George Jahn is preparing two novels for traditional publication. Forget Me Not is a twisty alpine mystery. The Sword and the Prophecy is a dual-timeline fantasy. He comes to fiction writing as an award-winning former international correspondent and bureau chief for The Associated Press.
Rothaide couldn’t have known it. But the former slave set the world on the path of eternal chaos the moment she reached for the babe next to his dead mother on the killing fields of Carthage. Because Jamal was not meant to live, any of his deeds could rewrite the past, upend the future, and throw the world into chaos. Only the man who shares his soul stands in his way. But will Luther, a New Jersey history teacher who cannot even manage his own life, be strong enough to impose his will on the great 8th-century Muslim warrior Jamal will grow into? And will he recognize the moment when he needs to act? The Sword and the Prophecy is a historical-contemporary fantasy that follows the twists and turns in the lives of two men who couldn’t be more different. Until the moment when they — and their times — become one.
Rothaide rescues a baby from the killing fields of Carthage, defying the universe’s Great Plan. The infant, marked by a sword-shaped birthmark, is renamed Jamal after Rothaide’s deceased son, who bore the same mark. Her man, Asim the Swordsmith, saves a warrior named Abd al Rahman al-Ghafiqi, who pledges loyalty to their family. Ibrahim, a mysterious sage, tells them Jamal is destined to change history and takes him to his madrasa in Damascus. There, Jamal meets Ariella and clashes with Jafar, a jealous older pupil.
Luther Tyson, a disillusioned high school history teacher, is haunted by visions of Jamal. He discovers he shares Jamal’s birthmark and begins to suspect a soul connection. Encouraged by cryptic signs and whispers, he travels to Cairo and uncovers ancient manuscripts referencing Jamal’s impact on history. Meanwhile, Jamal and Ariella fall in love, but are separated when Jamal is arrested for defending Ibrahim. Jamal joins a military campaign in Hispania, kills the king, and reunites with Abd al Rahman after revealing his lineage.
Back home, Asim gifts Jamal a sword he forged while guided by unearthly voices telling him it was made for Islam’s greatest warrior, who is yet to come. It bears the inscription “First the Word; then the Sword.” Inspired by Jamal’s exploits, Luther resolves to achieve his goal of becoming a university professor. He divorces, begins running, and drafts a scholarly book, but sees the introduction changed into Jamal’s story.
Now the caliph’s bodyguard, Jamal finds Ariella married with children, but they rekindle their love. After Jafar rapes Ariella, Jamal kills him and is banished. Luther becomes a lecturer at Columbia. Jamal is captured in Aquitaine and dragged by guards, an ordeal Luther experiences physically. Doctors find Mediterranean soil traces in Luther’s body, and he wakes with Jamal’s ring around his neck, only to lose it. Jamal becomes the lover of Adelheid, Lady of Xantes, but is denounced and sent to fight the Franks. He’s bested by Idris, his former mentor, now serving Charles the Hammer.
Luther, now a professor, is visited by Ibrahim, who tells him of his approaching task. Jamal is declared heir to Count Hugobert by Charles, who recognizes Jamal’s ring as Hugobert’s. When he learns that the Caliph’s army, about to invade France, is led by Abd al Rahman, Jamal abandons Charles to join his sword-brother. Reading a book of alternate history, Luther realizes events must unfold with a Frankish victory at Tours to prevent eternal war. Abd al Rahman is mortally wounded while helping Jamal, who is taken down by Luther, and the Muslim army retreats.
Luther publishes Jamal’s story as fiction; it becomes a bestseller. Netflix acquires the rights. Jamal learns the truth behind his suffering and is reunited with Ariella by Ibrahim. Centuries later, Saladin, victorious in Jerusalem, reflects on the inscription: “First the Word; then the Sword.”
