The Griffin in the Valley

About the Book

Australian journalist Leo Castella receives word that his father is in a coma after an assault on the streets of Palermo, and promptly boards a flight to Italy. The emblem of a griffin has been left as a warning and becomes a recurring theme.

In Sicily he meets a cousin who is a Cistercian monk belonging to a group who've found remarkable ancient Greek artifacts, inscribed with advanced scientific formulae. He is taken to Agrigento and introduced to other project workers who show him the mysterious carvings.

He falls in love with one of the team, Rosie, a beautiful young antique dealer. After touring the Valley of the Temples, they narrowly avoid injury from an explosion in an ambush. Treacherous behaviour is afoot in the race to interpret the archaic messages, and suspects include the monks, the Vatican, the Mafia and academics from the local university.

A long lost relative shows up with information about a subterranean chamber in the Valley of the Temples, and an ancient sage who had built a device to harness cosmic rays. Only Leo learns the secret of activating the apparatus. A siege leads to a kidnapping, ending in a rescue operation by undercover police who have been observing proceedings with interest. Back in Palermo, the old man emerges from his coma. The traitor is identified as part of an organization they had least suspected, and is caught with the help of government agents after a boat chase leading to the island of Ustica.

The characters grapple with moral issues of power and financial gain, ownership and the possible misuse of the newfound cosmic energy in the wrong hands. At the last minute, new information is uncovered which suggests that their unique source of power has far greater potential than they had ever imagined.

About the Author

Paul Young was born in Melbourne, Australia on March 17th, 1953. His career as an international shipping agent provided ample opportunity to travel and he has spent much of the past twenty years living and working in Asia. While actively exploring his interest in mysticism he simultaneously developed his passion for writing. He wrote and self-published his first book, The Sign of the Quatrefoil, without any formal training, but has since completed his diploma with The Writing School of Sydney. Th Griffin in the Valley and its sequel, which is currently being written, reflects a fascination with the ancient Golden Age, and a belief that modern-day technology has still not caught up with the scientific knowledge possessed by the mystery schools of old. Paul continues to develop his skills as a writer of fiction, while at the same time maintaining his investigations into the esoteric realms.