International Writers Inspiring Change presents: The Spiral Path by John Broughton

In 12th-century Pisa, spice merchant Guglielmo Bonacci discovers his son's gift for numbers, fluency in languages and swordsmanship.

The father and son set sail across the Mediterranean, unknowingly charting a course that will alter the destiny of mathematics, trade, and science in Europe. But genius is never without enemies.

From the intrigue-filled courts of Palermo to the shifting sands of North Africa, Leonardo’s rise sparks suspicion. As he introduces revolutionary ideas in calculation and dares to publish Liber Abaci, powerful forces push back. His wife Cecilia becomes a target of the Inquisition.

In the face of persecution and betrayal, Leonardo finds unexpected allies: a visionary emperor, a devoted apprentice, and the quiet, unstoppable rhythm of the spiral that governs the world. Through danger and love, war and science, Leonardo pursues his true passion—decoding the divine patterns in nature.

Profuse in historical detail about the life of Fibonacci, John Broughton's THE SPIRAL PATH is a story of discovery and resilience.

Reviews:

"John Broughton has turned history into pure adventure! The life of Fibonacci comes alive in a way that is both educational and thrilling. I loved how the story wove mathematics, family, and medieval intrigue together each chapter left me eager for the next. A true gem for anyone who loves history and brilliant storytelling!" - Rose Wilson

"Beautifully written and deeply engaging! The Spiral Path is more than a biographyit’s a story of discovery, courage, and the magic hidden in numbers. I felt like I was traveling alongside Fibonacci, witnessing his triumphs and challenges. This book deserves to be celebrated." - Steven M.

"This is storytelling at its finest. Broughton paints a vivid picture of 12th-century life while bringing Fibonacci’s brilliance to the forefront. The blend of historical detail, suspense, and human emotion makes it impossible not to be inspired. Truly a masterpiece." - Delores Wheeler

International Writers Inspiring Change review of

The Spiral Path

The Spiral Path: The Life of Fibonacci (Fascinating Lives Series) by historical fiction writer, John Broughton, is a masterful piece of writing. The story follows the life of Leonardo, son of Guglielmo Bonacci, a spice merchant in Pisa, Italy, during the 12th century, a boy who shows exceptional talent when it comes to learning and prying open doors to knowledge. Driven by a passion to unlock mysteries, Leo joins his father on merchant voyages across the Mediterranean, to North Africa, where advanced knowledge is decades, if not centuries ahead of stagnant European standards. Leo returns to his home with the knowledge of Arabic mathematics and challenges the old-school abacus-based approach, and sparks a cultural revolution which gains him both great respect and enemies who see him as a threat. Leo's ties to the Caliph across the Med, soon find him engaged in the great wars between the Arab (Moorish) powers and those in Iberia, followed by many more adventures, romance and ultimately, the true goal and aspiration of Leo's life - his legacy which will change the world generations later. The author's language and descriptive powers are truly top of the line - throughout the book. One can sense the old-world, during the 12th century, the crowded streets, the verve, the decadence, and the richness of the Caliph lands across the great sea, and the sheer magnitude and tragedy of wars. This is beautiful writing and historically educational too. Highly recommended.

More about The Fascinating Lives Series

I had the idea for The Fascinating Lives Series largely because I didn’t want to write a standalone novel about the great humanist scholar, Aneas Piccolomini, Pope Pius II, worthy though he is of such a choice. The Result was Pigsty to Papacy. To have a series led to research for subjects who met my criterion: they should be worthy of a wide readership, but not already subjects of countless novels. My next choice was therefore Fibonacci, an early Renaissance giant of mathematics in the Pisan maritime Republic: The Spiral Path. As I was casting around for the subject of Book 3, in conversation with a Moroccan friend, my eyes were opened to the incredible achievement of Fatima al-Fihri and her sister. She opened the world’s first university in Fez despite her society being male-dominated and full of prejudices, which she overcame to follow her dream. What an amazing woman! Hence, The Light that Awakens.

Remaining with a female subject, I chose the Mongol princess Khutulun, who inspired an eighteenth-century French novelist, Francois Petis de La Croix, to write Turandot, made unforgettable by Puccini in his eponymous opera, especially with his aria Nessun Dorma. She refused to marry unless a man could beat her at wrestling. Nobody could, but her defeat came through poisoning by one of her envious brothers. A fantastic heroic subject! The Daughter of the Steppes.

Finally, hot off the press… is the Fascinating Life of King Harald Fairhair: The Night of the Valkyrie. He was the pagan king who united Norway as one kingdom for the first time. I’ve attempted to introduce (very lightly) a feel of the Nordic saga style. I’ve not yet submitted this book for publication. Since (as every author should with his latest work) I feel that it is my best writing yet, I’m relatively confident that it will be published.

About the author

John Broughton was born in Cleethorpes Lincolnshire UK in 1948: just one of the many post-war babies. After attending grammar school and studying to the sound of Bob Dylan he went to Nottingham University and studied Medieval and Modern History (Archaeology subsidiary). The subsidiary course led to one of his greatest academic achievements: tipping the soil content of a wheelbarrow from the summit of a spoil heap on an old lady hobbling past the dig. He did many different jobs while living in Radcliffe-on-Trent, Leamington, Glossop, the Scilly Isles, Puglia and Calabria. They include teaching English and History, managing a Day Care Centre, being a Director of a Trade Institute and teaching university students English. He even tried being a fisherman and a flower picker when he was on St. Agnes island, Scilly. He has lived in Calabria since 1992 where he settled into a long-term job at the University of Calabria teaching English. No doubt his lovely Calabrian wife, Maria, stopped him being restless. His two kids are grown up now, but he wrote books for them when they were little. Hamish Hamilton and then Thomas Nelson published 6 of these in England in the 1980s. They are now out of print. He’s a granddad and, happily, the parents wisely named his grandson Dylan. He decided to take up writing again late in his career. When teaching and working as a translator he didn’t really have time for writing. As soon as he stopped the translation work, he resumed writing in 2014. The fruit of that decision was his first historical novel, The Purple Thread followed by Wyrd of the Wolf. Both are set in his favourite Anglo-Saxon period. His third and fourth novels, a two-book set, are Saints and Sinners and its sequel Mixed Blessings set on the cusp of the eighth century in Mercia and Lindsey. A fifth Sward and Sword is about the great Earl Godwine. Creativia Publishing have released Perfecta Saxonia and Ulf’s Tale about King Aethelstan and King Cnut’s empire respectively. In May 2019, they published In the Name of the Mother, a sequel to Wyrd of the Wolf. Creativia/Next Chapter also published Angenga a time-travel novel linking the ninth century to the twenty-first. This novel inspired John Broughton’s venture, a series of six novels about psychic investigator Jake Conley, whose retrocognition takes him back to Anglo-Saxon times. Next Chapter Publishing scheduled the first of these, Elfrid’s Hole for publication at the end of October 2019; the second, is Red Horse Valeand the third, Memory of a Falcon; the fourth is The Snape Ring; the fifth, Pinions of Gold, like the others is on sale on Amazon; The last of the series The Serpent Wand is also now available.

The author’s project previous to The Rebel Scribes was a trilogy of ‘pure’ Anglo-Saxon novels about Saint Cuthbert. The first is Heaven in a Wild Flower, The Horse-thegn is the second and the third is The Master of the Chevron.

Author website

The Author Shout-Out Podcast with John Broughton