By: Stewart F. Brennan
Publisher: Friesen Press
Publication Date: September 12, 2026
ISBN: 978-1038381026
Reviewed by: Ephantus Muriuki
Review Date: September 29, 2026
Secrets of the Emerald Tablet is book two in Stewart F. Brennan's New Horizons series. This intriguing action-packed thriller, and the sequel to The Shard of Asclepius, pulls you into a world where nothing is as it seems.
We are first introduced to Colonel Cedric Marshall, the second in command to Isaac Roth, a senior director of the Collective, who has just been vaporized together with his men while on a mission to destroy a terrorist cell and to apprehend an energy device. Marshall narrowly escapes the same fate, just in time to witness the horrifying event, when two beams of white energy vaporize Roth and the rest of the team in a split second.
One name lingers on Marshall's lips: David Collins, the man who carries a weapon unlike anything the Collective has seen before. From later pages, we learn that David doesn't see the weapon as his, but as something to share and use for the good of others. He also sees it as a key to something greater than just destruction. This stems from the realization that it comes from an ancient civilization, a civilization that was destroyed thousands of years ago, but left the weapon behind so that humanity might one day rediscover what it had lost.
While Marshall dreams of holding the weapon in his hands and watching his enemies disintegrate before him, David kneels beside the wounded and pours energy into their bodies until they are whole again. This simple contrast forms the spine and axis on which every event, decision, and consequence in the novel rotates.
The brilliance of this story lies in how it expands beyond the aforementioned characters. It reaches into history, bringing back to life Kemet, the ancient name for Egypt, The Order of Thoth, the guardians of the ancient record, The Order of Hermes, the protectors of esoteric knowledge, as well as the Shards of Asclepius and Thoth, tools that open the mind, heal the body, and connect consciousness. These are not just mentioned. The book places them in the reader's hands, letting them see them, feel them, and sense their weight.
The ancient world comes back to life because the characters interact with it. They enter the catacombs. They read The Emerald Tablet. They wear the rings. They carry the record forward. Also, the present world’s stakes rise because the ancient world is not just history, but a warning. The cataclysm happened before. An asteroid called Apep crashed into the ice sheet. The poles reversed. The sea rose. Ultimately, a civilization was destroyed. The world was reset. It happened before. It can happen again.
This story rides on the use of technology as a narrative device. And it rides well. Every decision, implant, drone, phone and shard serve a purpose. In a world where technology in writing is often used as a prop, this book uses it as the story's language, the means by which control is enforced, resistance is mounted, and transformation achieved. That is rare, the kind of rare that makes you refresh the author's website every day, every hour and every minute, hoping for a sign of the next book in the series.
Quill says: If you enjoy thrillers that move fast, technology that means something, and ancient mysteries that feel real, or pacing that never lets up, and writing that never wastes a word, you won't go wrong with Secrets of the Emerald Tablet. It's lengthy in the best way, allowing you to bask in the atmosphere, the tension, and the slow burn of a story that never rushes, yet never drags.
For more information about Secrets of the Emerald Tablet, please visit the author's website at: stewartfbrennan.com
