Numenon: A Tale of Mysticism & Money (Bloodsong, Book 1) [Hardcover]

Sandy Nathan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bloodsong | Publication Date: May 23, 2008

SYNOPSIS:

Will Duane has it all. Head of Numenon, the vast, multinational corporation he founded, Will is the richest man on the planet and makes more money with every breath. Still in his prime at 63, he has everything he needs to be on top of the world.

But a force he cannot identify pursues Will Duane.

The stalker.

Driven by his need to win back the love of a mysterious woman, Will takes his top executives to a week long spiritual retreat in the New Mexico desert.

His caravan of five RVs makes its way to the retreat site at the Mogollon Bowl. On this sacred land, perhaps the strongest power spot on earth, the ageless shaman known as Grandfather will lead the retreat.

As Will and his team progress toward the site, all hell breaks loose. When the caravan becomes stalled, the unknown stalker strikes. Out of a horrifying attack, a new possibility is born ... and evil takes a new form.

The survivors realize that they are approaching a reality beyond anything they can imagine. They must face their own terrors and weaknesses as they come face-to-face with what awaits them at the Mogollon Bowl.

TESTIMONIALS & AWARDS:

NUMENON is superbly written, and beautifully weaves a treasure-trove of spiritual and intellectual wisdom into the story. I am totally enthralled. Where's the sequel?
----ILENE DILLON, MSW. Host, Full Power Living

FIVE STARS! A fantasy set in the real world to draw readers in and never let them go, NUMENON is highly recommended to readers seeking modern fiction with fantastical elements.
-- MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

The collision of commerce and spirit, the world's richest man and an ancient Native American shaman, a global corporation larger than any other and the quiet strength at the core of the natural world this is thriller and metaphor and life lesson in the hands of a writer who has journey'd through both worlds.
--GERALD DiPEGO, Screenwriter, Phenomenon, Instinct, Message in a Bottle


AWARDS: NUMENON HAS WON SIX NATIONAL AWARDS 

• 2009 SILVER NAUTILUS AWARD in the BI-CULTURAL/INDIGENOUS category. The Nautilus Award recognizes distinguished books that Promote Spiritual Growth, Conscious Living, and Positive Social Change. Other Nautilus Award winners include: Thich Nnat Hanh, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
• 2009 IPPY AWARDS (INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS AWARDS) SILVER MEDAL in VISIONARY FICTION. 
• BEST BOOKS OF 2009, Sponsored by USA BOOK NEWS, NUMENON was a finalist in two categories: 1) New Age Fiction, 2) Multicultural Fiction
• BEST BOOKS AWARD in VISIONARY FICTION, USA Book News.
• INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD in RELIGIOUS FICTION --Vilasa Press

Editorial Reviews

Review

NUMENON is superbly written, and beautifully weaves a treasure-trove of spiritual and intellectual wisdom into the story. I am totally enthralled. Where's the sequel? ----ILENE DILLON, MSW. Host, Full Power Living

FIVE STARS! A fantasy set in the real world to draw readers in and never let them go, NUMENON is highly recommended to readers seeking modern fiction with fantastical elements. -- MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW


The collision of commerce and spirit, the world's richest man and an ancient Native American shaman, a global corporation larger than any other and the quiet strength at the core of the natural world this is thriller and metaphor and life lesson in the hands of a writer who has journey'd through both worlds. --GERALD DiPEGO Screenwriter, Phenomenon

About the Author

Winner of 21 National Awards for her four books Stepping Off the Edge, Numenon, The Angel & the Brown-eyed Boy, and Tecolote: The Little Horse That Could, Sandy Nathan has led a multi-faceted, multi-career life that expanded her view of her inner self and the outer world. Sandy grew up in the hard-driving, competitive culture of the early Silicon Valley.

"I've known people like those in my books since I was a child," she says. She holds master's degrees in economics and counseling and was a student in the doctoral program at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. She has been an economist, negotiation coach, and businesswoman. She is a writer, a rider, a wife and a mother of grown children. Sandy lives and writes on her horse ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley near Santa Barbara, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Vilasa Press; 1st edition (May 23, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976280922
• ISBN-13: 978-0976280927
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #536,740 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"I write books that touch the heart--and the mind and soul. While my books have thrills to spare, they're about making the world a better place. I've won twenty-one national awards, many of them in visionary fiction. My vision is unusual--my stories don't always have happy endings and sometimes they're plain old scary. Whatever I write, originality and creativity are my hallmarks. You won't get a story you can predict from me."

Born in San Francisco, Sandy Nathan grew up in Silicon Valley's competitive corporate culture. A full time writer since 1995, Sandy Nathan holds master's degrees in economics and counseling. She has been an economist, negotiation coach, and businesswoman. The visionary part of her writing flows from her meditation practice and spiritual experience. A lifelong horsewoman, Sandy is a wife and mother of three grown children. She lives on their California horse ranch.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Bring Your Best Warriors" ~ The Task Of Finding One's Way Home Through A Swiss Cheese Universe, June 29, 2008

By 

Brian E. Erland "Rainbow Sphinx" (Brea, CA - USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Numenon: A Tale of Mysticism & Money (Bloodsong, Book 1) (Hardcover)

Synopsis: Join author Sandy Nathan on a revelatory journey of self discovery as she leads the reader along two divergent storylines; one revolving around Will Duane, the richest man in the world and his massive financial empire functioning under the name "Numenon". The other half of the tale concerns a Native American Shaman and visionary known as Grandfather who is about to present his sacred teachings in one last gathering, or pow-wow at an ancient Indian sacred site in Tucson, Arizona.

