Far to the north, ringed by thunderheads and bathed in unnatural heat, lies Khymir, city of inexhaustible wealth and suppurating squalor, of sorcery and unbridled decadence, where the streets teem with hordes of cut-throats, and demon-sendings rule the night. Enter Jagutai Jen-Shian, bastard son of the Great Khan Sartac. Sent to ensure the signing of a vital treaty, he's his father's deadliest henchman, a small, steely warrior whose fearsome Urguz bow is more than a match for any spell. Opposing him is the demented High Priest of Tchernobog, Serrator Dessicatorius, who, believing that moisture is the principle of evil, dreams of a new and much drier Khymir. But Dessicatorius's insanity is too much for his heterodox second-in-command, Mancdaman Zancharthus, an engagingly ruthless pragmatist who enlists Jagutai in a plot to overthrow his master. Things are further complicated by the regal and beautiful Torrisanna, a temple prostitute with lethal designs of her own, and her her slinky handmaiden Lilitu, who'll stop at nothing to seduce Jagutai, or at least make him as miserable as possible... Supercharged with sex and bone-crunching action, Blood and Pearls is like nothing you've ever read, a hilarious, hallucinatory jolt of high-speed sword-and-sorcery.
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About the Author
Born in 1952, author-illustrator Mark E. Rogers is best known for the Samurai Cat books: The Adventures of Samurai Cat, More Adventures of Samurai Cat, Samurai Cat in the Real World, The Sword of Samurai Cat, and Samurai Cat Goes to the Movies. The sixth and final installment in the series, Samurai Cat Goes to Hell, was recently published by TOR. His other books include The Dead, Zorachus, The Nightmare of God, The Expected One, The Devouring Void, and The Riddled Man. One of his novellas, The Runestone, was made into a movie; and The Dead is presently under development as a feature film---with a screenplay by Mark---at KNB-EFX. Mark's work has been adapted by Marvel comics, and has appeared on the cover of Cricket Magazine; he's published three art portfolios, and a collection of his pin-up paintings, Nothing But A Smile, is due in mid-2000 from Xenophile Books. Mark lives in Newark, Delaware, with his wife Kate---a philosophy professor at the U of D---and their four lovely kids, Sophie, Jeannie, Patrick, and Nick.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
twistedly interesting,
By
This review is from: Blood + Pearls (Zancharthus Book 1) (Paperback)
I've read the rest of Rogers' books set in the same world. Blood + Pearls has a somewhat different tone from them, rather whimsical and ironic I guess, which suits the characters and, honestly, is easier on the eyes--the action keeps moving along at a strong pace and there are some moments of levity. But just because it's got a bit of humor, don't let that make you think that the book doesn't dig into some pretty dark and indeed profound cracks. For instance, Khymir is a complete and utter hole and its inhabitants illustrate aspects of the "nature vs. nurture" debate quite nicely. Would Zancharthus be such an utter [jerk] if he hadn't been raised in Khymir? He seems to improve morally a bit over the course of the book by interacting with Jagutai, but at the same time Jagutai seems to be a bit tarnished by Khymir. Indeed, Zancharthus almost seems to have no moral convictions at all except that he wants power. The love between Zancharthus and Torrisanna is also fairly creepy, illustrating "how those evil types" do it. I agree with another reviewer that the theology is quite interesting. The illos are a nice touch to help visualize what's going on. They were a bit dark in the printing, though and there were a few more minor typos than I'd expect from a large press publication, but the book seems fairly sound in construction. One last point: This book is definitely NOT for the kids.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Run Conan, Run!,
By Thomas Miller (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Blood + Pearls (Zancharthus Book 1) (Paperback)
Epic sword and sorcery will never be the same now that Mr. Rogers has arrived. He has brought his not-too-nice neighborhood of Khymir with him and believe me, you don't want these people for friends! These include Dessicatorius, High Priest for Tchernebog and a madman with a fondness for spiders; Torrisanna, the voluptuous and deadly High Priestess of the Double Goddess; and of course, Mancdaman Zancharthus. Into this unholy Trinity steps Jagutai Jen Shian, the Eyes of the Khan. He has been dispatched to Khymir to vouchsafe the signing of a trade agreement between the Khan and the Guild of Merchants. An unwilling spectator at first, he is drawn into the serpentine schemes and plots that surround and entwine all of Khymir. Jagutai is thrust into the fray as he becomes aware of Zancharthus' plans to overthrow Dessicatorius and take control of the priesthood. Despite his initial doubts, Jagutai sees in Zancharthus something more than just another libertine, that most unusual and rare of Khymirian creatures, a thinking man. The two of them chop at each other in bouts of logic that are as every bit as entertaining as the physical fights, but with far more serious consequences. This book has it all. It is by turns murderous bloodbaths, sorcerous battles, philosophical and theological insights and even a primer for redemption. Imagine if you will, Narnia gone bad. Very bad. Blood + Pearls will keep you entertained from beginning to end but even more importantly it will definitely give you something to think about.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sex and god and blood and pearls,
By annie (United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Blood + Pearls (Zancharthus Book 1) (Paperback)
BLOOD AND PEARLS is a great beginning for the series of prequels to Rogers' ZORACHUS and BLOOD OF THE LAMB books. Set in Khymir, the city maintained by Satan as an argument against the creation of the human race, it introduces Zancharthus, a blood-thirsty sorceror with few redeeming qualities...but some. He's sexy, as are several of the main characters as we learn from Rogers' lengthy, vivid, and...quite interesting sex scenes. He's reasonable by comparison with his enemies. Dessicatorius, the leader of the Satanic cult for which Zancharthus works, who sees fluid as the problem and spiders as the solution, is one of Rogers' best bad guys...and that's saying something! And he really wishes things worked better. There's enough there to start the process of salvation. In addition to great characters, wild action, fantastic monsters, and solid philosophy the book has wonderful illustrations...Dessicatorius covered with spiders (p.264) is dementia incarnate and the last picture in the book (p.313)is about the fleshiest piece of cheesecake you're likely to see. There's something for everybody...and then some!
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