"without being hammered,  a stone cannot become a god" -- proverb

a story of journeys, through many lands, and into the soul of a man
Book One: A fictional reconstruction of the travels of Apostle Thomas to the Malabar Coast of South India, in the year after the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. The narrative uses factual history and traditions to describe Thomas' journey. 
Author's note: This is a story about transformations: of Thomas' development from mere human to a conduit for the god-force. The pivotal point in this transformation occurs when he confronts Evil and it retaliates in a particularly nasty manner. The story explores themes of Faith and Obedience, Retribution and Atonement. And Forgiveness. 
 
"The prose is voluptuous and imaginative.. maintains a line of ancient mysticism that unifies Thoma's experiences... Compelling and well-researched...” -- KIRKUS Reviews
Book Two: A fictional account of Thomas the Apostle's journey, from India's Malabar Coast to the Silk Road, in the second year after the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
"[Villoth's] spirituality and insight into life [puts] into words what most of us can only imagine... One of the many paragraphs I highlighted illustrated [a description] with few words, but with clarity and insight that is timeless:... “Winter charged in like so many armies had over the past few hundred years into the valley, with brutal force... The people held on, knowing that at least some of them would survive its passing, as some - call them lucky, call them cursed – always do.”

S.T. Villoth


"I tried to jump from the highest tower
to go knocking at the death-house door,
But I landed on a sacred cow
and I'm no-one's sweetheart now."
-- ST Villoth, "Jack's Lament"