aleksandr, the State Department took her tablet, her work, and all that made her who she was. Lumière never loved herself, but she could once achieve what she was called to do. Now, she believes she is nothing.

Aleksandr was her love. He believed in her and stuck with her through everything. He knows Lumière’s every secret. Lumière unintentionally sends him away. He loved her so much, and now she chases away her greatest comfort and help.

Lumière is the daughter of the goddess of light and her warrior. What this means is that she controls immense power of a spiritual dimension. This power is embodied in her many extraordinary human skills and her tablet. Using the tablet, she can control healing and the forces of light and night. She also controls a servant, Oba. Her purpose is to seek and destroy, Leila, the goddess of darkness, her mother’s twin. Leila influenced Hitler, Stalin, and now Mao. Lumière was attempting to travel to China to seek Leila when she and Aleksandr were forced to leave the Soviet Union.
 

Lumière cannot stay in America, the Americans think she is, at best, a double agent and, at worst, an outright spy. Bruce Lyons gives her a job in “the organization.” Because of her Chinese language expertise, Lumière works as a secretary in the Chinese division of the British Foreign Office and reports to “the organization.” In this capacity, she aids internal and external intelligence for the British.
 

Her intelligence operative status becomes evident when she meets Aleksandr in Geneva. He is a Chinese translator for the Americans, and is now engaged. Lumière pours out her heart to him, in Russian, in public, and accidentally identifies herself to the KGB. He rejects her overture. Lumière and Aleksandr are both kidnapped. The KGB wants to take them back to stand trial as traitors, but Aleksandr convinces them to let Lumière go. They release her, but retain Aleksandr to ensure Lumière’s compliance.
 

What the KGB doesn’t realize is the level that Lumière is working. When she reports everything to “the organization,” they use the opportunity to gather intelligence. Lumière realizes, the time may come when she must choose between Aleksandr’s life and British security. In spite of Aleksandr’s rejection, Lumière still loves him. When Oba returns with Lumière’s tablet, she sends him to rescue Aleksandr.
 

Now, Lumière has purpose. She has a means of seeking the goddess of darkness through the Foreign Office connections to China. She watches Oba rescue and bring Aleksandr back to England. She has a position in “the organization.” There is hope for her to succeed and she may be able to defeat Leila. She may succeed, if only she can win back Aleksandr’s love, seek Leila, and prevent the KGB from taking her captive again.
 

Author's reviewer’s quotes: 

Fantastic conclusion to the Aegypt novels—or is it. The Shadow of Light mixes the Cold War with ancient China in a marvelous brew of excitement, adventure, and intrigue.

Lumière Bolang is a character that you can’t stop loving. She unintentionally conspires to turn her own world upside down, but at each incident, you can’t help cheer for her and hope everything turns out right.

This spy novel is dazzling. It is filled with twists and turns, mysteries ancient and modern. It makes Indiana Jones look like a bumpkin. Adventure and suspense fill this novel from beginning to end.
 

Short descriptive teasers: