In the India of 261 B.C.E., King Ashoka the Great gathers together nine learned men to form a secret society and to write books on potentially destructive power which are then hidden. Later in present day Chennai, India, a group of children hear about this story and decide to search for the magic books in hopes of bringing their friend back to life.

I lost a friend. I know the feeling. I understand the implications. But, I can’t change the situation. I need to accept and move on. It is the case everywhere. No one is given a second chance. At least in fiction, we can imagine what things would be like if given an opportunity. The Golden Opportunity to revive a friend. This story is about friendship between teenagers that takes them on an expedition to unexpected places, unearth a new set of challenges and face their emotions towards one another. The evolution of their relationship among themselves and with their parents made a compelling story to be told. I wish you joy as you embark on a journey in your mind with these characters. I wish you the same pleasure reading this book as I had in writing it. “A fun, fast-paced story filled with magic, mystery, and adventure.” –David Aretha, Moonbeam Children’s Book Award winner

Jeffers delves into Masonic history to reveal the surprising and controversial truths behind this ancient and secretive order, from its mystery-shrouded origins in medieval Europe through its rise in America, where Benjamin Franklin founded the first lodge.

"History is replete with whispers of secret societies. Accounts of elders or priests who guarded the forbidden knowledge of ancient peoples. Prominent men, meeting in secret, who directed the course of civilization are recorded in the writings of all people. The oldest is the Brotherhood of the Snake, also called the Brotherhood of the Dragon, and it still exists under many different names. It is clear that religion has always played a significant role in the course of these organizations. Communication with a higher source, often divine, is a familiar claim in all but a few. The secrets of these groups are thought to be so profound that only a chosen, well-educated few are able to understand and use them. These men use their special knowledge for the benefit of all mankind. At least that is what they claim. How are we to know, since their knowledge and actions have been secret? Fortunately, some of it has become public knowledge. I found it intriguing that in most, if not all, primitive tribal societies all of the adults are members. They are usually separated into male and female groups. The male usually dominates the culture. Surprisingly, this exactly resembles many civilized secret societies. This can only mean that the society is working not against established authority, but for it. In fact, could be said to actually be the established authority. This would tend to remove the validity of any argument that all secret associations are dedicated to the "destruction of properly constituted authority." This can only apply, of course, where the secret society makes up the majority or entirety of any people which it affects. Only a very few fall into this category. Secret societies in fact mirror many facets of ordinary life. There is always an exclusivity of membership, with the resultant importance attached to being or becoming a member. This is found in all human endeavors, even those which are not secret, such as football teams or country clubs. This exclusivity of membership is actually one of the secret societies' most powerful weapons. There is the use of signs, passwords and other tools. These have always performed valuable functions in man's organizations everywhere. The stated reason, almost always different from the real reason, for the societies' existence is important...".

"Pulls you into the depths of a secret world from the first page. Ian Smith’s novel is unmissable." —Harlan Coben, author of Missing You Spencer Collins thinks his life at Harvard will be all about basketball and pre-med; hard workouts and grinding work in class. The friends he’s made when he hits the storied ivy-clad campus from a very different life in urban Chicago are a happy bonus. But Spencer is about to be introduced to the most mysterious inner sanctum of the inner sanctum: to his surprise, he’s in the running to be “punched” for one of Harvard’s elite final clubs. The Delphic Club is known as “the Gas” for its crest of three gas-lit flames, and as Spencer is considered for membership, he’s plunged not only into the secret world of male privilege that the Gas represents, but also into a century-old club mystery. Because at the heart of the Delphic, secured deep inside its guarded mansion club, is another secret society: a shadowy group of powerful men known as The Ancient Nine. Who are The Ancient Nine? And why is Spencer—along with his best friend Dalton Winthrop—summoned to the deathbed of Dalton’s uncle just as Spencer is being punched for the club? What does the lore about a missing page from one of Harvard’s most historic books mean? And how does it connect to religion, murder, and to the King James Bible, if not to King James himself? The Ancient Nine is both a coming of age novel and a swiftly plotted story that lets readers into the ultimate of closed worlds with all of its dark historical secrets and unyielding power.

An Emperor Asoka started a project around 260 BC to collate and guard advanced knowledge gathered from around the world over the years. The project ended with making the nine books of secret knowledge and from then on, the nine different men are assigned to guard the nine books. Father Cyprian, a Christian priest, believes that their contents total tip the almost absolute of evil, and wants to burn them, so he invites Jimgrim and his faithful compatriots Ramsden and Ross to help him bring down the secret society that holds the nine books.

Secret societies in tribal societies turn out to be key to understanding the origins of social inequalities and state religions.

Masters Of The World Hidden behind many of today's major news stories, the Bilderberg Group is an elite clique of the most powerful names in politics, media, business, and finance, who want to impose a one-world government on the rest of us. Led by such iconic members as Henry Kissinger, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Richard Perle, Melinda Gates (wife of Bill Gates), David Rockefeller, Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Rumsfeld, Tony Blair, and Margaret Thatcher, their secret conferences (where press has long been banned) are rumored to have engineered many of today's monumental global events, including: • The September 2008 collapse of worldwide banking. • Bill Clinton's presidency and the passage of NAFTA. • The loss of America's jobs to foreign nations. • The toppling of Margaret Thatcher for trying to keep the U.K. out of the E.U. Featuring interviews with meeting attendees, The Bilderberg Conspiracy is essential--and often terrifying--reading for anyone interested in world events. "H. Paul Jeffers reveals stunning insights about the Bilderberg Group. Wars, coups, assassinations; control of banking, finance, the media, and education--any means necessary to fulfill their agenda." --Michael Benson, author of Inside Secret Societies H. Paul Jeffers has published more than 50 works of fiction and nonfiction, including Freemasons: Inside the World's Oldest Secret Society, biographies of presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Grover Cleveland, New York mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, Diamond Jim Brady, and others. He lives in Manhattan.

Following in the footsteps of her bestselling "Secrets & Mysteries of the World," Browne now writes about the clandestine realm of secret societies and their impact on daily life.