Author: Lily G. Stephen

ISBN: 0971265917 

The following review was contributed by: Paul Lappen & CLICK TO VIEW Paul Lappen's Reviews

This story, part 2 of a trilogy, is about Miranda, a
young woman whose interest in physics leads to more
theoretical subjects like hyperspace and alternate
universes. A friend of her mother, Willa Carson,
agrees to take Miranda on a trip to Peru to visit
sites like Macchu Picchu. Her parents aren't exactly
thrilled at the idea, but they agree. On the way to
Peru, the plans change. The two women join an
expedition led by a woman named Margot, looking for a
city called Tanum. It's inside an Andean mountain and
is the home of an ancient civilization called the Ugha
Mongulala. On the plane to Peru, Miranda has a dream.
Her friend, Opal Courtright, now part of a higher
consciousness being called Sappho (read part 1), tells
Miranda that they will meet in Tanum.

After several days travel through impenetrable Andean
jungle, the entrance to Tanum is found. While
exploring subterranean tunnels, an earthquake strikes
and Miranda is badly injured. The people of Ugha
Mongulala come to the rescue, bring the three women to
Tanum, and nurse Miranda back to health. There is
enough light and fresh air in this underground city to
support 2,000 people; they have been on Earth for
thousands of years, and went underground to escape
"white barbarians." Meantime, the earthquake that
injured Miranda wasn't just an earthquake. It was part
of a worldwide catastrophe that included, among other
things, Earth's rotation stopping for three full days.

Miranda attracts the attention of an ethereal,
androgynous, even more ancient, race called the Els,
who take Miranda into another realm for a visit. She
is given all sorts of ancient knowledge and wisdom,
which she, in turn, is to preach to the people of
Earth. When the three women are returned to "reality,"
Miranda is compelled to go into the jungle alone,
following her own path.

Those who are interested in New Age concepts, like
higher states of consciousness and ancient
civilizations, will love this book. For everyone else,
it's grounded enough in reality, and weird enough, to
be very much recommended.