An ARKANE Thriller by J.F. Penn

Destroyer of Worlds

“I am become Death, destroyer of worlds.” Bhagavad Gita

A bomb rips through Trafalgar Square as thieves raid the ARKANE vault for a single bronze fragment.

It is part of a broken statue of Shiva Nataraja that Director Marietti hid decades ago, because assembled, it is a weapon out of the oldest myths, one that haunted Oppenheimer.

As millions gather to bathe at the Kumbh Mela, Morgan and Jake race across India to keep the pieces apart, hunted by a devotee who believes the goddess demands a sacrifice the size of a river.

Finalist, International Thriller Writers Award 2017 (Best E-Book Original Novel).

Finalist, International Thriller Writers Award 2017.

Destroyer of Worlds book cover
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Available in ebook, paperback, large print, hardback and audiobook. Buying direct supports the author most, and ships worldwide.

Reader reviews
“Penn's ARKANE series continues to bring me to the edge of my seat and the depth of my spirit!”Litekeeper, Amazon review
“Absolutely awesome, my first read with anything supernatural in it, and surprised that I would like it. Guess it helps that J.F.”Hornfan2, Amazon review
“This is an extraordinary, well written novel. Extremely fast paced which I couldn't stop reading until I finished the book ... Penn has the uncanny ability to make you feel like you have been transported to the scene she is describing.”Dennis Barron, Amazon review
The real mysteries

The research behind the book

Geneva

The Shiva at CERN

India's Department of Atomic Energy really gave CERN a dancing Nataraja in 2004.

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The phrase

Oppenheimer and the Gita

I am become Death, destroyer of worlds: the physicist reaching for scripture at Trinity.

The weapon

The Brahmastra

The Mahabharata's weapon as bright as a thousand suns, the myth that haunts the book.

Mumbai

The Towers of Silence

Zoroastrian sky burial on Malabar Hill, and the vulture crisis that threatens it.

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The gathering

The Kumbh Mela

The largest human gathering on Earth: 120 million pilgrims, 30 million bathing on a single day.

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The secret

The Nine Unknown Men

Emperor Ashoka's legendary guardians of dangerous knowledge, India's answer to the Illuminati.

Listen to a sample

Audiobook available direct from the author and on Audible, Apple, Kobo, Spotify and more.