Books like 'A Shield Against the Darkness'
Readers who enjoyed A Shield Against the Darkness by Todd Downing also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical alternate history action / adventure military, war & conflict military male-mc literary-fiction steampunk industrial-era
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The Sapphire Brooch by Katherine Lowry Logan
Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe long awaited sequel to the Kindle Time Travel Romance Bestseller THE RUBY BROOCH! The saga of the brooches continues in this Civil War Time Travel Romance... A Union soldier risks everything to save the life of Abraham Lincoln, while a Confederate surgeon races through time to preserve Lincoln’s Legacy. Reenactor Dr...Categorized as:
industrial-era military 19th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
![Forest of Foes by Matthew Harffy]()
Forest of Foes by Matthew Harffy
Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBeobrand finds himself caught between the perilous intrigues of royalty and the Church in this latest thrilling Bernicia Chronicles adventure. AD 652. Beobrand has been ordered to lead a group of pilgrims to the holy city of Rome. Chief among them is Wilfrid, a novice of the Church with some surprisingly important connections...Categorized as:
male-mc military action-adventure adult alternate-history ancient-civilization book fiction -
![The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay]()
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings...Categorized as:
literary-fiction male-mc military 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
![Operation Long Jump by William Peter Grasso]()
Operation Long Jump by William Peter Grasso
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsThe Allied invasion of Papua New Guinea begins. Badly.Alternative history takes center stage as Operation Long Jump, the second book in the Jock Miles World War 2 adventure series, plunges us into the horrors of combat in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea. As a prelude to the Allied invasion, Jock Miles and his men seize the Japanese observation post on the mountain overlooking Port Moresby...Categorized as:
male-mc military 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history book espionage -
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![Operation Easy Street by William Peter Grasso]()
Operation Easy Street by William Peter Grasso
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsPort Moresby was bad. Buna was worse.The WW2 alternative history adventure of Jock Miles continues as MacArthur orders American and Australian forces to seize Buna in Papua New Guinea. Once again, the Allied high command underestimates the Japanese defenders, plunging Jock and his men into a battle they’re not equipped to win... -
![Forged in Fire by Olan Thorensen]()
Forged in Fire by Olan Thorensen
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsTo forge: “Make or shape an object by heating in a fire or furnace and hammering.” —Oxford Dictionary Joseph Colsco has survived what many would not have—cast naked on an alien planet amidst humans speaking an unknown language and with a different culture and history... -
![The Confusion by Neal Stephenson]()
The Confusion by Neal Stephenson
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsIn the year 1689, a cabal of Barbary galley slaves -- including one Jack Shaftoe, aka King of the Vagabonds, aka Half-Cocked Jack -- devises a daring plan to win freedom and fortune. A great adventure ensues -- a perilous race for an enormous prize of silver ... nay, gold ... nay, legendary gold... -
![Goliath by Scott Westerfeld]()
Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsAlek and Deryn are abroad the Leviathan when the ship is ordered to pick up an unusual passenger. This brilliant/maniacal inventor claims to have a weapon called Goliath that can end the war. But whose side is he really on?While on their top-secret mission, Alek finally discovers Deryn's deeply kept secret. Two, actually. Not only is Deryn a girl disguised as a guy...she has feelings for Alek... -
![The Guns of Empire by Django Wexler]()
The Guns of Empire by Django Wexler
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsAs the “audacious and subversive”* Shadow Campaigns novels continue, the weather is growing warmer, but the frosty threat of Vordan’s enemies is only growing worse..Categorized as:
industrial-era male-mc military steampunk action-adventure adult alpha-mc alternate-history -
![White Horizon by T.K. Blackwood]()
White Horizon by T.K. Blackwood
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsThe year is 1992.The Soviet Blitzkrieg in Germany has been beaten to a bloody halt along the Rhine River. The Reds rush masses of teenage conscripts and rusty reservists to the front, while NATO scrambles to mount a killing blow against their reeling nemesis.The flames of war spread north to Scandinavia, embroiling Sweden and threatening Norway...Categorized as:
military dystopia fiction war thriller alternate-history historical action-adventure -
![The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher]()
