At Play in the Killing Fields (Paperback)

~ Joseph DeMarco (Author)
Key Phrases: arrest office, little green bird, karma police, Joe Kaye, Killing Fields, False Prophet (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

JOE KAYE (1976-2031) - The False Prophet of Fennimore Place Joe Kaye was an American poet, philosopher, schoolteacher, and author of 11 books. Born in New York City, Joe taught in New York, Hawaii, and Michigan. In Hawaii, he started writing and by the age of 25 he published his first manuscript. He later moved to Michigan and then to Wisconsin, where he developed a tumor which began to give him delusions. His delusions led him to construct a giant labyrinth on a tropical island. He also had an obsession with looking for a message he believed he had left for himself in a past life, in the form of a poem, song, or story. He went insane with paranoia and believed the karma police were coming to take him away. He also became obsessed with cheating death, practicing a religion called Voodoo Botany, believing it would make him a god. On a late night talk show, he made a prophecy about the extinction of the human race. He was sent to rest at Fennimore Place Institute. The maze was never finished. He died broke and penniless.

About the Author

Joseph DeMarco was born in New York City; he lived most of his life in Buffalo, NY. He now teaches seventh grade on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. He is also the author of the novels The 4 Hundred and 20 Assassins of Emir Abdullah-Harazins and Plague of the Invigilare.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (February 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1425986692
• ISBN-13: 978-1425986698
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,749,873 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The False Prophet of Fennimore Place, March 27, 2007

By	Aziam (HI) - See all my reviews

This novel is about a fictitious teacher/writer/surfer who bounces around the U.S. writing and espousing strange theories about objects and energy. The False Prophet of Fennimore Place as he (Joe Kaye) is called, starts off in Hawaii where he is awakened by whispering noises in the middle of the night. After a recurring dream, Joe Kaye begins to believe that he may have been a Hawaiian in a past life. He starts looking for proof (via a message he left for himself) of this reincarnation.

The novel is unique in that it is told from three different perspectives, during three different time periods. The novel is actually three separate stories Nightmarchers, The Chemicals Between Us, and The Spit of Siann. Although all stories have similar themes, they are very different from each other.

The Chemicals Between Us takes place in the future after the human race has become extinct, when Drogen (an elephant looking alien) who is a delivery boy picks up the ghost of Joe Kaye on a Lost Planet called Lantis. Through Drogen's flashbacks of Joe Kaye the reader begins to experience many of Joe Kaye's abstract philosophies. We learn about Joe Kaye's obsession with cheating death and his practicing a new religion called Voodoo Botany. We also get to read a bit of his poetry including an amazing poem called The Road Not Taken- The Reincarnation.

The last story (The Spit of Siann) takes place after Joe Kaye has left Hawaii and is from the perspective of a messed-up little girl named Siann Campbell. Siann is about to spawn a virus that will prove to be more fatal than AIDS and the Ebola virus combined, and the virus appears to look a lot like a flower.

The last story fits in nicely with the other two and gives Joe Kaye a depth and realness that most science fiction novels DO NOT HAVE.