The Piaculum: a novel [Paperback]

Richard Gray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 13, 2004

The Piaculum is at once hauntingly dark yet deeply spiritual. Set in the distant future, the story takes place on a desert landscape where a group of Christians called the Mone and a blood worshiping cult known as the Kathe are ensnared in religious tension. The Kathe believe that salvation can only be achieved by drinking blood from men born with a rare skin condition known as the white-mark. The novel follows the life of Cearl, a man with the white-mark born to a group of poor Mone farmers. Cearl has a good life with a wife and two children he deeply loves, but he finds himself consumed by memories of being tortured by the Kathe as a child, as well as an overwhelming feeling that his god wants something from him. When a group of Kathe come to Cearl's village looking for human sacrifices, Cearl comes face to face with his childhood memories and makes choices that could destroy his life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Amazing"... "Richard Gray has produced a wonderfully dark—yet—tear-jerking story" -- Tim Johnson, author of Twisted Oak: Eyes of Discernment

... An enjoyable read, with some well described and, often, slightly disturbing passages. -- Edward Hasting-Evans, portalmania:The Book Portal

About the Author

Richard Gray was born in Utah where the local landscape inspired much of his writing. He is a scientist, writer, and artist. He earned his bachelor?s degree in physics from the University of Utah and is currently living in upstate NY while working toward his Ph.D. at Cornell University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (January 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595303013
• ISBN-13: 978-0595303014
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,070,685 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Avid Reader & Reviewer, June 7, 2004

By 

Alisa McCune (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Piaculum: a novel (Paperback)

The Piaculum by Richard Gray is a book I will not forget anytime soon. The Piaculum is difficult to categorize as it has many different levels to the story.

The Piaculum is set in a future, post-apocalyptic Earth. We follow the story of Cearl, a young man with a white-mark and a Mone. The Mone are non-violent farmers, who value family and religion. They are poor farmers who eek out a living in a desert-like landscape. The white-mark Cearl has is rare. It is similar to an albino. He has pale skin compared to the dark color of the other Mone.

Cearl is an inquisitive young man. His father is atypical of the Mone in that he fosters his son's ability to think for himself. The Mone have a version of the Bible called the Book of Testaments. Cearl is encouraged to read the Book of Testaments and to interpret it himself. This background is crucial for the upcoming trials Cearl must face.

In contrast to the Mone are the Kathe. They are more prosperous city-dwellers who are religious fanatics. The Kath have a much different interpretation of the Book of Testaments. To them, Christ gave his only son for crucifixion in order for all to ascend to heaven. In order for a Kathe to receive salvation, he must consume the blood of a white-mark male who is a living, walking, and crucifixion - a Piaculum. Only a Piaculum as a living God can grant salvation.

Every 12 years the Kathe send out armies to search out all young males with the white-mark. These children are horribly tortured by a series of ascensions which result in metal chassis being integrated into their bodies. The Kathe have no mercy for a Piaculum as the pain and suffering they carry allows others into heaven.

The Kathe restrict reading to only a chosen few and by doing so ensures the fervor of it's citizens. In contrast, Mone families read the Book of Testaments every night together. This crucial difference is pivotal to the story-line.

According to Richard Gray, the Kathe are modeled after Mormons. It is easy to insert most any religious fanatics who rule by restricting knowledge into the Kathe. Cearl's father instructed him to also read and interpret the Book of Testaments for himself as no one can be completely accurate in interpretation. Everyone should read and think for themselves.

Through history mankind has produced many horrors that are the result of someone's interpretation of the Bible. One only needs to turn on the television to be reminded of the political and religious upheavals of the Middle East. The violence man commits in the name of religion is horrendous. Think of the Palestinian suicide bombers. How can one gain salvation by killing others just because they are a different religion? While reading Piaculum, I was reminded of the Romans who thought early Christians should be destroyed. The Romans believed the body and blood of Christ was a true act of cannibalism. Today, most would not think twice about this, but back in time it was a true outrage.

The Piaculum is a deeply moving book that will keep the reader thinking long after finishing it. It is a commentary on Christianity that can be applied to today's turbulent and violent religious sects.

The Piaculum is Richard Gray's first book. According to the author's website, he was born in Utah where the local landscape inspired much of his writing. He is a scientist, writer, and artist. He earned his bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Utah and is currently living in upstate NY while working toward his Ph.D. at Cornell University. Be sure to visit his website at http://www.rich-gray.com/

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Incredible Story of Good Versus Evil, April 26, 2004

By 

Bettie Corbin Tucker (PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Piaculum: a novel (Paperback)

The Piaculum by Richard Gray tells of the future but the subject material is all too appropriate for the world of today. It is a story of good versus evil, involving conflict and tension between a group of Christians and a cult. The Mone follow Christian beliefs; however, the Kathe believe that their sins can be erased by drinking blood from males born with the white-mark-a rare skin condition. The story takes place on a desert landscape where Cearl, a Mone, is introduced to readers as a young boy with the white-mark. From the beginning it is evident that this boy has a mission to fulfill; he experiences pain and has ghastly visions of his future that he believes are warnings. He knows that he is different from others-an internal difference that overshadows the white-mark which he inherited from his mother. Though he plans to tell his father about his latest and most horrific vision, it becomes a reality before he has the opportunity.

