"The Scepters of Time" is the tale of young Jonathan Stormbold who sets sail for the orient as first mate on his grandfather's ship Cassiopeia.  Drawn off course into an adventure of mystery and romance, he discovers secrets about himself, his family and his world.

Set in the year 1822; the book chronicles the travels of Jonathan Stormbold, who sails out of a fog bank in the Indian Ocean to find that he has somehow been transported into a world where the history he grew up in does not exist.  Jonathan must overcome hardships on land and sea, and out maneuver an evil tyrant who seeks to stop him at every turn.  Guided only by the contents of a strong box left to him by his grandfather, and the words of a mysterious man who appeared in the fog, Jonathan must find his way to a remote valley in the mountains of India and discover a people and an art hidden since the dawn of civilization.

Pursued relentlessly by the evil tyrant known as the "Black Dragon", Jonathan must out sail, outgun, and outrun this opponent, who controls a vast empire encompassing the southern half of Asia.  As his journey unfolds, he discovers that he possesses what is now the world's fastest ship as well as an ability shared by only a handful of people.  Jonathan survives many close calls as he struggles to save his ship and crew from destruction.  Once in the mountains, Jonathan learns that the answers to restoring his world lie in the past, far in the past, and it is there that he must go.

A tale within a tale unfolds as Jonathan travels back to a civilization lost to the ages before recorded history, and comes to know the people of the time.  He must somehow accomplish his quest to prevent the art of time travel from falling into the hands of the Black Dragon; aided only by a boy of 15 years named Pabbo, a student in the temple of knowledge.  With Jonathan's help, Pabbo escapes many dangers as he is drawn into the intrigues of this early kingdom to unlock the secrets that threaten to plunge the future world into darkness and tyranny.

Careful as he might be, Jonathan cannot escape the charms of a wayward princess and finds himself separated from the first woman of significance in his life by a gulf of over ten thousand years.  Many surprises await Jonathan upon return to his life in the present, where he must finish actions begun far in the past.  Princess Kalima's fate is intertwined with Jonathan's quest, and the future of the world in ways he cannot guess, as he fights to restore his world amid doubts that he may never find happiness, even if he is successful.  From mast head to elephant back, from the high seas to the high mountains, Jonathan's adventure leads him through dark places where evil thrives to realms of beauty and serenity that will change him forever.

While written with young adult readers in mind, this story may be enjoyed by men and women of all ages.  The reader is drawn into a tale that moves in unpredictable and interesting directions with just the right mix of action, philosophy, adventure, and romance, to make the reading enjoyable.