Customer Reviews

Blood + Pearls (Zancharthus Book 1)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

Just when you think the guy has outdone himself, he writes another book. Really, truly, if you like his other stuff, this is a must read. Sword and Sorcery doesn't get any better than this. An absolute, must read!

I'll admit it, I bought Blood + Pearls for the illustrations. It's well worth the cover price just to have those. Mark E. Rogers is an extremely skilled artist, and his illustrations pratically drip with gore, sex, and feeling. To find that he writes as well as he paints was a wonderful surprise. Once I started reading Blood + Pearls I ripped right through it, then immediately went online and ordered the next two books. The characters are fascinating, especially Torrisanna and Zancharthus- both are ruthless and arguably "evil" but their spirit and complexity make them impossible not to sympathize with. This is the kind of book that keeps you up at night- you try to sleep but the need to know what happens next drives you to turn on the light and keep reading. Monsters, magic, ultra-violence, sex of many varieties, complicated and true emotions, spiritual insights, and a badass lil Asian guy.

Mark E. Rogers is brave when it comes to treading the world of written word. He does not conform to the cut and dried recipes. He assaults those techniques with a fresh and dark method of writing that is unlike anyone out there. This book continues in that genre. The Mark E. Rogers which melds Fantasy, Horror, and Erotica all nice an neatly into its own demented world.
This book is the first in a series of three and also ties in nicely with other books. This book introduces us to several very interesting and distinctly different characters. They have one thing in common. They are all living and struggling in a depraved place known as Khymir. If you think you have read about depravity and evil. You haven't. If you think you have heard it all. You haven't. Strap yourself into your chair and bring along a good supply of beverages and snacks because, you won't be coming out of this book until you have read the last page.

This book is most definately not suitable for young people. This is an NC-17 rated book and Mark did not hold anything back when writing it.

This book is triumphant prequel to Zorachus and The blood of the Lamb series. It tells the story of Mancdaman Zancharthus, father of Zorachus, his ally, Jagutai Jen Shian, and their battle against Serrator Dissicatorius, and chronicles the battle of qualified good over absolute deranged evil. This book is one of the best that I have read in a long time, and even drew me away from the new Tom Clancy. There are 2 more books planned after this one, Jagutai and Lilitu, and Night of the Long Knives.

"Blood & Pearls" is a prequel to the excellent two novel sequence, "Zorachus" and "the Nightmare of God." In "Blood & Pearls" we meet Zorachus' father and high priest of Tschonberg. The plot is tense and well-written. I couldn't put the book down once I started reading it.

I especially enjoy how the author wove a consistent cosmology and theology into the novel. In many ways, his writing style resembles C.S. Lewis' or J.R.R. Tolkien's. You can read Mark E. Roger's novel at multiple levels from a purely escapist to a deeply philosophical. The author went beyond his past efforts in this novel and explained how magic works and some of the hierchy of the infernal realms.

Look for reprints of his past works too, especially: "the Dead," "Zorachus," "the Nightmare of God," and the Blood of the Lamb triology.

My one caution -- these tales are definitely not for the kids. Reader maturity is a must for these novels.

...you might want them to win. But don't worry, that won't happen with this book -- the heroes are even cooler. Everyone is super cool, in fact, but believable; they have reasons for everything they do. The bad guys are as real and as well developed as the good guys are, and you can see why both are the wonderful violent twisted perverts that they are.

Why did I like this book? Because the author respects his audience. "Blood and Pearls" is well-written, funny, clever and action-packed. As one reads the book, the novel's images, from the burning Firedrake to the spider-covered Dessicatorius, burn through the brain in full Technicolor, complete with sound effects and even a hint of the stench of the Warren. The plot races along so quickly that one isn't immediately aware of the excellence of the writing. The sentences flow easily, but the author chooses words that convey nuances of meaning just through their sounds, as in the following examples: "a broad shouldered brute lumbered," "a perverse delight discomfiting her" and "eyes black and slanted, hardly more than obsidian slits." I loved reading a book in which it was quite clear that the author hadn't run his prose through a computer program designed to catch any writing or vocabulary above an eighth-grade reading level. I found myself pausing at intervals to read passages out loud because the words just plain sounded great!

Possibly because the book is hilarious, one also does not immediately notice that it's cleverly thought-provoking. Do humans move toward goodness because it is ultimately more efficient? Does true evil gradually wear itself out of existence because it has no inherent creative wellspring? The truly evil creatures in the novel head toward dry dust and death, while the "good" characters slowly turn toward redemption and life. Of course, except for Jagutai who stands as a beacon of goodness in the novel, they all have a ways to go before that redemption is complete. The journey promises to be a compelling one.

Oh, are you wondering about the reference to the pearls in the title? You'll have to read the book for that explanation ...