Quest of the Lost Wisdoms (Neural Paradox Series Book 1)

The Quest of the Lost Wisdoms

Two hundred and twenty years after the Yellowstone Caldera reshaped the world, the greatest treasures of the old age have not been destroyed. They have been hidden.

Pierce Newfounder was once a brilliant scientist, broken by a catastrophic accident and saved by the very technology he created. Fused with machine and changed forever, he vanished as civilization collapsed, retreating to a forgotten island where he guards the Lost Wisdoms—over a million preserved books believed gone from the earth.

But the High Seas are no place for secrets. Ruthless steampunk pirates, led by Thorn MechSentinel, seek Pierce’s technology and the power it could bring. When Pierce rescues a wounded young woman and is drawn back into the world he abandoned, he must face the past, his calling, and the question he has avoided for centuries: was wisdom meant to be protected in silence, or shared to help heal a broken world?

A Christian steampunk fantasy adventure of mystery, redemption, found family, and enduring faith, The Quest of the Lost Wisdoms begins Evelyn Inkwell’s Neural Paradox series with a story where grace survives in steel and smoke.

Start the journey into the Neural Paradox series with The Quest of the Lost Wisdoms.

Excerpt from the book

“Captain’s Log, The Grand Tortuga.

April 27th, 2342.

I, Ulrich Mune Vinhover, have been assigned the task of locating the lost vessel The Devil’s Jewel. Its last radio contact was on December 11th, 2341. The ship was scheduled to arrive at St. Morgan’s Wharf two weeks later. Over the past four months, search parties have been deployed by both air and sea—none have succeeded in finding the vessel.

Ulrich sighed and leaned back, letting his hand rest. Writing these logs was tedious work. He belonged on deck, not hunched over a creaky desk.

“I saw you lift the pen from all the way down the hall,” came a familiar voice from the doorway, “and you’ve already set it down?”

Father Louis Thompson—better known to Ulrich as The Great Irritation—leaned casually against the doorframe. They’d been friends since boyhood, much to Ulrich’s current regret.

“How about you hook a mic to my collar and transcribe my orders?” Ulrich muttered, rubbing his eyes.

The Anglican chuckled. “Father Raori’s eyes are far too pure for a vocabulary like yours.” He took the only other chair in the cabin. “But don’t forget—convenience nearly destroyed us once. Remember Captain Vacuum Cleaner?”

Ulrich groaned, eyes snapping open. “Out of my cabin, you—!” He stopped himself just in time.

Thompson only laughed harder. “You know Christ was with you long before I was.”

“Out! Before I keelhaul you,” Ulrich grumbled, turning back to the logbook.

The skies are clear, the sea is calm, and I anticipate a successful recovery of the crew and/or cargo of The Devil’s Jewel.

Of course, to his superiors, “crew and cargo” meant one thing: a young woman who carried secrets of the past—secrets powerful enough that, if lost, humanity would be condemned to repeat the sins of its ancestors.

He’d written enough. Leaving the pen in the crease, he closed the journal and pushed it aside to reveal his map. A quick glance confirmed their course. He stepped out onto the deck with a triumphant gait. The morning sun brought with it the scent of coal smoke from the engine boilers, mingling with the salty tang of the sea.

Their heading was the edge of the dreaded Bermuda Triangle. After the brutal winter last year, The Devil’s Jewel had likely been forced to beach on one of its isolated islands.

“Captain!”

The radioman approached, a hint of tension in his stride.

“Someone’s onto us.”

Ulrich adjusted his sun spectacles. “Of course they are. Everyone wants what was on The Devil’s Jewel.”

“Orders, sir?”

“Can you trace the interference?”

“Afraid not, Captain Vinhover.”

“That’s fine. Put it on automatic. Let’s see where it leads.”

The radioman blinked. “Sir?”

“Whoever’s intercepting our transmissions might have a better idea where the Jewel is than we do.”

“Think they’ll beat us to it?”

At that, Ulrich grinned. “If they could, they wouldn’t be trailing us.” He turned back toward the rail.

“Keep watch. If they come close enough for a parley…” He smiled slyly. “Blast them into the abyss.”