Stairway of the Gods

Stairway of the Gods takes readers on a magical journey to the Philippines and the heartland of its people in the Cordillera Mountains. Warren’s tale of skullduggery unfolds on the slopes of the Banaue rice terraces when Paul and Joan Webster are trapped in the village after an earthquake. Paul is hospitalized and Joan is left alone to protect one of the most important discoveries of the Twentieth Century—a treasure of gold and precious artifacts hidden in a cave during World War II—that some would kill for.

Five Stars!

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

“Stairway of the Gods by Vic Warren is the beautiful love story of Joan and Paul Webster set in the Philippines. Joan Webster discovers some precious artifacts after an earthquake in the Philippines. Her husband, Paul, is in hospital after being hurt in the earthquake and she realizes that she has to keep her discovery a secret or die. The novel has the right mix of adventure, travel, and romance to make it an exhilarating read and it looks like a perfect novel that can be made into a movie. With a well-researched theme, the story will expose you to the Philippine culture and lifestyle.

A romantic adventure set in an exotic location, this book is a fast-paced read and will keep readers glued to the story. The romance of Joan and Paul is also exotic, like the location, and their characters are well portrayed by the author. The imagery is so beautiful that readers can actually visualize the beauty of the place. The story has been masterfully worked around the mysterious treasure buried by the Japanese officer, General Tomoyuki Yamashita, which Joan finds during the earthquake, and the betrayal, murder, and intrigue have been woven together well.

The characters are likable and relatable to readers and they will find the story of lost treasure, suspense, murder, and romance highly entertaining. The author's love of travel is evident from the descriptions in the story. The intrigue, treasure, romance, and exotic location works well in favor of the book. A very original theme and an engaging and entertaining novel."

Buried treasure, high adventure and romance. These are the key ingredients that make Vic Warren’s novel, Stairway of the Gods, a page turner. Explorers and treasure hunters have speculated on whether the story of World War II Japanese officer, General Tomoyuki Yamashita’s buried treasure in the Philippines, is myth or truth. Warren takes this premise and turns it into riveting fiction. His main characters are peppered with Bogie and Bacall-ish style, while his other characters are a reflection of the local culture. “Many of the characters in the book are like the Filipino people I have been close to all my life—warm and hospitable—with a deep sense of camaraderie for their neighbors,” said Warren. “I have many friends in the Filipino community who I have seen help their neighbors when they are in need.”

ABOUT VIC WARREN AUTHOR OF THE RIVER, THE QUARTZ, HONG KONG BLUES, SAFFRON, AND STAIRWAY OF THE GODS With a phenomenal career that started out writing and designing over 100 children’s books published with Scholastic and McGraw-Hill, as well as a Clio award-winning advertising career, Vic Warren was ready for a new writing challenge. In his first novel, Stairway of the Gods, Warren took the legendary story of Japanese officer, General Tomoyuki Yamashita—who is rumored to have buried priceless spoils of war in the Philippines just before the end of World War II—and turned it into riveting fiction. Warren’s tale of skullduggery unfolds on the slopes of the Banaue rice terraces when an earthquake reveals Yamashita’s treasure, and Joan and Paul Webster are stuck on the mountain. When Joan is faced with trying to keep the discovery secret, they find themselves confronted with deceit, betrayal and murder. Saffron, his second book, is a sci-fi adventure that reads like mainstream fiction. It deals with the discovery of a race of underwater humans off today’s California coast. Saffron is the first in a new series of books Warren is calling The Neptune Chronicles. His third novel, Hong Kong Blues, is a Hitchcock-style thriller about a newly-married couple being chased through the streets of Hong Kong by two competing Triads desperate to hear a dying man’s last words. The early response to some of the characters encouraged him to create a spinoff series, The Inspector Kwong Mysteries. He has finished the first two novellas in the series, The Quartz and The River, and is working on number three, The Fog. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Warren worked as an advertising executive in the travel industry for 30-plus years. He is a recipient of a Clio award and is best known for creating the Alaska Airlines Eskimo logo. His experience with Alaska Airlines opened many doors for him in the travel and tourism industry and he started his own company called Turning Heads. He also became a book packager, editor, designer and writer in collaboration with several illustrators, producing more than 100 children’s books. He attended the San Francisco Academy of Art, majoring in graphic design and art direction. Warren is an avid traveler to Asia, Europe and the South Pacific. He is currently at work on Girl on a Dolphin, Book Two of The Neptune Chronicles. He lives in San Diego with his wife, Laurel, and their three-legged cat, Oscar. To learn more about his novels, please visit www.vicwarren.com.