Through the eyes of a Spanish architect in Rome, the dark period surrounding the rise and fall of Fascism roars to life, as the architect, a passionate young librarian, and an Italian prince become entangled in a web of intrigue, love, and deceit involving a fateful map whose secrets are powerful enough to destroy them. Rome, 1952a JosA(c) MarA-a isalike Europe itselfastruggling to recover from the chaotic and character-defining events that transpired during the previous fifteen years, events that haunt him still. He and his wife, Montse, attempt not to dwell on their past, until the day they read about a mysterious death by decapitation of an old acquaintance, and JosA(c) MarA-aas memories come surging back. And so our narrator begins his talea] It is 1937, in the thick of the Spanish Civil War. JosA(c) MarA-a and Montse are two of a group of Spaniards thrown together, forced to wait out the war in refuge at the Spanish Academy in Rome. Unlike the rest of his compatriots, JosA(c) MarA-a has no strong feelings either way about the Fascist or Nationalist ideologies that are causing such bloodshed in his home country; it is only the beautiful and bookish Montse who ignites his passion. When Montse and JosA(c) MarA-a sell a sixteenth century text discovered in the Spanish Academyas forgotten library, they unwittingly become embroiled in an underground Nazi plot to collect mystic artifacts for the practice of the black arts. The most powerful artifact soughtathe one most coveted by the FA1/4hrerais the Creatoras Map, a legendary document depicting the power centers of the universe, said to be penned by God himself. When the handsome and sinister Prince Junio, a wealthyItalian Fascist and Nazi sympathizer who is in pursuit of the map, appears to take a romantic interest in Montse, she is recruited to spy on him. As WWII blazes into full force, the idealistic Montse becomes more and more deeply involved in espionage, as does JosA(c) MarA-a, for his own reasons. Covering the most tumultuous and fascinating period of recent historyafrom the beginning of the Spanish Civil War to the end of World War IIa"The Creatoras Map" brilliantly recreates the dark intrigue, romantic entanglements, and divided loyalties of a war-torn Europe. Long after the war is over, the destinies of these characters will continue to be shaped by the devastating repercussions of this tumultuous time.