[Cover Illustration]
PAGAN PASSIONS
Adult Science Fiction, with the supernatural making complete sense.
The Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece and Rome had returned to Earth--with all their awesome powers intact, and Earth was transformed almost overnight. War on any scale was outlawed, along with boom-and-bust economic cycles, and prudery--no change was more startling than the face of New York, where, for instance, the Empire State Building became the Tower of Zeus!
In this totally altered world, William Forrester was an acolyte of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, and therefore a teacher, in this case of a totally altered history--and Maya Wilson, girl student, evidently had a totally altered way of grading in mind--but what else would a worshipper of Venus, Goddess of Love, have in mind?
This was just the first of the many Trials of Forrester, every bit as mighty and perilous as the Labors of Hercules. In love with Gerda Symes, like him a devotee of Athena, like him a frequenter of the great Temple of Pallas Athena (formerly known as the 42nd Street Library)--dedicated, in short, to the pleasures of the mind--Forrester was under the soft, compelling pressure of soft, compelling devotees of Venus, Bacchus and the like, and in need of all the strength that he and his Goddess, the beautiful and intellectual Athena, could muster to save him from the endless temptations of this new Earth.
And into this sensuous strife strode Temple Myrmidons--religious cops sworn to obey orders without question or hesitation--with a pickup order for William Forrester.
Where he was taken, what happened to him, the truly fantastic discoveries he made about himself and the Gods and Goddesses--here are the ingredients that make up this science fiction novel of suspense, intrigue, mystery and danger. For science fiction it is, with the supernatural making complete sense, and fun too, despite the Sword of Damocles hanging by a thread over Forrester's head!
_by Randall Garrett and Larry M. Harris_
P a g a n
P a s s i o n s
A GALAXY Selected Novel For BEACON BOOKS
P a g a n
P a s s i o n s
_By Randall Garrett and Larry M. Harris_
_Published by Galaxy Publishing Corp. New York 14, New York_
ALL CHARACTERS IN THIS WORK ARE WHOLLY FICTITIOUS AND ANY RESEMBLANCE TO PERSONS LIVING OR DEAD IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL
Copyright 1959 by Galaxy Publishing Corp.
Table of contents (by pages)
- 1: Pagan Passions by Garrett and Janifer
- 2: Forrester felt feverishly uncomfortable
- 3: Maya sidled around the desk quietly
- 4: While an Athenan is a worshipper of the Goddess Athena
- 5: As befitted an acolyte of the Goddess of Wisdom
- 6: Did the Temple Myrmidons want with him
- 7: Wife or don't you Athenans go in for that sort of thing
- 8: The Myrmidons themselves would have taken him
- 9: Forrester sighed and glanced south
- 10: Symes made a sound like Rrr and took a breath
- 11: Forrester reminded himself sternly
- 12: Forrester didn't know whether to feel relieved or annoyed
- 13: Forrester complied with fervor
- 14: Forrester considered that question
- 15: I wouldn't quite say Forrester began
- 16: Everybody had a television set
- 17: At the corner of 34th and Broadway
- 18: Forrester smiled pleasantly back
- 19: It was a harder midsection than he'd expected
- 20: And the burly Myrmidon who stood there
- 21: The something was the arm of a Myrmidon
- 22: Oh The Myrmidon looked at him
- 23: The gaze of Her Concupiscence fell on the half open door
- 24: The High Priestess said coolly
- 25: The High Priestess dialed a number
- 26: Her Concupiscence didn't seem to hear it at first
- 27: Forrester turned his head wordlessly
- 28: The High Priestess nodded regally
- 29: Forrester blinked and rubbed his eyes
- 30: William Forrester or you who were William Forrester
- 31: Raised to the status of Godling
- 32: Forrester didn't feel exactly proud
- 33: The idea of apologizing to Ed Symes
- 34: Hera would object quite violently
- 35: A section of it became bluer and bluer
- 36: And Forrester had time to get dizzy
- 37: Vulcan began in a thoughtful bass
- 38: She shot a poisonous glance at Morpheus
- 39: And assuming that Hermes can fix up the glandular mess
- 40: Hephaestus Vulcan sighed softly
- 41: Forrester told himself bleakly
- 42: Mental changes must be expected
- 43: Vulcan levered himself upright
- 44: Forrester obediently strapped them on
- 45: The Autumn Bacchanal was here at last
- 46: Forrester agreed enthusiastically
- 47: I guess everything will be okay
- 48: He looked less and less like Dionysus as the seconds went by
- 49: Other Dionysian Myrmidons were patrolling
- 50: Forrester glanced down at himself
- 51: Trombones and valve trombones and Fulk horns
- 52: Forrester beamed at them again
- 53: But Forrester barely noticed the accident
- 54: Forrester didn't like the idea
- 55: When he became Dionysus the Lesser
- 56: There weren't any foxholes in Central Park
- 57: And then turned to a squad of Myrmidons standing nearby
- 58: Forrester knew he would have to leave
- 59: But there was one person it didn't convince Forrester
- 60: He and Alvin were guzzling happily
- 61: Kathy looked up at him brightly
- 62: And Alvin Sherdlap would encumber the Earth no more
- 63: Kathy asked in that same innocent tone
- 64: Forrester turned the statue over
- 65: She was whispering softly to Alvin
- 66: Kathy looked up at him brightly
- 67: Forrester turned to the winner
- 68: Kathy said in a soft whisper at his ear
- 69: He stepped between Kathy and the intruder
- 70: Kathy said nothing at all for a moment
- 71: Forrester knew he wasn't any hero
- 72: Zeus had referred to him as a substitute for Dionysus
- 73: And Vulcan looked like a good bet
- 74: Forrester took his first breath
- 75: Forrester could barely believe it
- 76: Pan isn't even really humanoid
- 77: Forrester put Dionysus back on the wheel
- 78: Forrester digested that one slowly
- 79: After what happened at the Bacchanal
- 80: It had all begun on the day of his Final Investiture
- 81: Forrester had thought of Vulcan
- 82: But again Forrester had disappeared
- 83: Forrester reached the ground first
- 84: Forrester relaxed the pressure
- 85: Forrester gulped and turned away
- 86: Zeus shut up with a little sigh
- 87: Bor Mellistos said Very well
