TRUCKEE, Calif. — Gail Strickland of Truckee will read from her novel, “Night of Pan,” at the Bookshelf on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 6-8 p.m.

She will also sign the book during the event at the Truckee book store at 11429 Donner Pass Road.

This is a young adult novel retelling a pivotal moment in Ancient Greek history — the story of the Oracle of Delphi‹, from the young oracle’s point of view.

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Following is a from a short synopsis of the novel:

The slaughter of the Spartan 300 at Thermopylae, Greece, 480 BC, is well known‹ — when King Leonidas tried to stop the Persian army with only his elite guard‹. But just what did King Xerxes do after he defeated the Greeks?

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Fifteen-year-old Thaleia is haunted by visions: roofs dripping blood and Athens burning. She tries to convince her best friend and all the villagers that she’s not crazy. The gods do speak to her. And the gods have plans for this girl.

When Xerxes’ army of a million Persians marches straight to the mountain village Delphi to claim the Temple of Apollo’s treasures and sacred power, Thaleia’s gift may be her people’s last line of defense.

Her destiny may be to save GreeceŠ but is one girl strong enough to stop an entire army?

Strickland is a trained classicist and contributes to King’s College (Oxford, England) Classics quarterly, “New Satyrica.” She has also taught music and mythology to teens for decades in the Bay Area.

Visit gailstricklandauthor.com to learn more about the author and the novel.