…I don’t have my notes together yet, but the research is fascinating, in the morbid and exhausting sense. More to follow on the Case of the Sarcastic Butterflies.
In the meantime, Marc received a stellar review from Publisher’s Weekly yesterday. It says:
Konig’s Fire
Car salesman turned speculative-fiction writer Schooley (The Dark Man) burrows deep into the heart of Sascha König, called Nebuchadnezzar because he was an incinerator operator for the Nazis who could make flames so hot no evidence was left of the bodies of Jews who were incinerated in his oven. In the forest of Romania where the Nazis have set up a furnace in an old mine, König is haunted by the face of a gypsy girl he did not save while a force beyond his control closes in on him and his fellow executioners. Schooley’s style is introspective, philosophical, and a bit overwrought, but that can be overlooked as the new author develops an über-fantasy historical niche of Christian fiction. He provides a gold mine for readers who enjoy the blend of paranormal fantasy with one man’s desperate search for meaning and self-sacrifice.
Uber-fantasy…? I think somebody bought into the paranormal Nazis so hard that it spilled over into the review. Cool. [Edited to add: Ohmigosh LOOK! Amazing cover on the MLP site...click here for the whole fifth list and sample chapters.]
For myself, I feel totally smug about the “developing new author creating a niche of his own” part, because I’ve been telling the guy since forever, he’s going to hit a groove around his fourth or fifth novel and blow the lid off like totally everything dude.
Tomorrow, another exciting writerly thingy: P.A. Baines’s book releases from Splashdown. We’ll have an extensive, unpredictable and wide-ranging two-day/two-part interviewish chat with him. The Ministry of Silly Talks is in session Sept. 1-2.
Would you say Marc’s book would be a goo fit for my 16 year old? He is really into the whole WWII era of time. Would this book be something to capture Nick?
I’d say that in general, Marc tends to write fiction in a psychologically intense way that might be a bit hard for a teen if they’re not already into the kinds of books that trend towards the psychological thriller and so forth. I’d check out the excerpt at the MLP site for a sense of the tone and storyline.
Marc might have some thoughts on that. Best way to contact him is through the email on his blog’s sidebar.