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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | Fic (sf) Henderson, C. 2010 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Professor Piers Knight is an esteemed curator at the Brooklyn Museum and is regarded by many on the staff as a revered institution of his own if not an outright curiosity. Knight's portfolio includes lost civilizations; arcane cultures, languages, and belief; and more than a little bit of the history of magic and mysticism.What his contemporaries don't know is that in addition to being a scholar of all things ancient he is schooled in the uses of magical artifacts, the teachings of forgotten deities, and the threats of unseen dangers.
If a mysterious object surfaces, Professor Knight makes it his job to figure it out--and make sure it stays out of dangerous hands.
A contemporary on an expedition in the Middle East calls Knight's attention to a mysterious object in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum ... just before it becomes the target of a sorcerous attack that leads to a siege on a local precinct house by a fire elemental.
What looks like an ordinary inscribed stone may unlock an otherworldly Armageddon that certain dark powers are all too eager to bring about--and only Piers Knight stands in their way.
Author Notes
C.J. HENDERSON's early days were spent in the Midwest. High school and college kept him in the general area of Pittsburgh, but shortly thereafter it was on to the big city, more specifically, New York City. A comics writer for the past thirty years, he has handled everyone from Archie to Batman and the Punisher to Cherry Poptart. He has also written hundreds of short stories and thousands of non-fiction pieces. Henderson lives in Brooklyn with his wife, fashion designer Grace Tin Lo, his daughter, Erica, and everyone's cats, Tyco and Tiger.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Henderson's pulpy debut tries to cover up its flaws with a fast-paced narrative, but there's no hiding the emotionally distant characters, plot missteps and sketchy setting. Professor Piers Knight, a curator of paranormal artifacts at the Brooklyn Museum, is introducing his new summer intern, Bridget Elkins, to an incorrectly described New York City, when they are caught up in the efforts of astrally projected thieves, a fire elemental and a Syrian terrorist to steal the mysterious Dream Stone. Pyrotechnics abound, with a double climax featuring a military battle against a bigger elemental and a ghost-aided confrontation with interdimensional evil in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery. Stock characterizations, a multiply implausible plot and stilted faux Noo Yawk dialogue ("We're talkin' four goddamned dead bodies. Blown to mother-humpin' little gooey bits!") give a grade-C movie feel. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
A museum curator and his intern battle supernatural thieves in this fast-paced urban-fantasy mystery. Known for his supernatural-detective stories, Henderson (The Sleep That Rescues, 2009, etc.) plays to his strengths in his first novel to feature the adventurous Professor Piers Knight. Curator of the Brooklyn Museum in present-day New York City, Knight is also an expert in paranormal artifacts, including an ancient disc that allows him to fly. A colleague, Dr. Ashur Ungari, calls to say that he has discovered the ancient city of Memak'tori in Syria and needs the Dream Stone, an artifact in the Brooklyn Museum, to decipher some ancient text. After the Dream Stone is nearly stolen by a levitating being and his henchmen, Knight and his new intern, Montana-born Bridget Elkins, find themselves unraveling a paranormal mystery. They uncover a plot that could unleash unspeakable evil on the world. Henderson delivers an entertaining Indiana Jonesstyle adventure with snappy dialogue and intriguing characters. As a bonus, he throws in a number of real-life historical tidbits about New York, a city the author clearly loves. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
When an old friend requests access to an artifact from the world's oldest city, professor Piers Knight, a Brooklyn Museum curator and secret practitioner of magic, gets caught up in a struggle to thwart a plot that may destroy the civilized world. Comics writer Henderson revives the fast-paced action and smart, quippy dialog of the best pulp fiction in his urban fantasy debut, which features a truly likable hero, a resourceful and surprising heroine, and a plot that combines wizardly battles with today's headlines. VERDICT The old-fashioned feel to this modern fantasy should appeal to fans of old-time action tales in the tradition of Doc Savage and Indiana Jones as well as readers of urban fantasy. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.