Orsus: Part One In the Temple of Death

Orsus© — A trilogy by Janos Di-Fanteria

Part Two: Van Alen’s Vertex

“Our greatest and enduring regret is that we didn’t intervene more aggressively to stop this catalogue of violence, murder and suffering. Perhaps now as we decide what is to follow we can achieve something that helps to eliminate such a repugnant stain on this planet’s history.”

Orsus is a pan-historical thriller in three parts. The thread of the story is based on actual historical events, and much of the story depends on a willing suspension of disbelief, bearing in mind that it has always been the victorious who have written history.

In Orsus, Part Two, Van Alen’s Vertex, a much stronger team emerges in the fight against the Caucus and Consistory. There are now new players in the deadly game, but they have an opportunity and try to ensure that they do not miss it. Helen Augustine, still in a coma soon discovers that all is not as it seems. Much is still made of mysticism and the esoteric, and in the end, the hard truth is revealed that Orsus has not had a monopoly on the perpetration of acts of evil on Earth. They loaded the weapon, but they did not always fire it.

“Logic and reasoning must be the principal arbiters of existence and the basis of a fair just and peaceful society.”

“We have always endeavoured to stay in the shadows and tolerated much. We had one purpose and couldn’t stray from it to educate the ignorant and corrupt. But we did what we could. It was Charles Baudelaire who wrote in 1864 ‘The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.’ It did, however, become abundantly clear that we needed to intervene somehow as we watched those who sought power and authority over others receiving counsel, assistance and a foundation on which to build; not Plato’s perfect city, but that which was achieved and sustained through violence and intentional mass ignorance; the Dark Ages.”

📚 Orsus Trilogy: Start from the beginning: Book One → | Coming next: Assassin (Book Three) →

About the Author

Janos Di-Fanteria is a former British Army officer whose life has been shaped by service, loss, and an unshakeable belief in the power of storytelling.

Associated with the Army from 1983, he went on to complete the Potential Officers Course with the Parachute Regiment, then joined the 1st Battalion The King’s Regiment after attending the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. His military career took him across Ireland, Bosnia, the Falkland Islands, London, and Cyprus before he left the forces in 1999.

He first began writing in 2002, completing two chapters before life intervened. Two decades later, in 2023, he returned to the page — this time to process grief following the loss of his wife in 2022. Writing became both purpose and tribute.

Now based in Staffordshire with his two children, Janos self-published the first instalment of the Orsus Trilogy in July 2024. Drawing on his military experience, he weaves stories of courage, loyalty, and the human cost of conflict — blending authentic experience with powerful imagination across the sweep of history.