About the Books
The Hounds of Samaria
Nigel Patten’s second published book creatively jumps from the 20th century to an ancient world and back again, as main character George Ghikas tries to unravel the mystery of his past and present life.
Shortly before WWII erupts, George Ghikas starts having recurring dreams about an unknown dancing girl. Because of his Greek ancestry, the military sends him behind enemy lines on occupied Crete with orders to organize partisan groups in the White Mountains. While George is performing this important work, he has hallucinations of the same dancing girl who has appeared so often in his dreams. Progressively, George is enmeshed in a 3,600-year-old world where it appears he was the victim of a human sacrifice ceremony that took place in a Minoan temple, now restored, located near his current base camp. The girl who has been haunting his dreams is the officiating priestess during the ancient sacrificial ceremony… until the temple is destroyed by an earthquake. Back in the 20th century, George risks death by reenacting the sacrificial ceremony of so long ago…until the temple is once again destroyed, this time by German bombs.
The Winter Should Pass
It is said that ‘The gods visit the sins of the fathers upon the children.’ The Winter Should Pass by Nigel Patten puts this biblical teaching to the test, when his character Issak fears that his son will end up paying for his crimes.
The book begins in 1886, when Issak flees his native Antwerp after committing a terrible crime. Settling in Snowdonia, nestled in the hills of northern Wales, he builds a home and family with Rachel, a gypsy. However, Issak remains haunted by his past, remembering both his crime and his one true love, Julie. He also cannot shake the belief that his eldest son, Pieter, will someday pay for his father’s sins.
Ending in the year 1918, this epic story is rooted in the conviction that we cannot escape our fate, even if it means an eye for an eye.
Under Table Mountain
A fascinating old lady recounting her life was the impetus for author Nigel Patten to pen this extraordinary memoir of the woman and her times. Under Table Mountain tells the story of Louise Juta, the youngest daughter of Sir Henry Juta, barrister and Speaker of the Cape House in South Africa.
The last decade of the 19th century were troubled years in South Africa. Tension between Britain and the two Boer republics, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, increased until war became inevitable. Many notable figures passed through Cape Town during these years, including Rudyard Kipling, Robert Baden-Powell, Jan Smuts and Cecil Rhodes. All would visit Sir Henry’s home, “Mon Desir.”
The author met Louisa, known as Lady Luia Forbes, in Switzerland during the last years of her long life. As they played Scrabble, they discussed how she left South Africa in 1904 to go to school in England and never returned. Under Table Mountain is an unforgettable true story.
When grown, Louise leaves South Africa to be educated in England. It is as an adult in her final years of life that she meets the author Nigel Patten. For countless days, Patten and Louise meet to play Scrabble and during their conversations, the author is able to piece together valuable parts of history and the events leading up to a dramatic change of government in South Africa.
The book is highly scholarly and very well researched. The character development is such that readers will find themselves identifying with various factions of the political arena. The reader who sticks with this slightly pedantic novel will be delighted with their own historical education as well as the development of believable characters who firmly adhere to their convictions. Each character’s motivation to carry through with his own values and moral judgments is clearly defined through historical decisions and personal turmoil. All in all,this is a wonderful study of colonial tradition versus the demands of the current society.
The Tide of Destiny
Turn back the clock to the time of Napoleon, as love, lust and danger take center stage in the stunning novel The Tide of Destiny. The story is set in 1799 through 1808 in Southern Switzerland and on the Ligurian coast of Italy.
Damien André Berra, son of a Swiss farmer, is exiled to northern Italy in the wake of Napoleon’s invasion in 1799. Inspired by a number of amorous adventures with five lovely women, Damien becomes a renowned linguist and short story writer. His writing is greatly influenced by his lovers, who make his exile more palatable.
This young man’s experiences during this turning point in history – on The Tide of Destiny – are set amidst the political events and the women he meets.
About the Author
Nigel Patten lived in London until he was 21. He now lives in a ski resort near Montreux, Switzerland, and teaches English classes to students preparing for the French baccalauréat. He is now working on a play titled A Irreconcilable Passion.
Reviews
“Under Table Mountain by Nigel Patten is a lovely historical account of the close of the nineteenth century in South Africa. As the story opens, Colonial Britain has ongoing conflict with the two Boar republics. Through the tension and turmoil of the Johannesburg and Capetown settings we meet the Juta family. Juta is a barrister and also the Speaker of the Cape House. As such, he entertains numerous celebrities and social figures in his home and, as a result, his youngest daughter Louise begins to formulate her own way of viewing traditional British royalty and privilege.” – Karen P. for Readers Favorite
“The Hounds of Samaria by Nigel Patten takes place in Crete during World War Two. George Ghikas has Greek ancestry, so the British army sends him behind enemy lines on occupied Crete with orders to organize partisan groups in the White Mountains. Before his posting, George had begun having strange dreams, almost hallucinations, about a dancing girl. These dreams continue upon his arrival in Crete. It appears that George was once the victim of a human sacrifice ceremony that took place in a restored Minoan temple located near his current base camp.
The girl who has been haunting his dreams was the officiating priestess during the ancient sacrificial ceremony … until the temple was destroyed by an earthquake. The past merges with the present until George almost commits suicide by reenacting the sacrificial ceremony from 3,600 years ago in the restored temple.
This book has an amazing sense of lyricism that draws the reader into a complex, yet finely woven plot. The author is a consummate wordsmith, whose eloquent and poetic descriptions paint a vivid picture for the reader, giving a sense of timelessness and a link to an ancient, bloody past. Given the nature of the plot, the author has included historical and mythological details to deepen the mystery surrounding George’s recurring dreams. In counterpoint to George’s experiences and discoveries as he delves into his obsession with Lamia, the dancing girl, are the experiences and impressions of Doctor Vassilis Iatros. The doctor became a monk when his wife was killed in a car accident. His obsession is to painstakingly restore the ancient Minoan temple on the island, the same temple featured in George’s dreams. Both George and the doctor become increasingly aware of the power of the subconscious mind and its ability to transcend time and space.
The author uses an interesting technique by deftly introducing back story and other necessary details in a series of poignant memories to bring the reader and the characters to the moment in time when literally all hell breaks loose on the island. This is a wonderful book with a compelling story, a real page-turner.” – Fiona I. for ReadersFavorite.com