The Burning Gem By Don Sawyer
Like John Wick with sorcery, The Burning Gem is a story of hidden worlds beneath our own, of lost train stations and unholy customs brought to you by critically acclaimed author, Don Sawyer
The Burning Gem spins from chance meeting of a woman ready for adventure after years in a loveless marriage and a mysterious artisan who will show her another world. Barbara has always had an uncanny ability to read others, but her full empathic skills emerge only after a part of her soul is crystalized into a flaming red gem. Desperate to escape her soulcrushing suburban life and to reconnect with the mysterious man who made her gem, she makes her way on foot through the terrifying NY subway tunnels to find an abandoned station.
Zoltan is a gem maker who lives an existence of opulent bitterness. Along with a network of other agents, his job is to catch souls and form them into magnificent jewels. He works with referrals only, and how his clients – rising CEOs, ambitious politicians, vainglorious religious leaders — are selected is of no concern to him. He is 110 years old. While Zoltan’s contract with the hideous Mester – who may or may not be human – promises him wealth and extended life, it also prohibits him from touching another person, or even sharing his true name Zoltan’s life is changed dramatically when Barbara bursts into it.
She breaks the spell he has been under, and he risks everything – including his life — to discover the true nature of the sinister cabal he has unwittingly been part of. Their base of operations is a long-forgotten 1873 subway terminal, now transformed into the Market, a hidden community of seers, shapeshifters, artisans with extraordinary skills, keepers of ancient knowledge. From here Barbara and Zoltan follow leads that take them to the ruin bars and dark alleys of Budapest in a desperate race to find the truth and neutralize the Mester before he kills them.
“This exciting fantasy adventure, which plays out just beneath our feet, has already garnered praise for its characters and fast-paced plot: “In The Burning Gem, accomplished storyteller and author Don Sawyer gives us a meticulously crafted, richly imagined, complexly plotted, deep and magical allegory creating a world that mirrors the dark forces at work on our planet today. Entertaining and compelling, I enjoyed inhabiting its realm.” – Charlie Price, Edgar Award-winning author of The Interrogation of Gabriel James
“From a wondrous world in the bowels of a long-forgotten New York subway station to London’s Meat District and the ancient brick cellars of Budapest’s Jewish Quarter, The Burning Gem takes the reader on a one-of-a-kind journey through the forces of good and evil that have forever underlain human existence. Sawyer’s deft interweaving of elaborate descriptions, an absorbing plot and intriguing characters has resulted in a unique, sophisticated, and alluring novel.” – Carmen Rodriguez, Award-winning author of Atacama, a novel
“As each page of The Burning Gem turns, the alternate reality draws us in ever closer. Don Sawyer’s deft research blends fact with magical possibility and it begins to really matter to us that the forces of evil that can control others’ souls can be surmounted. Hope, love, and the courage to face death give these compelling characters exactly what we all might wish for ourselves.” – Calvin White, author of Letters from the Land of Fear and Facing the Sweating Horse
“Richly engaging, the Soul Catcher series mixes thrilling adventure, mysticism, and heartwarming redemption – an epic world, not to be missed!” — Claire Ashgrove, Award -winning author of The Curse of the Templars series
“The Burning Gem is a gripping novel that masterfully blends science fiction and fantasy. Don Sawyer’s skillful prose draws you into this thrilling, fast-paced tale of colliding worlds, love lost, and the redeeming of one’s soul. When you finish it, you want more. Damn you want more!” —MJ Preston, author of The Highwayman Series and Acadia Event.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
From a rural outport in Newfoundland and a First Nations community in British Columbia to West Africa and Jamaica, I have worked with youth and adults from many cultural backgrounds and locales. Inevitably, these experiences have made their way into my writing. I have authored over 12 books in several genres, including two Canadian bestsellers.
A writer and educator, Don Sawyer grew up in Michigan and moved to Canada in the 1960s.
He has worked with youth and adults from many cultural backgrounds and in a variety of locales, including teaching high school in a small Newfoundland outport, training community development workers in West Africa, teaching First Nations adults in British Columbia and designing a climate change action course for Jamaican youth.
Inevitably, these experiences made their way into his writing: Don has authored more than 12 books – including two Canadian bestsellers — in a variety of genres. His articles and op-eds have appeared in many journals and most of Canada’s major dailies
He currently lives in St Catharines, Ontario, with his wife of 54 years and more information can be found at: Don Sawyer, Author & Educator – WELCOME
