Title: The Resurrection of Deacon Shader
Author: Derek Prior
ISBN: 978-144953186
Page count: 454
Genre: Fantasy Fiction/Heroic Fantasy
Price: $11.99 (Kindle: $1)
Author Bio: 
Derek Prior (1968-) was born in East Sussex, England.
From 1989-1992 he trained as a Mental Health Nurse at the University of Sussex before relocating to West Wales in 1993 where he majored in Drama at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, and also studied Classics and Medieval History.
During this period Derek performed as an actor in the theatre and in independent films. He also particiapted in a creative writing programme, which led to the publication of a three act play, Megan (Homunculus 1995).
Derek then moved to Australia, living in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with the Carmelite friars as he explored a vocation. During this period he founded the discussion forum Mysticism Unbound.
Returning to England, he married and commenced PhD research into Antonin Artaud and the Theatre of Cruelty.
Following the birth of his son, Theo, in 2001, he emigrated to Western Australia where he began work on The Resurrection of Deacon Shader whilst living in the hills outside Perth. After three years he returned to England with Theo, whom he home-schools. He works part-time as a Personal Trainer and writes articles and books on weight training.
Derek completed The Resurrection of Deacon Shader in 2009. After extensive editing, proof-reading, and re-writing, the book was initially released on Lulu as a print-on-demand publication. Publication was later switched to Create Space, affording the opportunity for some more re-writing. The Resurrection of Deacon Shader was released on Kindle in late 2009.
Derek is now working on the rest of the series, The Deceptions of The Demiurgos. Book 2 – The Archon’s Assassin, is planned for release in late 2010. This will be followed by Book 3 – The Dark Eternal in 2011.
Derek’s main writing influences are Edgar Rice-Burroughs, David Gemmell, Stephen Donaldson, Mary Doria Russell, Robert E. Howard, and Michael Moorcock. His work is also infused with his passion for mystical theology, philosophy and a childhood love of Dungeons and Dragons.
Derek now lives between England and the United States.
Works to date -
Black Death (unpublished) – an absurd comedy for the theatre
Megan (Homunculus 1995) – a play in three acts
Megan (completely revised; unpublished) – a play in three acts
The Resurrection of Deacon Shader (Book 1 of The Deceptions of The Demiurgos) (Homunculus 2009)
Foundations for a Better Physique (Homunculus 2009)
The F.I.S.H. Training Log (Homunculus 2009)
Works in progress -
The Archon’s Assassin (Book 2 of The Deceptions of The Demiurgos) – release date late 2010
Thanatos Rising (Part One of The Memoirs of Harry Chesterton) – release date 2010
Tell us about your book:
The Resurrection of Deacon Shader
Beauty, Truth, Love – these three fled the hound of science, seeking refuge in the Dreaming. As Earth marched towards an unrelenting technocracy, the beleaguered Sun Stone fell from the skies of distant Aethir, but it did not find the sanctuary it had sought; for Aethir had become the home of all the Sun Stone feared: the architect of Earth’s fall from grace, the uncompromising “Pale Wizard”, Sektis Gandaw.
Rescued from the clutches of Sektis Gandaw by the gods of the Dreamers, the Sun Stone was entrusted to the shaman Huntsman until the day of the Reckoning when, bereft of choice, it unleashed the power of nightmare upon the Earth.
Three millennia later, with the parts of the Sun Stone scattered, a creature that has fed for centuries on the unsuspecting people of Sahul locates a segment of the mythical Sun Stone and with it the promise of eternal life. As he enhances his own necromantic arts with the power of the Sun Stone, Ernst Cadman starts to suspect that there are unwanted side-effects and, worse still, someone or something maybe watching.
Huntsman weaves a web of manipulation to ensure the safety of Sahul and to prevent the Sun Stone from falling back into the hands of a terrible being from beyond the stars. The Stone, however, has ideas of its own and calls together those who are to play a part in its destiny: an abbot, a bard, an assassin, a Pope, and the former knight of the Elect, Deacon Shader who unknowingly carries a power of his own, a potency that may either save or condemn the whole of Creation.
Deacon Shader is a failed monk and reluctant knight. An able swordsman he yearns for a life of non-violent resistance but can never achieve this. A religious traditionalist – a virtual Manichean- he falls in love and is rejected.