The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsJim Butcher, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Dresden Files and the Codex Alera novels, conjures up a new series set in a fantastic world of noble families, steam-powered technology, and magic-wielding warriors…Since time immemorial, the Spires have sheltered humanity, towering for miles over the mist-shrouded surface of the world... -
![Operation Fishwrapper by William Peter Grasso]()
Operation Fishwrapper by William Peter Grasso
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsJune 1944: A recon flight is shot down over the Japanese-held island of Biak, soon to be the next jump in MacArthur’s leapfrogging across New Guinea. Major Jock Miles, US Army—the crashed plane’s intelligence officer—must lead the handful of survivors to safety. It’s a tall order for a man barely recovered from a near-crippling leg wound... -
![Long Walk To The Sun by William Peter Grasso]()
Long Walk To The Sun by William Peter Grasso
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIn this alternate history adventure set in WW2’s early days, a crippled US military struggles to defend vulnerable Australia against the unstoppable Japanese forces. When a Japanese regiment lands on Australia’s desolate and undefended Cape York Peninsula, Jock Miles, a US Army captain disgraced despite heroic actions at Pearl Harbor, is ordered to locate the enemy’s elusive command post... -
![Project 19 by Matt Jackson, James Rosone]()
Project 19 by Matt Jackson, James Rosone
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratings. What if Saddam Hussein ……hadn’t stopped with Kuwait?Project 19 might have worked.No one knows how close Iraq came to invading Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. They wanted their money, and Saddam wanted revenge. In a world where the USSR ran a lend-lease program with the Iraqis, Saddam felt emboldened... -
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![The Philosopher's War by Tom Miller]()
The Philosopher's War by Tom Miller
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe second book in the thrilling series that began with The Philosopher’s Flight finds Robert Canderelli Weekes as a rookie Rescue and Evacuation flier on the front lines of World War I in France. He came to save lives, but has no idea how far he’ll have to go to win the war... -
![Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld]()
Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 43 ratingsThe behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker powers.Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt... -
![The Rising by Ian Tregillis]()
The Rising by Ian Tregillis
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsThe second book in the Alchemy Wars trilogy by Ian Tregillis, an epic tale of liberation and war. Jax, a rogue Clakker, has wreaked havoc upon the Clockmakers' Guild by destroying the Grand Forge. Reborn in the flames, he must begin his life as a free Clakker, but liberation proves its own burden... -
![Odalisque: The Baroque Cycle #3 by Neal Stephenson]()
Odalisque: The Baroque Cycle #3 by Neal Stephenson
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThe trials of Dr. Daniel Waterhouse and the Natural Philosophers increase one hundredfold in an England plagued by the impending war and royal insecurities -- as the beautiful and ambitious Eliza plays a most dangerous game as double agent and confidante of enemy kings...Categorized as:
industrial-era military steampunk 21st-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
![To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis]()
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsConnie Willis' Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Doomsday Book uses time travel for a serious look at how people connect with each other. In this Hugo-winning companion to that novel, she offers a completely different kind of time travel adventure: a delightful romantic comedy that pays hilarious homage to Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat... -
![1637: No Peace Beyond the Line by Eric Flint, Charles E. Gannon]()
1637: No Peace Beyond the Line by Eric Flint, Charles E. Gannon
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsTHE BATTLE FOR THE NEW WORLD IS A FIGHT TO THE FINISH! A NEW RING OF FIRE NOVEL BY BEST-SELLING WRITING TEAM ERIC FLINT AND CHARLES E. GANNONA New Day in the New WorldIt’s 1637 in the Caribbean. Commander Eddie Cantrell and his ally and friend Admiral Martin Tromp start it off with some nasty surprises for Spain, whose centuries-long exploitation and rapine of the New World has run unchecked...Categorized as:
industrial-era military steampunk action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe book -
![Straits of Power by Joe Buff]()
Straits of Power by Joe Buff
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsThe next world war rages. With the Allies at a stalemate with the Berlin-Boer Axis, every battle takes on a new significance. But in a conflict fought with billion-dollar technology and campaigns comprising millions of soldiers, the outcome may rest in the hands of a single man .. -
