A global catastrophe has returned earth to the Iron Age and killed six billion people. Even the billionaires were tricked and eliminated. An Oxford intelligentsia have taken over the planet. Can such smart people rebuild the world in a better way? With help from the galactic federation, perhaps there is hope. But first, earth's new elite must retrieve from the past some things that were destroyed long ago -- ways of thinking and living that can avoid a fatal reawakening of the delusions bequeathed to us by Rome. Jake Janaway -- young, modest, handsome, and scared -- is selected for a dangerous mission into the pre-Roman past. Jake has no idea why he was chosen. Jake has a lot to learn. But perhaps no one in the galaxy ever had better teachers, or was more loved. David Dalton also is the author of Fugue in Ursa Major , which was published in 2014. Oratorio in Ursa Major is the continuation of the story that begins with Fugue in Ursa Major . However, Oratorio is complete in itself and can be read first, with Fugue read later as a prequel. Praise for Fugue in Ursa Major : ‟What if we destroyed the foundation on which civilization teeters to build something new? Dalton's apocalyptic novel explores the unspeakable with guts, gusto, and a healthy dose of heresy. It's smart and nerdy, historical and philosophical, but also moving and heartfelt, uplifted by an emotional touch that the genre often lacks."  -- Ken Ilgunas, author of Walden on Wheels: On the Road from Debt to Freedom -- ‟A novel of ideas unlike any other I've read, beginning with a storm, ending with a cataclysm, but finding a warm humanistic spirit along the way. David Dalton is a fresh and fascinating new voice. I can only hope the story will continue." -- Jonathan Rauch, author of Gay Marriage: Why It is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America