The Prophet of Paradise

Foxhunting, Religion, and Sex. Life around Paradise Gap, in Virginia's Crutchfield County, has been cadenced to the comfortable traditions of foxhunting for many generations. And then Ryman McKendrick receives a vision. Inspired by a message from Saint Hubert-or so he believes-Ryman launches The Ancient and Venerable Church of Ars Venatica, aka The Church of Foxhunting. Even the skeptics can't ignore Ryman's uncanny new powers. The Venatican ranks swell, hunters sing-literally-the praises of the sporting life, and a current of titillation flows among the participants, from teenagers to octogenarians. The two meanings of "venery" (pursuits both sporting and erotic) blend happily into a single drive for many of Ryman's ardent followers. But support is far from universal. Is one of Ryman's detractors committed enough to go to the ultimate extreme? The Prophet of Paradise takes you inside a rarified world of foxhunting, religion, and sex-a powerful cocktail of passion that can lead to pleasure or pain.