Star Readers: from out of the East

     The visit of the Magi in the Christmas story has been romanticized and sentimentalized into myth and fantasy.  In fact, many theologians dismiss the visit of the Magi as incredible, interpreting it to be a literary device.        But what if the story is authentic?      Not the romantic story commonly told; but the brief, solitary account recorded in the ancient text.  The original story doesn't number the wise men, or call them kings, or claim they found Mary and Joseph in a stable; it doesn't even include camels.  In fact, the original story doesn't claim the visitors were wise.  It identifies them as Magi--priest-sages whose mysterious research combined facts and observations with speculations and superstition.       This book respects the ancient text, treats the story of the Magi as authentic, and is built on facts obtained from historical as well as astronomical records.  It imaginatively follows the Magi from the inception of their quest in the Parthian empire through the trials along their journey, and finally, to the fallout from their visit.  The characters are a blend of fiction and non-fiction, as needed to carry the plot.        This is not a sensationalized "We Three Kings of Orient Are" story; rather, it arises from within the world of the Magi, presenting a socio-political rationale for their quest while imagining their journey.