Author’s Note

The prologue of the book, Rebecca Newton and the Sacred Flame, was written in early 2000. I had planned to use it within my novel Orizon, which was originally intented to be an epic fantasy story for adolescent readers and young adults. It eventually became a philosophical, allegorical, sociopolitical literary fiction, and so the text didn’t fit anymore. I am truly glad that it has now found its place, especially since the whole Rebecca Newton series will be based upon it.

From the first to the thirty-seventh chapter, the book is actually based on Orizon, although you don’t need to have read Orizon in order to understand it. On the contrary, the whole of Orizon is included within those chapters, differently written and structured of course, and with some basic changes to the script and the characters. Furthermore, most of the philosophical part of Orizon is absent and the story is based mostly on the elements of adventure and fantasy. In other words, Rebecca is a mythical epic fantasy for teenagers and young adults, while Orizon was a literary fiction for adults.

The last twenty four chapters of Rebecca are the long awaited continuance of Orizon. At the same time they are the foundations for the forthcoming Rebecca Newton series, which will be a mythical epic fantasy for a twelve+ readership. This is the genre that I love the most, both as a reader and a writer.

So, I would like to welcome you to my world and wish you a very pleasant stay and journey.

Mario Routi

London, December 2013