Philosopher's Crystal: Treacherous Terrain of Tassatarius

Book excerpt: A fantastical time traveling journey bringing to life some of the world's great philosophers and exotic locals as two young lovers flee an Emperor and secrets that must be revealed. A feast for the curious reader. Bruce Lee Bond, author of Treasures of the Night, The Broken Coast, Girls Gone South, and The Babysitter Twenty-year-old Philip lives alone in an authoritarian country, his parents arrested after the imperial police find a secret notebook in their apartment. Then one evening Philip meets an uncommon girl, her name Julia, possibly on the run from the police, or sent to him as a secret agent by the state. Despite his concerns, he offers to put her up for the night. In the morning a mysterious person knocks on his door and advises him to escape immediately. This is how the couple's strange, paradoxical and hazardous journey begins, leading Philip and Julia in a quest through time to the collapsing Roman empire, the 17th century Amsterdam and the medieval Indian jungle. During their travel they meet famous philosophers who confront the couple with existential questions - only to find that the answers Philip and Julia discover will help them face the ultimate danger.