Jerry D Cook

The Golden Hearts Jerry D Cook

In a whimsical variant of 17th century Amsterdam a ship returns from a two-year voyage and before it has docked an unwanted necklace is stolen... A tenacious couple, from the isle of Éire, move to the new Republic of The Netherlands, bringing with them an ancient harp... An adventurous family, having left the progressive First Commonwealth of Poland, travel the Rhine to a vacant set of Windmills... An exiled princess, called back to her homeland to be informed of her misplaced inheritance, sets out in pursuit of the artifact: a necklace of golden hearts... The archivist of the newly established University of Utrecht becomes involved in the search, discovering that there are three identical necklaces... What will occur when the three are bound together as foretold? Then the spectacle of a fiery meteorite, witnessed and spoken of by thousands, draws a multitude to the site of its landfall where charming otherworldly displays erupt as the separate realms of waking and dreaming occur simultaneously.