''The Nine Unknown'' is a 1923 novel by

Talbot Mundy Talbot Mundy (born William Lancaster Gribbon, 23 April 1879 – 5 August 1940) was an English writer of adventure fiction. Based for most of his life in the United States, he also wrote under the pseudonym of Walter Galt. Best known as th ...

. Originally serialised in ''

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

'' magazine, it concerns the Nine Unknown Men, a

secret society A secret society is an organization about which the activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. The society may or may not attempt to conceal its existence. The term usually excludes covert groups, such as intelligence ag ...

founded to preserve and develop knowledge that would be dangerous to humanity if it fell into the wrong hands. The nine unknown men were entrusted with guarding nine books of secret knowledge.

Plot

In the novel the nine men are the embodiment of good and face up against evil worshiper who sow confusion and masquerade as the true sages. The story surrounds a priest called Father Cyprian who is seeking possession of the books but who wants to destroy them out of Christian piety, and a number of other characters who are interested in learning their contents.

Influence

The concept of the "Nine Unknown Men" was further popularized by

Louis Pauwels Louis Pauwels (; 2 August 1920 – 28 January 1997) was a French journalist and writer. Born in Paris, France, he wrote in many monthly literary French magazines as early as 1946 (including ''Esprit'' and ''Variété'') until the 1950s. He partic ...

and

Jacques Bergier Jacques Bergier (; maybe born Yakov Mikhailovich Berger (); Odessa, Paris, 23 November 1978) was a chemical engineer, member of the French resistance, spy, journalist and writer. He co-wrote the best-seller '' The Morning of the Magicians'' with ...

in their 1960 book ''

The Morning of the Magicians ''The Morning of the Magicians: Introduction to Fantastic Realism'' () is a 1960 book by the journalists Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier. As the authors disclaim in their preface, the book is intended to challenge readers' viewpoints on histori ...

''. They claimed that the Nine Unknown were real and had been founded by the

Mauryan The Maurya Empire was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in South Asia with its power base in Magadha. Founded by Chandragupta Maurya around c. 320 BCE, it existed in loose-knit fashion until 185 BCE. The primary sourc ...

Emperor

Ashoka Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...

around 270 BC. They also claimed that Pope

Silvester II Pope Sylvester II (; – 12 May 1003), originally known as Gerbert of Aurillac, was a scholar and teacher who served as the bishop of Rome and ruled the Papal States from 999 to his death. He endorsed and promoted study of Moorish and Greco-Roma ...

had met the Nine Unknown, and that nineteenth-century French colonial administrator and writer Louis Jacolliot insisted on their existence.

In popular culture

* In the first edition of Anton LaVey's '' Satanic Bible'' (1969), The Nine Unknown were the final dedicatees mentioned in the dedication. * The "Nine Unknown" have since been the subject of the several novels including '' Shadow Tyrants'' by

Clive Cussler Clive Eric Cussler (July 15, 1931 – February 24, 2020) was an American adventure novelist and underwater explorer. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have been listed on ''The New York Times'' fiction best-sell ...

and

Boyd Morrison Boyd Morrison (* February 17, 1967) is an American thriller novelist, actor and former Jeopardy! champion. He has co-authored several books with The New York Times fiction best-seller Clive Cussler. Education Boyd Morrison has earned a bachelor's ...

; '' The Mahabharata Secret'', a 2013 novel by Christopher C. Doyle; '' Finders, Keepers'', a 2015 novel by Sapan Saxena; and Shobha Nihalani's ''Nine'' novel trilogy. * The American television series '' Heroes'' prominently features the number nine, and the writers and producers Aron Coliete and Joe Pakaski have credited the story of

and ''The Nine Unknown Men'' as one of the many influences for the series and as a clue to the mystery surrounding the number. * '' JL50'' is a Hindi-language

sci-fi Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

web series launched in September 2020 on Sony Liv. The series centers around the Nine Unknown and the books they preserved. It relates that these books contain knowledge of political power, the origin of martial arts, communication with extraterrestrial species, and time travel. The series mentions Project A (for ''Ashoka'') which involves time travel.

References

External links

A Short Film based on ''Nine Unknown Men''HTML text
at Gutenberg Australia * *
Legend of the Nine Unknown Men
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nine Unknown 1923 British novels Novels about conspiracy theories Works originally published in Adventure (magazine) Novels first published in serial form Memorials to Ashoka Cultural depictions of Ashoka The Nine Unknown Men will soon appear in the TIME BOUND Series

Plot

Influence

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading

External links