scary.co

Overview

THIS BOOK HAS BEEN PROFESSIONALLY EDITED AND FORMATTED FOR THE KINDLE to insure that the quality of its presentation equals that of its content. This e-book has an active table of contents and has been designed to allow you to jump between chapters with a flick of the Kindle's 4-way controller (joystick on older models).* * * * * *SYNOPSISIn Zaire, the locals whisper about a hermetic mountain tribe rumored to have the ability to transfer the entirety of its dying elders' knowledge directly into the minds of its younger members. Legend has it that the Shantu were visited by a traveling Hindu raja, who engaged in a series of spiritual debates with their chief regarding the nature of the soul. The chief believed that the soul was contained within the flesh; therefore one could absorb the strength of an enemy by eating his heart. The raja argued that the soul was a bright, ethereal smoke which rose from the body and rejoined the universal pool of life essences upon the body's demise. The old raja never emerged from the jungle, but the locals claim that they've caught glimpses of Shantu children peering out from the trees at the edge of the jungle: children with eerily ancient and luminescent eyes.Allan Steele is twenty four, hopelessly insecure, and the great-grandson of a Hindu raja. He is desperate to acquire knowledge by any means necessary—despite his severe learning disabilities—so when he is given the opportunity to tag along with his lifelong mentor on an anthropological expedition to study the Shantu, Allan jumps at the chance. But the knowledge Allan gains at the hands of the tribal chief comes at a gruesome price.Argus Steele, Allan's father, developed a taste for blood and purchased sex in Vietnam. But his attention is torn away from his addictions by the miraculous transformation of his estranged son upon Allan's return from Africa. Long convinced that Allan has been sent by God to punish him for his sins, Argus becomes determined to discover Allan's secret—and to destroy "God's messenger." House of Drums is the tale of two monsters—each unaware of the other's dark hungers as they careen down parallel paths toward the unforgettable climax of this disturbing psycho-supernatural story of ambition, compulsion, and Destiny.* * * * * *ABOUT THE AUTHORBrad Marlowe studied filmmaking at NYU, read scripts for legendary schlockmeister Roger Corman, wrote for Playboy magazine, was a freelance technology columnist, and is an award-winning screenwriter/director with five feature films to his credit. HOUSE OF DRUMS is the author's second novel, following the contemporary fantasy, SLEEPWALKER: THE LAST SANDMAN. Mr. Marlowe lives in California with his sons, Cameron and Taylor. * * * * * *AUTHOR'S NOTEPlease consider joining me and other critical (in the best sense) readers in my Credit For Criticism: House of Drums discussion group. Participants will be cited in the 2nd Kindle edition of the book, as well as in the upcoming paperback version. You can locate the Credit For Criticism discussion group on my Author's Page:http://www.amazon.com/Brad-Marlowe/e/B002RNHDW6/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1307394392&sr=8-1Thank you, and I hope to see you there!Brad Marlowe* * * * * *AUTHOR'S WARNING TO FANS OF SLEEPWALKER: THE LAST SANDMANHOUSE OF DRUMS is as different from SLEEPWALKER: THE LAST SANDMAN as a blackened, bloody steak is from a warm apple tart. HOUSE OF DRUMS is disturbing, twisted, graphic, gruesome and (hopefully) very, very scary. I don't say this to discourage you from reading my new book but, rather, to avoid any disorientation that you might have felt moving unprepared from the light into the dark. And to any cynics who might interpret this sincere warning as a marketing ploy, I would be eager to hear your own assessment—after you've read both books.

Media Details