The novel that radically altered the nature of the Mongo series, this book blends a classic detective style with elements of science fiction and fantasy. Chesboro takes readers on a wild roller-coaster ride, using the structure and elements of Wagner's Ring Cycle and Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings.
Garth's poisoning by a mysterious substance, combined with his experiences related in "The Beasts of Valhalla, " changes his personality, causing him to become estranged from Mongo and his family--and resulting in tens of thousands of people coming to believe that he is the promised messiah.
Estranged from his brother because of what has been perceived as a betrayal, Mongo must travel to pre-revolutionary Iran to heal the damage. There he must survive a deadly cat-and-mouse game with the dreaded Iranian secret police, the Savak, while incidentally negotiating with the Shah and trying to save his brother from a death trap.
Every now and again a writer comes along who can use the conventions of the genre and the language of popular fiction to fashion a novel that careens ahead with the speed and promise of danger of the Indy 500. . . . This is what George C. Chesbro does".--"The Washington Post Book World".
Not-quite-science fiction and suspense make a thrilling combination, and nobody works it better than Chesbro . . . Raymond Chandler meets Stephen King by way of Alice's looking glass".--"Playboy".
Three apparently separate investigations involving the New York City occult underground of covens, warlocks, tarot readers, faith healers, and palm readers dovetail into a single, explosive climax.
Mongo and his brother Garth are changed forever, as is their view of the world, because they possess a secret that must never be told. Here the epic adventure continues as the brothers become fugitives and outcasts struggling to solve the puzzle of an extremely dangerous Vietnam veteran with information that could topple the government.
The first novel in the critically acclaimed Mongo mystery series marks the debut of Dr. Robert Frederickson, a.k.a. Mongo the Magnificent, the former circus headliner, black belt karate expert, renowned criminologist and private detective extraordinaire who just happens to be a dwarf.