Shader wrestles with his conflicted nature and in so doing returns to the Abbey of Pardes for respite and reflection. Meanwhile things go terribly wrong with the fledgling Order of Knights he had founded in the village of Oakendale: the woman he loved is held responsible for his departure and punished brutally.
The abbey is attcked by an ancient evil and something of great power is taken from the Grey Abbot. Shader agrees to retrieve it from the plague city of Sarum and unwittingly enters the destiny of the Sun Stone.
He cannot escape the consequences of his past: his trainee knights, his lost love, his flight from Rome and a meeting with the mysterious sorceror-philosopher Aristodeus.
Evil, betrayal, ancient legends and a presence from beyond the stars come together on the battlefields of Sahul. The key to the survival of Creation lies within the conflicted nature of Deacon Shader himself.
How long did it take to write the book?
The Resurrection of Deacon Shader took five years to write, although its origins lay in earlier works which were never completed. Many of the ideas that became The Resurrection of Deacon Shader started out as a novel called The Trials of Ignatius Grymm, which recounted the exploits of a witch-finder type, a holy knight, told by his squire. Ignatius Grymm cameos in The Resurrection of Deacon Shader.
I started work on The Resurrection of Deacon Shader in the hills outside of Perth, Western Australia. I had rented a ramshackle house as a sort of writing retreat. A lot of progress was made initially but writing was later interrupted by many moves and changes of circumstances. The book was completed in England where it was repeatedly proof-read and edited and then entrusted to my chief editor, Harry White-Dewulf of Densewords.
What inspired you to write the book?
I have been writing on and off since the age of thirteen having always wanted to create something enjoyable, engaging and allegorical. Early attempts had been influenced by Tolkien. Later on I became inspired by David Gemmell but I was wary of emulating these and other writers. There were many false starts but then I decided that I needed simply to get a novel finished and so settled on writing a “pulp” fantasy. I had always enjoyed Edgar Rice Burroughs, Michael Moorcock, Lin Carter, R.E. Howard et al and so decided not to take my subject too seriously; the aim was not to produce a masterpiece, it was to finish a novel.
However, as writing progressed, big themes started to emerge – largely drawn from life experience and my academic study of theology. Much of this informs the plot of Shader but is very much secondary to the action. The book – for all the allegorical meaning – remains quite light and accessible. The subsequent books in the series, however, take these themes and run with them.
Chief amongst my inspirations, thematically, are The Ascent of Mount Carmel/Dark Night of the Soul (St John of the Cross), Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, and Shakespeare’s Macbeth. I also felt the influence of G.K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc (The Servile State, Hills and the Sea, and The Path to Rome), St Augustine on grace, Thomas Aquinas, Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, and Newman’s Apologia Pro Vita Sua.
Talk about the writing process. Did you have a writing routine? Did you do any research, and if so, what did that involve?
Since most of Shader takes place in Sahul – the ancient land mass of Australia set 3000 years in our future – I spent a great deal of time researching the flora and fauna of the Perth region, which is where the city of Sarum is situated. I visited a number of key sites – amongst them The Pinnacles, the great Karri forests of the South, Shark Bay, and I also spent some time working at the Royal Perth Hospital where I came into contact with indigenous Australians. These experiences, and visits to indigenous sites helped with the creation of Huntsman and his people, the Dreamers.
A lot of theological research formed the underlying themes in Shader, supplemented by the main ideas of some major philosophers, such as Nietszche, whose will-to-power is a thread that runs through the whole series. There’s a fair bit of Neo-Platonism and the Gnostic drama, snippets of Aristotle and a smattering of pantheism thrown into the mix. Earlier research into Greek and Roman civilization and warfare was also important to the writing, although it is used more explicitly in The Archon’s Assassin.
I began with dedicated writing times but after a few months was reduced to writing as and when the muse took me (which, due to shifting circumstances, wasn’t all that often). The latter stages – and the initial editing – involved a lot more discipline and the motivation that comes from the interest of friends. My preference is for allocating an hour or two every day – which is how I have been tackling The Archon’s Assassin.
I tend to write organically – I work out the basic plot and then start imagining the principle characters. I carry a notebook with me everywhere and jot down ideas, reflections and incidents (from real life) that may be incorporated into the book. The basic structure was dictated largely by the themes. Once that was in place I allowed the characters room to breathe and to dictate the action to some extent. In the past I had planned out every twist and turn in great detail but found this stifled creativity and reduced the pleasure of writing.
