Paleon: Echoes of an EmpireMemoirs of Brother Alfanus - Book One
Architectural designer
Nikolai "Nick" Paleon lives a quiet, carefully ordered life in Connecticut-until anonymous packages begin to arrive. Inside each lies a cryptic clue: a gravestone photograph, a cemetery map, and letters written in Greek from the 1930s. Every discovery pulls him closer to a forgotten grave in Bridgeport and to a family secret buried beneath generations of silence.
Nick's Americanized surname, Paleon, conceals his actual family name, Palevych, a bloodline that reaches back to the Byzantine Empire. Drawn into a mystery that spans continents, he finds his search awakening questions of identity, purpose, and faith he can no longer ignore.
His path soon crosses that of a determined historian from Istanbul's Rum (Greek Orthodox) community, who is convinced that Nick's bloodline is bound to a sacred oath sworn during Byzantium's final hours. Her conviction draws him into a quest that will test both their faith and their understanding of what endures.
From a Connecticut graveyard to an Alaskan Orthodox church, from the ruins of Mystras to the catacombs of Kyiv's Pechersk Lavra, Nick and his companion chase a legacy guarded for centuries. Together they uncover the story of
Vasyl Palevych, a priest who defied the Soviet regime and carried the last thread of an empire's promise-a thread others seek to exploit for power.
As ancient vows and modern ambitions collide, Nick must decide whether to protect the past or let geopolitical necessity consume it.
A sweeping blend of
historical fiction, mystery, and spiritual discovery, Paleon: Echoes of an Empire explores identity, heritage, and the enduring power of memory. Blending modern suspense with deep historical resonance, it invites readers into a world where architecture, archaeology, and belief intersect-and where the quiet call of conscience can still reshape destiny.
Key themes and settings: - The Byzantine Empire and its survivors after 1453- Bridgeport and Alaska as contemporary crossroads of faith and memory- Orthodox Christian heritage, providence, and the search for purpose- Greece (Mystras & Athens) and Ukraine (Kyiv Lavra) as living links to Byzantium
For readers of The Historian, The Rule of Four, and The Name of the Rose, this debut novel combines historical depth with a reflective spiritual core. Its heart is not conquest, but
stewardship-the understanding that some legacies endure only when they are guarded rather than grasped.
