This study offers a detailed analysis of Dumezil's model of the Indo-European 'ideologie tripartie'. Such an analysis is a first prerequisite to any evaluation of his work, given its size. The author concludes that the constant reformulation of the model and the reinterpretation of the facts have weakened the credibility of his model too much.

In 1930 Dumézil wrote an article in which he defended the Indo-European character of the Indian varnas. In 1986 he was completing his final 25 Esquisses, research proposals the aim of which was to allow his model of the 'idéologie tripartie' of Indo-European traditions to be applied to his 'disciples'. According to this model Indo-European traditions were typified by a threefold division into functions of society, the world of the gods, and the heroic traditions. These were the functions of sovereignty, power and 'fertility'. This theoretical model was elaborated by Dumézil in a large number of books and articles. Between 1930 and 1986 he broadened enormously the amount of data on which his model was based. To do so he had regularly to adapt and reformulate his model. This was not without consequences for the material which he had interpreted earlier on. In this study a detailed description is given of this process of reformulation and reinterpretation and the conclusion is that the totality of the various models does not, despite its aesthetic attraction, satisfy the criteria which should be set for scientific models.

In the tradition of Ludlum, Clancy, le Carre and MacLean, comes Greg Barron's first critically acclaimed, page-turning, thought-provoking thriller. It took seven days to create the world ... now they have seven days to save it. Extremists hijack the conference centre where heads of state have gathered in an attempt to bring society back from the brink of global environmental catastrophe, and the clock starts ticking: seven days until certain death for presidents and prime ministers alike, unless the terrorists' radical demands are met. Marika, an Australian intelligence officer, Isabella, a treasonous British diplomat, Simon, an airline pilot searching for his missing daughters, and Madoowbe, a mysterious Somali agent, are all forced to examine their motives, faith and beliefs as they attempt to stave off disaster, hurtling towards the deadline and a shattering climax. Rotten Gods is both an imaginative tour de force and a dire warning, holding the reader spellbound until the last breathtaking page. Greg Barron is a world traveller who has studied International Terrorism at the prestigious St Andrew's University. His critically acclaimed thrillers reflect his fascination with political, social and environmental change. Praise for Greg Barron's novels: 'Barron is not one to pull his punches' Courier-Mail 'Barron echoes the work of authors such as MacLean, Clancy and Ludlum' Canberra Times 'A high-octane thriller ... the pace is excellent, the writing is sharp and Barron has a real talent for the evocation of place ... sufficiently gripping to keep you up at night' The Australian 'Combines the very best of a thriller by Tom Clancy with the Boys' Own action blockbuster of someone like Chris Ryan. the speed of the action is matched only by the sophistication of the prose and the originality of the plot. Greg Barron has proved he is a political thriller writer at the very top of his game.' ABC Weekend Bookworm