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Excerpt from THE JUDAS STRAIN
It came to my attention this week that the excerpt for this summer's new book, THE JUDAS STRAIN, did not get uploaded. It is now. But before you switch over, I've included below the introductory "Notes from the Historical Record." It leads into the prologue, so I thought I'd include it here. It basically highlights a true mystery surrounding Marco Polo.
Note from the Historical Record
Herein lies a mystery:
In the year 1271, a young seventeen-year-old Venetian, named Marco Polo, left with his father and uncle on a voyage to the palaces of Kublai Khan in China. It was a journey that would last twenty-four years and bring forth stories of the exotic lands
that lay to the east of the known world: wondrous tales of endless deserts and jade-rich rivers, of teeming cities and vast sailing fleets, of black stones that burned and money made of paper, of impossible beasts and bizarre plants, of cannibals and mystic shamans.
After serving seventeen years in the courts of Kublai Khan, Marco returned to Venice in 1295, where his story was recorded by a French romanticist named Rustichello, in a book titled in Old French, Le Divisament dou Monde (or The Description of the World). The text swept Europe. Even Christopher Columbus carried a copy of Marco’s book on his journey to the New World.
But there is one story of this journey that Marco refused to ever tell, referring only obliquely to it in his text. When Marco Polo had left China, Kublai Khan had granted the Venetian fourteen immense ships and six hundred men. But when Marco finally reached port after two years at sea, there remained but two ships and only eighteen men.
The fate of the other ships and men remain a mystery to this day. Was it shipwreck, storms, piracy? He never told. In fact, on his deathbed, when asked to elaborate or recant his story, Marco answered cryptically:
“I have not told half of what I saw.”
And to read the first half of the prologue, click here.
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Now, I also just returned from a book tour in the Netherlands, where I was treated very well. It was an enjoyable journey, where I visited Anne Frank's house, the Rijksmuseum with its famous Rembrandts, and the Van Gogh Museum. But not all of my adventures were of such high...um...culture. One evening involved a long dinner at the D'Vijff Vlieghen, which translates as "The Five Flies," and where I tried jenever, Dutch gin made from juniper berries. The typical way to consume jenever is known as kopstott (head butt, a fitting name) where a glass of jenever is followed by a beer chaser. Very potent combination. I think I've just about recovered.
But the main reason for the trip was also to meet my Dutch publishers at Luitingh-Sijthoff. Many thanks to Jacques Post, Hanca Leppink, and Gemma Groen for their hospitality and generous attention! I also did a few interviews and attended a few speaking engagements. Here are some links to those interviews (for those that speak Dutch):
Crimezone
Ezzulia
 One of the speaking events was at the Elf Fantasy Fair, which was an experience well worth repeating. The best description: "Renaissance Faire on steroids." The event was held at the castle (pictured to the right) with 25,000 attendees. Its grounds were covered in lakes, canals, gardens, and forests. And I must say that the countryside beyond Amsterdam's city limits were magical: grass-thatched homes, acres of tulips, grazing sheep, lands crisscrossed with canals (some even occupied by wild swans).
 Lastly, Amsterdam itself was an eye-opening experience. I had never been to the city before, and despite the tales of its loose drug laws and even more infamous red-light district, the city was absolutely stunning, from its canal-side rowhouses to its many museums. But one of the most startling aspects of the city was the overwhelming number of bicycles. I think the picture below highlights it best. It's not the cars that you have to fear when crossing streets...it's the bikes.
All in all, it was a fantastic experience.
***
Okay, I keep getting notes about something that I've been lax about continuing: that is, listing my favorite movies and books. So here goes.
Favorite movie of the past month: DISTURBIA...a reinvention of Hitchcock's rear window with some outstanding performances, especially by the lead actor, Shia LeBeouf. And despite the mixed reviews, I still enjoyed Spiderman 3 (I may be in the minority here...but I still contend that the short comic performance by Bruce Campbell alone is worth the price of admission).
Favorite book of the past month: Okay, it's not a book, so much as a comic book (though perhaps I should say "graphic novel"). It is titled Y: The Last Man written by Brian K. Vaughan. It imagines a world where every creature with a Y chromosome (ie., every male) dies in a horrible plague in one day. Except for one man and his monkey. To quote Stan Lee, "Nuff said."
I'm out of here...
all the best,
Jim R.
1 Comments:
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Hey Jim,
One of the fascinating facts I learned in Forestry school, gin gets its flavor from juniper berries.
Best,
Norm