by Gregory Bellarmine

“The Greatest Myth Ever Dispelled”

Italy. A tough master of novices, Father Dante encounters the bold young priest Antonio who challenges his identity and accuses him of being the Saint Nicholas. But despite the Father faking his death, a determined Antonio discovers a rather alive Dante arrayed in kilt and armor. In return for Antonio’s silence—and to protect the town from attracting all manner of darkness—Dante agrees to tell his life story. Without explanation, Dante orders Antonio to meet him at night in the abandoned Cathedral, the site of a former battle that the Church has kept secret for a generation. Until today. The Criskindl. Ice Steeds. The Unborn. Saint. From the Dark Ages’ when Poet-Sorcerers ruled kings, to the Holy Land when a new civilization was rising, to Revolutionary France where love is lost and gained, Father Dante pursues the one responsible for both his master and his mother’s deaths: Black Peter, his brother.

“The Blood That Cries in the Ground will grab the reader by the throat with a death grip from which it is impossible to break free.” Reviewed by Bil Howard for Readers’ Favorite

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My review:
This book really surprised me. I expected it to be a super religious, Christmas-y kind of book. Nope. Blood takes the myth you THINK you know about St Nicholas, dispels it and take you on a wild ride complete with magis(Poet-Sorcerers). A lot of people aren’t aware that a lot of the Christian holidays are actually pagan holidays. Not all Saints were in fact “saints”. Most were religious warriors, one way or the other. Despite Nicholas not being who you would think he was, he still is a fierce warrior. In an effort to change one young man’s mind and erase “Santa Claus” from his mind, Nicholas tells this young man his twisted, magical tale that starts from his birth. You get thrown a lot of information in the beginning, it can get a bit verbose, but hang in there, you need all that info. Once you start to weave it all together you are hooked. I was mesmerized and the characters are fantastic. I definitely recommend this book to a any theology/mythology lovers like me. Great read.

About the Author

Gregory Bellarmine is the author of the bestselling “Monthly Roman Breviary” and “the Father Dante Journals.” He considers himself a non-denominational, Didachev Christian and lives a happy though sometimes sleepless life in the UK with his wife, two children and rather cheeky Parson Russell Terrier.