Vain & Valour

By
Justan Autor
Format:
Print

'Search the waters!' A familiar shout went up from near the castle. 'Find that traitor!' To where does one flee when hunted by the world? What if you, the accused, held the very fate of the Ancien Régime in your grasp? Espionage has a new face in the age of revolution. Meet a legend in the making. Against the sweeping backdrop of the Swiss Alps in 1791, 'Vain & Valour' unfolds. In a confederacy poised on the brink of chaos, where secrets are currency, loyalty is a luxury, and every precarious step swings between survival and destruction, one false move could ignite revolution across Switzerland's neutral cantons. A mystery exiled man ensnared in an assassination plot becomes the unwitting agent of destiny. Will his choices save a nation or destroy it? Just as the title suggests, this narrative juxtaposes forces and themes that interplay brilliantly throughout its pages. As much a comedy of manners as it is a spy thriller, moments of laugh-out-loud absurdity collide with heart-pounding tension as we witness the birth of a secret agent. We encounter characters - peasants and aristocrats, altruists and schemers, lovers and fighters - who each embody the struggles between selfish ambition and noble sacrifice. 'Vain & Valour' is more than a historical epic; it's a celebration of genre-blending artistry. A symphony of contrasts that captures the dance of deception and loyalty, burlesque and drama, mystery and romance, folly and grandeur. Evoked is the essence of Fleming, Dumas, le Carré, Hugo, Ludlum, and Fielding. Blended is the brilliance of adventure with the complexity of character study, where the vanity of one man is pitted against his capacity for valorous deeds. This is a story that promises not only to captivate with its plot but to resonate with its depth. Espionage has never looked so good. Join this hero in the first installment in a series. 'In vain doth valour bleed ...' - Milton

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About the author

Justan Autor is a newcomer author to the world of novels, bringing a passion for the arts to historical fiction. Throughout his youth and adulthood, Justan has been painting, landscape gardening, tailoring, playing the pianoforte, and composing classical music. It was only 5 years ago that he discovered his true calling in narrative and novel writing. As a descendant of Swiss merchants and courtiers in the Neuchâtelois court, and inspired by a love of 18th and 19th century literature, Justan strives to immerse readers in the sights, sounds and struggles of revolutionary Europe. Justan’s first series delves into seldom-told tales of political turmoil in 1790s Switzerland. With multilayered characters and dramatic storytelling accented by threads of wit, satire and burlesque reminiscent of classic authors like Dumas and Fielding, Justan’s diverse passions shape his unique authorial voice — inviting readers into a living past. Justan invites you to be transported back through his vivid prose and rediscover the intrigues of turbulent Switzerland alongside ancestors who shaped an epoch.

Justan Autor
Author

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