![The Campaigners by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles]()
The Campaigners by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings1815: Napoleon's escape from Elba and the preparations for battle entangle the Morland family in a web of romance and heartbreak. The Allied Army is gathering in Flanders, and where the army is, the fashionable world must go - so London society hastens to Brussels to enjoy the most exhilarating Season ever...Categorized as:
industrial-era military action-adventure adult alternate-history book breakup domestic-drama -
![The Regency by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles]()
The Regency by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings1807: the Napoleonic Wars continue and their violence reverberates in the lives of the Morland family. Lucy, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her lover, Captain Weston, is thrown into doubt and confusion by an unexpected proposal of marriage. At Morland Place, the hard-won happiness of James and Heloise is threatened by his rebellious daughter, Fanny...Categorized as:
industrial-era military action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book breakup -
![The Victory by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles]()
The Victory by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratings1803: Napoleon is poised to invade England, with only Nelson's weather-beaten ships in his way, but the French fleet are not the only threat to the fortunes of the Morland family. In the North of England, Mary Ann's relationship with the missionary, Father Rathbone, introduces her to the stark realities of life in plague-torn Manchester...Categorized as:
industrial-era military action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book breakup -
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![The Flood-Tide: The Morland Dynasty, Book 9 by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles]()
The Flood-Tide: The Morland Dynasty, Book 9 by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratings1772: Although George III reigns over a peaceful England, his colonies in the Americas are claiming independence and a tide of revolutionary fervour is gripping France. Allen Morland and his beloved wife Jemima work unstintingly to bring Morland Plce back to its former glory. Their seven children often bring them heartache, but they are sustained by their love of each other...Categorized as:
industrial-era military action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book epic -
![The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne]()
The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsFrom the author of The Absolutist, a propulsive novel of the Russian Revolution and the fate of the Romanovs. Part love story, part historical epic, part tragedy, The House of Special Purpose illuminates an empire at the end of its reign. Eighty-year-old Georgy Jachmenev is haunted by his past—a past of death, suffering, and scandal that will stay with him until the end of his days... -
![Firestorm by Taylor Anderson]()
Firestorm by Taylor Anderson
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 26 ratingsLieutenant Commander Matthew Reddy and the crew of the USS Walker find themselves caught between the nation they swore to defend and the allies they promised to protect...Categorized as:
industrial-era military steampunk 20th-century action-adventure adult aliens alternate-history -
![All Clear by Connie Willis]()
All Clear by Connie Willis
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsIn Blackout, award-winning author Connie Willis returned to the time-traveling future of 2060—the setting for several of her most celebrated works—and sent three Oxford historians to World War II England: Michael Davies, intent on observing heroism during the Miracle of Dunkirk; Merope Ward, studying children evacuated from London; and Polly Churchill, posing as a shopgirl in the middle of the... -
![League of Dragons by Naomi Novik]()
League of Dragons by Naomi Novik
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 33 ratingsThe final adventure in the New York Times bestselling Temeraire series that started with the beloved His Majesty’s Dragon which has won fans of Napoleonic-era military history, Anne McCaffrey’s Pern novels, and Patrick O’Brian’s seafaring adventures.The deadly campaign in Russia has cost both Napoleon and those allied against him. Napoleon has been denied his victory…but at a terrible price... -
![Team Yankee by Harold Coyle]()
Team Yankee by Harold Coyle
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsNATO and the Soviet bloc are at war. The awesome Russian invasion force smashes across the West German border, driving for a breakthrough. With M-1 tanks and a mechanized infantry division, Captian Sean Bannon's "Team Yankee" must defend their vital strategic post. They will engage the enemy with the ultimate in sophisticated weaponry...Categorized as:
literary-fiction military 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
![Maid of Baikal by Preston Fleming]()
Maid of Baikal by Preston Fleming
