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Hooke’s Prism
The terrifying legacy of 'the English Leonardo'
by Paul Ashford
#19225
In *Hooke’s Prism*, Paul Ashford weaves a masterful tale that intertwines the lives of two brothers with the lingering shadows of the Second World War. Set against the picturesque backdrop of the English countryside, the discovery of a gun and a tattered notebook sets off a riveting exploration into the past, leading to the final days of Winston Churchill’s premiership. The notebook, filled with cryptic notes from a forgotten veteran, reveals a man deeply scarred by conflict and burdened with secrets from an invisible war fought by the intellectual elite of the time.
At the core of Ashford’s narrative lies a mystery that has remained buried since 1945: a message authored by Churchill during the Potsdam Conference, stolen before it could change the course of history. As the narrator delves deeper into this intricate puzzle, he unearths the chilling legacy of the Invisible College, a clandestine group established by the brilliant Robert Hooke. The questions that arise—what Hooke discovered and why it has been concealed for over three centuries—drive the suspense to a fever pitch.
*Hooke’s Prism* is a compelling literary thriller that deftly navigates the intersections of science, power, and history. With its darkly comic tone and sharp intelligence, Ashford’s work prompts readers to ponder a profound question: when truth is distorted by power, can we ever perceive reality as it truly exists?
More books from Paul Ashford
Paul Ashford has walked this earth for a good few decades although at the start he mostly crawled. He was brought up under idyllic conditions in the Surrey Hills and failed to undergo any of the suffering now obligatory for a modern novelist. He began producing fiction at an early age, mostly in the form of excuses for not doing his homework.
He received a degree in Philosophy from a university which kept Philip Larkin stashed in its library, and then changed his mind and got his doctorate in Psychology from another one.
All this learning was insufficient to prevent Paul from becoming employed in the media, and he was embroiled in innumerable titles including being a director of Channel 5 and the Express Group. Since making up fairy tales was incompatible with the rigorously factual approach of the British press, his first novel, Caryddwen’s Cauldron, appeared under the name of Paul Hilton.
Paul continues to work on new stories. When not doing this he plays a number of instruments, most of them badly, and has a small boat which he sails extensively and largely alone due to the fear of drowning that his past exploits elicit in passengers.
