The Old Gods Laugh Author:Frank Yerby In this rousing and breathtakingly suspensful novel, the master story-teller moves from his traditional settings to the tumultuous world of a revolution-ravaged Carribean country to give us a story at once contemporary and historical - full of color and romance, yet as pertinent to our lives as today's headlines. — Almost immediately on his arriv... more »al in Costa Verde, the American foreign correspondent Peter Reynolds is plunged into the midst of the violent struggle against the self-styled Glorious Leader, Miguel Villalonga. A brilliant reporter, with battle scars from wars on every continent, Peter knows that the key to the revolution lies with Padre Pio, the priest held hostage by a band of rebel guerrillas in the mountains. A wise and gently man of God, the padre has a power over the Indian peons that is coveted by both the dictator and his enemies.
Interwoven through the account of Costa Verde's bloody revolution is the story of a love affair that fourishes against all odds: between Peter and Alicia Villalonga, whose darkly beautiful features remind Peter of an ancient Toltec stone idol. Unwittingly, Peter and Alicia, though they strive to remain neutral, become the focal points of the struggle, a struggle which reaches it climax when the "old gods" who reside within Zopocomapetl, Costa Verde's great volcan, erupt and pour their fury upon rulers and rebels alike.« less