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsWhat if a Siberian Joan of Arc had rescued the White Armies at a critical point of the Russian Civil War in 1919? MAID OF BAIKAL offers an alternative outcome to that war through the intervention of Zhanna Dorokhina, a young woman from the shores of Siberia’s Lake Baikal...Categorized as:
literary-fiction military 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history book fiction -
![Fields of Gold by Shelley Adina]()
Fields of Gold by Shelley Adina
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsBook 12 in the Magnificent Devices steampunk series!If a wedding won’t stop a war, what will?Gloria Meriwether-Astor’s belief in doing the right thing has carried her across the world and through dangers that would have felled a lesser woman. She believed that if she married the dashing Captain Fremont, she could approach the Viceroy of the Royal Kingdom of Spain and the Californias with impunity...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book female-mc fiction -
![Son of Ishtar by Gordon Doherty]()
Son of Ishtar by Gordon Doherty
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsFour sons. One throne. A world on the precipice. 1315 BC: Tensions soar between the great powers of the Late Bronze Age. The Hittites stand toe-to-toe with Egypt, Assyria and Mycenaean Ahhiyawa, and war seems inevitable. More, the fierce Kaskan tribes – age-old enemies of the Hittites – amass at the northern borders... -
![Time of Trial by Michael Pryor]()
Time of Trial by Michael Pryor
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsIn the fourth book of this utterly addictive series, magical genius Aubrey Fitzwilliam is heading deep into the heart of enemy territoryluckily, with his friends by his side It may look like a simple wire device, but the Beccaria Cage could be the cure for Aubrey's condition: a way to reunite his body and soul. But can Aubrey solve its mysteries while Dr...Categorized as:
industrial-era military steampunk action-adventure alternate-history book fiction historical -
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![Word of Honour by Michael Pryor]()
Word of Honour by Michael Pryor
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsSinister plots, schemes within schemes, magical upheavals, and a world to save from evil. As always, Aubrey goes looking for trouble--and finds it, in spades.Magical genius Aubrey Fitzwilliam, along with his loyal friend George, is trying to immerse himself in his new life at university. But for Aubrey life is never straightforward...Categorized as:
industrial-era military steampunk action-adventure alternate-history book children-books family -
![Colossus by Colin Falconer, Alexander Cole]()
Colossus by Colin Falconer, Alexander Cole
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsa novel of Alexander the Great (EPIC HISTORICAL FICTION)A sweeping tale of courage, honor, and betrayal in the army of Alexander the GreatBabylon, 323 BC. Alexander the Great has survived every effort to kill him. Restless, ruthless, he wonders which world to conquer next. He has a powerful new weapon—the war elephants he brought back from India... -
![On The Rocks by Peter Rhodan]()
On The Rocks by Peter Rhodan
Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCaptain Arturo Sanders was having a bad day. First the routine destruction of some ancient automatic defence batteries became a disaster when his ship’s screens failed and he had no choice to abandon ship. Then he had to rescue two left behind crew people which meant he missed the main shuttle evacuation leaving him and his two companions in a shuttle on their own at the rear...Categorized as:
male-mc military action-adventure adult alternate-history ancient-civilization arthurian book -
![How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It by K.J. Parker]()
How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It by K.J. Parker
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThis is the story of how the City was saved, by Notker the professional liar, written down because eventually the truth always seeps through.The City may be under siege, but everyone still has to make a living. Take Notker, the acclaimed playwright, actor and impresario. Nobody works harder, even when he's not working... -
![The Coldest War by Ian Tregillis]()
The Coldest War by Ian Tregillis
Rated: 4.06 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSomeone is killing Britain's warlocks.Twenty-two years after the Second World War, a precarious balance of power maintains the peace between Great Britain and the USSR. For decades, the warlocks have been all that stand between the British Empire and the Soviet Union-- a vast domain stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the shores of the English Channel...Categorized as:
industrial-era military steampunk 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history apocalyptic -
![Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine]()
Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.05 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWords can kill. Hoarding all the knowledge of the world, the Great Library jealously guards its secrets. But now a group of rebels poses a dangerous threat to its tyranny… Jess Brightwell and his band of exiles have fled London, only to find themselves imprisoned in Philadelphia, a city led by those who would rather burn books than submit... -
