In the days before the Great War, forces of light clashed against the dark order of Thule in a war of shadows. Darkness covered the land, and the kingdom fell into the annals of time. Inspired by H. Rider Haggard’s novel SHE, Richard Monaco weaves a tale of a young aviator who rediscovers the lost kingdom that belonged to the mystic and immortal goddess Ayesha. He and the beautiful goddess must defend her home and its secrets from evil men, whose ideas would help found the Nazi regime. The world may not know it, but the war has begun, and it is coming for us all. A unique merger of historical fact and imaginative fiction, Richard Monaco’s Journey to the Flame is a gripping historical fantasy adventure. “Captivating…” – Associated Press “Epic scope…” – Los Angeles Sunday Times “Monaco’s dialogue and meditations are often salty and fresh … a restless, strenuous rumination on civilization’s death and resurrection…” – Kirkus Reviews “Worth waiting for. Often bawdy and raw…” – Publishers Weekly “Monaco recreates the taste, touch, smell and sound of the knightly world in reality, not romance … he succeeds brilliantly…” – Library Journal “Monaco presents dark, tormented tales … not for the weak-hearted.” – Fantasy Newsletter “an instant classic.” – Salisbury Times “… unbelievably talented … a literary miracle…” – Drogin Book Column “… offers a worthy inclusion in the enduring and ever-expanding Arthurian literature.” – King Features Syndicate Richard Monaco wrote the best-selling Parsival novels, 1977-2012, two of which were Pulitzer finalists. In addition he wrote over a dozen other books, plays, and screenplays. Monaco studied musical composition at Columbia, edited a national student newspaper and a poetry magazine, and had a radio talk show based on his textbook The Logic of Poetry. In 1979 he co-founded a NYC literary agency and the online journal, Grand Central Review, in 2015.