The Book of Paul by Richard Long
Synopsis:
“Never alive…and never dead.”
In
the rubble-strewn wasteland of Alphabet City, a squalid tenement
conceals a treasure “beyond all imagining”—an immaculately preserved,
fifth century codex. The sole repository of ancient Hermetic lore, it
contains the authentic alchemical rituals for transforming thought into
substance, transmuting matter at will…and attaining eternal life.
When
a lusty, East Village tattoo artist has a torrid encounter with a
battle-hardened loner, they are overwhelmed by the intensity of their
feelings. Rose and Martin soon discover they are unwitting pawns on
opposing sides of a battle that has shaped the course of human history.
At the center of the conflict is Paul, the villainous overlord of an
underground feudal society, who guards the book’s occult secrets in
preparation for the fulfillment of an apocalyptic prophecy.
The
action is relentless as Martin and Rose fight to escape Paul’s clutches
and Martin’s destiny as the chosen recipient of Paul’s sinister legacy.
Science and magic, mythology and technology converge in a monumental
battle where the stakes couldn’t be higher: control of the ultimate
power in the universe—the Maelstrom.
The Book of Paul is the
first of seven volumes in a sweeping mythological narrative tracing the
mystical connections between Hermes Trismegistus in ancient Egypt,
Sophia, the female counterpart of Christ, and the Celtic druids of Clan
Kelly.
The Tarot
A guest post by Richard Long
Laura gave me my first tarot deck. It was a Crowley. A lot of
people get creeped out by Crowley decks, much as they would have been
creeped out by Crowley, I imagine. He called himself ‘The Great Beast.’
To me, he seemed more like a big joke.
“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law!”
Stop it, you’re killing me.
***
You just read the opening lines of
The Bone King, a prequel to
The Book of Paul.
They happen to be true. Laura gave me my first deck. I still have it
and use it. In fact, I’ll be using it shortly to provide Skype tarot
readings for two lucky winners of my Whirlwind Blog Tour. I’m looking
forward to the readings. The winners? I suppose that depends on which
cards come up.
Actually, I don’t give scary tarot readings, I just write about scary
tarot readings. People have enough fear and stress in their lives
without me throwing more gas on the flames. Besides, the three scariest
trump cards–The Hanged Man, Death and The Tower–can all be interpreted
in very unscary ways. Most of the time.
William, the narrator of
The Book of Paul, lives in the East
Village/Alphabet City of New York in the years before gentrification
made it a much less fun and frightening place. He makes a living doing
tarot and numerology readings, same as the author did at the time. Like
me, he is also a collector, but that’s where the similarities end. He
collects ancient occult codices, some covered in human skin. He collects
other things that are even more…disturbing.
The mythology of
The Book of Paul is based largely on my
very unique (so unique you’ll never see it anywhere else) interpretation
of the twenty-two trump cards of the tarot. As William endeavors to
unravel Paul’s nefarious intentions, he discovers an arrangement of the
trumps that reveals the true story being told. In the following excerpt
from one of William’s journal entries, Paul congratulates William on his
discovery (which is not revealed, so no spoiler alert!) and rewards his
efforts with a very special gift to add to his collection, and the
promise of an even greater prize.
A fabulous tarot reading from Richard Long? A Kindle Fire?
No, William isn’t as lucky as three of you wonderful readers.
He’s about to have his very first look at
The Book of Paul, a gift that comes with a very hefty price tag.
***
“You’ve done exceptionally well here,” Paul said, “but
you’re never gonna get to the bottom of this no matter how many of those
old books you poke your nose into.”
“And that’s because…”
“For starters, those writings were deliberately intended
to disguise the truth in countless metaphors and scrambled codes to
keep the idiots at bay. They’ve been translated, and re-translated back
into the original demotic, Coptic or Greek countless times, every scribe
adding his own pontifical touch in his glorious interpretation. Of the
more accurate writings, there’s more missing from the tracts than what
remains, as you’ve seen in the Drivel of Mary. You’ve about as much luck
hitting pay dirt in those dustbins as those literalist born-agains have
of seeing the Rapture. However, I have a gift for you that should prove
far more enlightening, if you apply yourself with half the dedication
of these research efforts.”
He reached deeply into his pocket and told me to close
my eyes. “Don’t go using yer second sight and spoil the surprise.” I
nodded and felt him place a large rectangular object in my left hand.
“Okay, open ’em.”
It was a tarot deck. Older than any I’d seen. The
paintings were incredibly detailed and absolutely exquisite. I turned
them over one by one, The Hero, The Herald, The Oracle—all the trumps
labeled with Paul’s titles. “These are amazing!” I said, awed and yes,
flattered by his incredible gift. I had a hard time spitting it out, but
I managed to say, “Thank you.”
“You’ve earned it,” he grunted, taking the cards back
before I had a chance to look at the rest of them, setting the cards
down gently on the table. “But don’t stay up too late gazing at them.
This deck can be quite…entrancing.”
“Is there something else I should know about it?” I asked apprehensively.
“Indeed, there is. Get a good night’s sleep and meet me
in the chapel tomorrow. I’m bumping you up to the advanced class, so
make sure your eyes are bright and your head is clear. You’ve earned a
little taste of the Gospel according to Paul.”
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All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is
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About The Book of Paul: A cross-genre thriller that combines the brooding horror of Silence of the Lambs with the biting humor of Pulp Fiction.
Get it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
About the author:
Richard Long is the author of
The Book of Paul and the forthcoming young-adult fantasy series
The Dream Palace. He lives in Manhattan with his wonderful wife, two amazing children and wicked black cat, Merlin.
Visit Richard on his website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.