I often write the dialogue in the manner of a play and then flesh it out with descriptions. Action scenes are imagined vividly and written at great pace. I later go back through them and tidy things up.
What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your book?
I have been surprised at the different things my readers have focused on – things as varied as “iconic characters”, fast action, imaginative concepts and the complicated relationship between Shader and Rhiannon. I used to specifically ask readers what they thought of the reflective passages and the few bits of exposition. I was aware that the trend in modern fantasy was towards action pure and simple, but my reading preferences are much more Georgian and I tend to write that way. Without exception the readers commented that they liked these passages, which served to break up the action, allow for the passage of time, and afforded me the .luxury of indulging a more verbose prose style than for the punchy, predominantly Anglo-Saxon words of the action sequences.
Readers have also identified strongly with the aspirations and disappointments of the principle characters, many of whom are conflicted, fearful of life, and (in various ways) caught up in what I call the “human immortality project”. I hope that it is perceived as a good story, a romp even, that can be read simply as “pulp” fantasy, whilst also allowing for reflection should the reader be so inclined. My ultimate hope is that the reader enjoys the tale and identifies in some small way with some of the characters; anything else is a bonus. If this end is achieved, even once, then the feedback loop is completed and the creative act accomplished (which is why every new reader is so rewarding for me).
Where can we go to buy your book?
The Resurrection of Deacon Shader is available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. It also lists with Lulu.com, Create Space, and Homunculus Books. The Kindle version is also available from Amazon.com.
Any other links or info you’d like to share?
Paperback edition (Amazon.com)
http://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Deacon-Shader-Deceptions-Demiurgos/dp/1449535186/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264009262&sr=1-4
Kindle edition (Amazon.com)
http://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Deacon-Deceptions-Demiurgos-ebook/dp/B002YK4EDI/ref=oe_popover_img?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2
Homunculus Books Web Site:
http://homunculusbooks.books.officelive.com/default.aspx
The Deceptions of The Demiurgos blog:
http://deaconshader.wordpress.com/
Excerpt from Part 3, Chapter 12 – NEMESIS
The moon had now appeared in the darkening sky and the sun had sunken amidst a bloody ribbon. A sudden gust of wind swirled about the rooftop and the temperature dropped. Cadman reached into his pocket and touched the fragments of Sun Stone he had removed from their leather wrappings. He started and turned as Rhiannon let out a gasp. She began to shake violently, her face ashen, her lips blue with cold. She rose rigidly onto tiptoe and then shot across the rooftop like a piece of discarded litter. Cadman groaned and then froze as a shape formed before him; not the hideous beast that had smothered Shader, but a golden haired and beautiful youth, part man, part woman. It fixed him with a mirthful androgynous gaze, its appearance incongruous with the awesome malevolence it radiated.
“Shader’s affections have shifted,” said the hermaphrodite pleasantly. “Your substitute will not do.”
Cadman felt himself trembling and started to lose the illusion of the fat librarian. Skeletal limbs and the stench of the tomb began to reassert themselves.
“You seek immortality,” the demon smiled cruelly, “and I shall grant it to you. It will be an immortality of unimaginable torment.”
As the boy-girl reached out a slender hand towards him Cadman grasped the shards of Sun Stone tightly and unleashed their full power. The creature screamed and vanished within an eruption of scintillating light.
At that moment, Rhiannon rose and ran to the opening in the rooftop, hurriedly descending the wooden ladder. Cadman did not notice, but Ikrys, hanging bat-like from the rafters in the chamber beneath, opened an eye as black as the void.
Cadman looked with disbelief and relief at the spot the demon had occupied. He felt the warmth of the stones in his hand and marvelled at their unsurpassable power. Even with only two pieces he had achieved the impossible. With the fully assembled artefact he would be unconquerable and could at last exist without fear.
And then the dark hand took him; a giant disembodied fist that materialised about him. He struggled in vain as he was lifted into the night sky. He tried to scream but the pressure on his ribs was too great.
“Now I have you,” whispered a chill voice in his head.
Cadman felt a force within his mind and retreated before its advance into a dark and infinitely deep recess. Without sight, without hearing, he felt as if he were a child once more, cowering in a corner and awaiting punishment. Then even that image was lost to him to be replaced by a despair without substance.