![Sharpe's Triumph by Bernard Cornwell]()
Sharpe's Triumph by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 36 ratingsRichard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803India, 1803. Sergeant Richard Sharpe witnesses a murderous act of treachery by an English officer who has defected from the East India Company to join the mercenary army of the Mahratta Confederation...Categorized as:
industrial-era military 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook book -
![Rebirth by Craig Zerf]()
Rebirth by Craig Zerf
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsWill you survive? A series of solar flares smash the world back into the Dark Ages. Chaos follows. Millions die in the post-apocalyptic aftermath.One man is changed by the radiation. Marine Sergeant Hogan. Turning him into a superhuman being. Faster, stronger and able to create magic.He has become - The Forever Man. Oorah!But even he is not ready for what happens next...Categorized as:
industrial-era military steampunk action-adventure aliens alternate-history apocalyptic audiobook -
![Mud, Blood, and Magic by A.D. Krabis]()
Mud, Blood, and Magic by A.D. Krabis
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLife doesn't always go according to plan. For ex-CIA Agent Samuel Caulfield, his plans were ripped out from under him after a chance encounter in a firefight.One deal with a dark goddess later, and he's cast into the trenches of a Victorian world, with clashing empires, Elves, Dwarves, Dragons, and more... -
![His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik]()
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
Rated: 4.03 of 5 stars · 71 ratingsAerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors ride mighty fighting dragons, bred for size or speed. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes the precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Captain Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future – and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature... -
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![Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine]()
Paper and Fire by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsLet the world burn.With an iron fist, the Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion and, in the name of the greater good, forbidding the personal ownership of books.Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like he envisioned... -
![Island in the Sea of Time by S.M. Stirling]()
Island in the Sea of Time by S.M. Stirling
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratings"Utterly engaging...a page-turner that is certain to win the author legions of new readers and fans."--George R. R. Martin, author of A Game of ThronesIt's spring on Nantucket and everything is perfectly normal, until a sudden storm blankets the entire island. When the weather clears, the island's inhabitants find that they are no longer in the late twentieth century.. -
![Against the Tide of Years by S.M. Stirling]()
Against the Tide of Years by S.M. Stirling
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsIn the years since the Event, the Republic of Nantucket has done its best to recreate the better ideas of the modern age. But the evils of its time resurface in the person of William Walker, renegade Coast Guard officer, who is busy building an empire for himself based on conquest by technology... -
![Skykeep by Joseph R. Lallo]()
Skykeep by Joseph R. Lallo
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt has taken some adjustment, but Nita Graus has made quite a home for herself among the crew of the Wind Breaker. Under her skillful care it has become one of the only airships to stay aloft without the continuous repair and oversight of the vile and manipulative fug folk...Categorized as:
industrial-era steampunk action-adventure alpha-mc alternate-history apocalyptic audiobook book -
![Necessary Evil by Ian Tregillis]()
Necessary Evil by Ian Tregillis
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 16 ratings12 May 1940. Westminster, London, England: the early days of World War II.Again.Raybould Marsh, one of "our" Britain's best spies, has travelled to another Earth in a desperate attempt to save at least one timeline from the Cthulhu-like monsters who have been observing our species from space and have already destroyed Marsh's timeline...Categorized as:
industrial-era military steampunk 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history apocalyptic -
![Origins by Mark Henrikson]()
Origins by Mark Henrikson
Rated: 4.00 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsA group of archaeologists make new discoveries about Egypt's past. Recorded history of the Great Pyramid, Sphinx, even Moses and the slave exodus to the Promised Land are drawn into question as they unravel the mysteries they find. A man in a psychiatric hospital may be the key to it all...
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