Seven-year-old Cearl is captured by the Kathe and, although rescued within days by his father, he is haunted by memories of the torture and abuse that he suffered during captivity. Grateful that he had been freed before being turned into a Piaculum-a creature trapped inside metallic frames whose purpose was to provide blood atonement for the Kathe cult-he, nevertheless, loses the innocence of his childhood.

As an adult, Cearl has a good life with a loving wife and two sons; however, when the youngest son is born with the white-mark, this good life is blemished by worry and concern over his safety. The thought of him being captured and tortured as he had once been is unbearable. Cearl is determined that his son won't become a human sacrifice-a man-made savior for the Kathe cult. He recalls that the Piaculums, who were kept alive as long as possible so the Kathe could drink their blood, had metal extremities fixed to their feet and arms. These less-than-human creatures truly believed they were gods.

When Cearl's son with the white-mark is captured by the Kathe, he offers himself as a substitute, changing the course of his own life as well as that of his family. Ultimately, he comes to understand what it is that he has been asked to do by the God of his beliefs-he has a divine purpose that must be fulfilled, regardless of personal sacrifice.

This book is very well written, the characters are believable, and the plot gathers momentum as the story progresses. Toward the end of the book there are many surprising twists and this reviewer found herself sharing the confusion of Cearl as to whether or not his wife is alive or dead. However, when I learned the truth, I was satisfied with the conclusion. Though dark and very graphic in places, I found the book to be an excellent read. It should, in my opinion, get the attention of filmmakers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning in its dark vision and enlightening complexity, February 25, 2005

By 

Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Piaculum: a novel (Paperback)

The Piaculum is a book that has seared itself into my memory with its singular vision, darkly compelling storyline, and truly moving conclusion. I was originally drawn to the dark fantasy elements of the novel, but The Piaculum far exceeded my expectations. It's a dark tale, to be sure, but it is also an enlightening one with a religious and humanistic depth that burns with the light of true inspiration. I was moved to a few tears by the powerful, uplifting, and incredibly inspirational final chapters and I remain somewhat stunned by the intellectual and emotional depth displayed in Richard Gray's incredible first novel. Like any work of such vision and power, The Piaculum is a book destined to be either loved or hated, depending on the reader. The darkness and suffering laid bare throughout the story as it progresses will disturb some readers and possibly even disconnect some from the story, and the religious aspects will also doubtless turn others away as well, but many readers, I feel sure, will bear the cross of the main character's suffering and find solace if not joy in the novel's incredibly powerful conclusion.

I was utterly fascinated by the concept of this novel. The Piaculum takes place in a distant future, a new Dark Age in which mankind is split into two distinct groups. On the one hand you have the Mone, a primitive but Christian society, which follows the teachings of The Book of Testaments. On the other hand, you have the Kathe, a more urban, technologically superior culture that is based upon a cult of blood. The Kathe believe that no man may go to heaven unless their sins are paid, literally, in blood. This holy blood is shed by the Piaculum, living gods they construct out of special Mones and Kathes born with "the white mark." The Piaculum are believed to go to hell, carrying the sins of the Kathe with them, and their blood is shed routinely for the salvation of the Kathe who worship them. The Piaculum, almost always captured as youngsters, are literally fused and encased inside a prison of strong metal cages, their hands and feet gruesomely pierced by the process. Their shed blood is both worn and drunk by the Kathe as the necessary drops of their salvation. The Piaculum themselves are essentially brainwashed into believing themselves to be the gods the Shalute, or priests of the Kathe, proclaim them to be. Every twelve years or so, during the Week of Blood, new Piaculum are captured and forced to endure the agonies of such a life.

The Kathe came for Cearl when he was a small child, but he miraculously escaped the Circle of Blood with his life. Since that traumatic childhood experience, he has lost much in terms of his family and friends, but he has also gained a wife he adores and two children he loves dearly - one of which was born with the white mark. When his youngest son is five, the Kathe take him, forcing Cearl to deal with all of the horrors of his nightmarish youth once again. He gives himself to the Kathe in order to save the life of his son, and so begins his life as a Piaculum. The suffering he endures is great, almost unimaginable, and Gray spares the reader very little in his forceful, painful description of Cearl's new life as a Piaculum. Cearl, ever faithful to his own God, knows his suffering has a purpose, however, one that goes far beyond the sparing of his little boy back in his Mone village. Cearl finds strength in the belief that God is using him to change Kathe society, and he works to bring literacy and then salvation to the ignorant followers of the blood cult.

It is not always easy to suffer alongside the pains of Cearl in these pages, but the reader is rewarded by a truly moving experience of a power rarely found in dark fantasy. The resolution of the novel is surprisingly complex as well; Gray does not just throw a fairy tale ending out there - far from it, in fact. You don't have to be a Christian or a follower of any religion to enjoy the tale, although Christians may find it especially moving; this is truly a novel of human suffering and purpose, as the metallic prison of the Piaculum can mutilate Cearl's body and separate him from human contact, but it can never destroy his humanity.

The only negative thing about this novel is its incredibly large number of misspelled words and other editing errors, some of them rather egregious. It is unfortunate, as this takes a little something away from the reader's experience and forces him to momentarily remember that he is reading rather than experiencing the story himself. Even taking these distractions into account, though, I believe many readers will find themselves completely immersed in the author's darkly fascinating vision. I daresay I've never read a novel remotely like The Piaculum before, and I have been immensely rewarded by the experience.