THE "CREEPING BARRAGE" OF THE BRITISH ARTILLERY ...

THE "CREEPING BARRAGE" OF THE BRITISH ARTILLERY AT THE SOMME awoke Freddie's older self early one morning on July 1, 1916. This Princess von Anhalt, the one of 19 years, had lived with the German infantry troops during the many days of nonstop shelling begun much earlier on June 24. She did not have to endure it. She chose to do so, to know the unspeakable horrors and catastrophe that Paganini spoke of, and thereby finally understand his fanatical aversion to the world wars of the 20th century.
    Were they as terrible and pointless as he depicted?
    The answer was yes, a thousand times, and a thousand times more, far more terrible and pointless than could ever be dreamed. Tens of millions dead, and even after just one hour of head-bursting explosions quivering the earth, she realized, as she squatted in a stuffy and dark concrete bunker with a small group of terrified men, that all her magic and wisdom acquired to this point in her life had not prepared her. All her struggles with dark forces, face to face, like flea bites compared to the roaring black plague of World War I in Europe.

"War of The World Makers" Summary

War of The World Makers 
89,352 words
Adult Fantasy - YA Crossover
 
In a millenium-long time war to alter the fate of the 20th century and save humanity from extinction in the 21st, World Makers Czarina Catherine II and the Princess von Anhalt team with violinist Niccolo Paganini to defeat an implacable and ancient foe, the most brilliant mind to ever invent the future: Leonardo da Vinci. But not the Da Vinci of common legend. This Da Vinci is immortal, the son of a being who fell from the stars, and one inspired by the philosopher Nietzsche to combine his technological genius with ultimate magic power to create a new world order of The Overman.

From 1743 Prussia to 1898 Tibet to 2238 Dubai to 1227 Mongolia, and finally, to the bloody Battle of The Somme in 1916, the time war rages. The Princess and Czarina, together with the man they both love, the spell crafter Zolo Bold, use their power of magical aria and yarrow sorcery to battle not only Da Vinci and his elite force, the Dio Soldati, but also his cadre of sorcerous henchmen that includes Theodora of Byzantium and Zoltan Gur, a warlock prince of Mongolia. If the Czarina and Paganini's allies fail in their mission to create a new time stream, the dominoes will fall to Da Vinci’s benefit in the early 21st century, enabling him to realize his tragic vision of a "superior" human race, as well as political dominion over all nations.

WAR OF THE WORLD MAKERS portrays the dark ground of war time emotion, betrayal and sacrifice, and challenges readers to consider the ways in which the borders between good and evil often become indistinguishable in the context of great power and responsibility.

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