a single unifying mythos - Children of the Fifth Sun by Gareth Worthington

"Pulling no punches, the brilliant mind and craftsmanship of Worthington transported me to a whole other world, turning pages well into the night. Transfixed by the journey through stunning human mythology, and complex characters which became eerily familiar, the storytelling nails science fiction at it's most crucial crossover into suspenseful thriller."- Bella, Goodreads

Description:

Published: July 25th, 2017 

Thousands of years ago, an ancient species from the sea saved humanity; now a cocky, free-diving photographer tortured by his past is the unlikely hero who must save the last of their kind from a global race between nations to control the creature’s power.

IN ALMOST EVERY BELIEF SYSTEM ON EARTH, there exists a single unifying mythos: thousands of years ago a great flood devastated the Earth’s inhabitants. From the ruins of this cataclysm, a race of beings emerged from the sea bestowing knowledge and culture upon humanity, saving us from our selfish drive toward extinction. Some say this race were “ancient aliens” who came to assist our evolution. But what if they weren’t alien at all? What if they evolved right here on Earth, alongside humans . . . and they are still here? And, what if the World’s governments already know?

Kelly Graham is a narcissistic, self-assured, freelance photographer specializing in underwater assignments. While on a project in the Amazon with his best friend, Chris D'Souza, a mysterious and beautiful government official, Freya Nilsson, enters Kelly’s life and turns it upside down. Her simple request to retrieve a strange object from deep underwater puts him in the middle of an international conspiracy. A conspiracy that threatens to change the course of human history.

GUEST POST

Ever heard of Quetzalcoatl? Of course, you have. How about Viracocha? Maybe. How about Oannes? Thoth? Perhaps. What you may not know, is these ancient deities, from very different parts of the world, are described in very similar ways. 

A single unifying mythos links the Mayan’s, the Inca’s, the Babylonians, the Egyptians, and other ancient cultures: there was a great, world-ending, flood. After this cataclysm, knowledge bringers came from the sea and gifted humanity with intelligence and civility. The names I list above are just a few by which these knowledge bringers are known. 

Viracocha. (Image from Wikipedia.)

While this is perhaps an over simplification, and authors such as Graham Hancock have covered the topic extensively, one thing stood out to me more than anything. The stories handed down over generations had to be translated into the language of those who had explored (read: conquered) those lands. Translations can be tricky. 

So, while often the knowledge bringers are described by the explorers as pale men with beards who came from the sea, very few drawings, carvings, or statues by the local people ever depict them as human. In fact, they are often more animal like – amphibious even. Quetzalcoatl, for example, is a plumed serpent, not a man. 

If this is true, then who says the knowledge bringers had to be human at all? And no, they didn’t have to be alien either. What if they were a non-humanoid species that evolved on Earth alongside humans? Indeed, it is perhaps arrogant to assume that any race that is intelligent should be even bipedal. 

Oannes. (Image from Wikipedia.)

The notion of what intelligence actually is, is controversial at best. A quick Wikipedia search and we can see it is defined as: a very general mental capability that, among other things, involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend complex ideas, learn quickly and learn from experience. Many animals fall within the category. 

You might also think it odd to suggest that the knowledge bringers were more animal-like such that, from outward appearance, they would not seem to require the need to form complex monuments or harbor a desire to track the stars – the very abilities they were supposed to have given humans. 

Quetzalcoatl. (Image from Wikipedia)

However, why could it not be possible that such creatures possessed the capacity to perceive the universe in a way that we cannot? Bees can see the world in ultraviolet while we cannot. And what if such a creature was able to 'transfer' and 'translate' that knowledge to someone else (e.g. humans) so that they may use it to produce technological feats? Humans with otherwise serious mental disabilities, including autistic disorders, demonstrate prodigious abilities in excess of what may be considered normal - such as rapid calculation, art, memory, or musical ability. The mind of any animal is a mystery as is the universe - despite all we have discovered. 

Of course, this is purely fiction, and I have no hard evidence. But it makes a good story – don’t you think? 

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About the author:

Gareth Worthington holds a degree in marine biology, a PhD in endocrinology, and currently educates the World's doctors on new cancer therapies. Gareth has hand tagged sharks in California; won honorable mention at the New York Book Festival 2012 and 2013 for his writing; and trained in various martial arts, including Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai, and MMA at the EVOLVE MMA gym in Singapore and Phoenix KampfSport Switzerland. Born in Plymouth UK, Worthington currently resides outside of Zurich, Switzerland.

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