Will Duane and his "best warriors" ("a warrior is a warrior" even in a business suit) are on an unprecedented excursion to this sacred gathering to meet with Grandfather for reasons only known to Will and Grandfather. A clash of Spirit is about to occur, something ordained by powers beyond the control of either man. Whatever happens will be of monumental significance and the Powers of Light and Darkness will have their say before all that is to be is brought to fruitition.

Critique: The new release `Numenon' by Sandy Nathan is one of the most superbly developed, intensely riveting and profoundly moving works of fiction I've read in quite a long time. The author's attention to detail, in-depth character development and cohesive, constantly evolving storyline will keep the reader transfixed from beginning to end.

Even more impressive (if that's possible) is the fascinating spirituality so beautifully and intricately weaved throughout this wonderful first volume of `The Bloodsong Series'. The spiritual teachings constitute the Story behind the story and introduce the reader to potent, invisible energies and beings flowing around and through physical creation. Yes even today in this jaded, profane 21st century world they continue to impact us whether we're consciously aware of their presence of not.

More often than not when anything of a spiritual nature finds it way into a work of fiction one immediately becomes aware of the distinct possibility of a hidden agenda on the part of the author, the ever-present fear of attempted evangelization have ruined many a good book. However that is certainly not the case here. The author has done a masterful job at blending the profane with the sacred that can be enjoyed on so many different levels whether you're spiritually inclined or not.

It just doesn't get any better than this, 'Numenon' receives my highest recommendation. I anxiously await part two!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sacred Hidden in the Profane, June 28, 2008

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Numenon: A Tale of Mysticism & Money (Bloodsong, Book 1) (Hardcover)

It was with some hesitation that I started this novel. I've been approached to review too many obviously hack-written potboilers that superficially exploited spiritual themes to just make a buck. Certain people had even approached me to write such books. That was why I felt such relief and growing wonder as I quickly saw the true nature of this work. This book is something totally different from what I feared- it is the "real deal." It is obviously a work of true inspiration as related by the author in her foreword. You can't fake something like that. This book also had something else that I've learned to take as the hallmark of a genuine work of real worth, namely, synchronistic "hit" after "hit" with my own life...

As for the quality of the writing itself, I found it to be the equal (if not superior to) a King, or a Barker, or a Rice. The story just flows so smoothly and rapidly to draw you along almost against your will. The character development is also superb, for I came to recognize these people from my own lifetime of experience. However, what really jumped out at me was the spiritual substance woven into the story. It has a deeper meat and meaning which separates it from the vast majority of modern work- especially fiction. I remember Mircea Eliade stating that some more subtle topics were best transmitted by incorporating them into literature fantastique- the sacred hidden in the profane.

As for the character of Grandfather and his teachings, this is no rip-off of Native American culture. Grandfather may be from an unnamed tribe but he clearly represents a type of holy man found in all traditional societies around the world- and throughout time. They transcend time.

I've also got to comment on the design of the book itself. From the dust jacket, to the cover decoration, to the end papers, to the use of acid-free paper, this book is a quality artifact. I've seldom seen better quality in a modern production.

If I had one minor criticism, it would be the importance that so many characters seem to put in academic degrees concerning esoteric subjects. From my personal experience those who claim to know so much OF a thing, seldom know the true thing-in-itself- the noumenon, so to speak...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Collision of Native American Mysticism and Corporate America, February 8, 2009

By 

Todd A. Fonseca (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Numenon: A Tale of Mysticism & Money (Bloodsong, Book 1) (Hardcover)

Leading Numenon, the largest and most powerful corporation on the Earth, Will Duane carries a secret. Haunted for years by the memory of his demanding and verbally abusive father, Will compensates by driving for ever greater success at all costs. Ethics, faithfulness, relationships, all take a back seat to his overriding lust for power. But the success he achieves leaves him empty. Forever stalked by a dark presence creating a pall over everything in his life, Will finds solace by retreating within himself by physically punishing his body through excessive exercise. Nearing exhaustion, something special happens. A heightened state of awareness occurs through a glowing column of light beginning at the base of his spine. Will achieves what mystics call - Kundalini - here he is safe; here is where he finds peace; here is where he finds answers.

From his lean-to in remote New Mexico, a Native American shaman-known by many names but by his followers as "grandfather"-senses the gathering of evil. It will be at the annual gathering of his spirit warriors, simply called "the meeting", where this darkness will descend and collide with grandfather's spiritual forces and the corporate power of Numenon.

In Numenon, national award winning author Sandy Nathan takes the reader through the parallel journeys of two very different worlds - that of corporate deals and greed juxtaposed with that of Native American Indians on the reservation. Alternating between these two realities, Nathan explores each of the characters histories - their lives, choices, and experiences which have led them to the present conditions. Nearing the spiritually charged ground where the meeting is to occur, each of the characters feel the intensity of what they are about to experience and each must choose their path forward.

This is the first book in the Bloodsong series by Nathan. Those expecting a tidy closure to all of the plot's elements will instead find a continuously building pressure cooker leading to a climatic meeting of forces to be resolved in future volumes. This is a very enjoyable read and those interested in mysticism and Native American Culture will thoroughly enjoy Numenon.