Confronting as it does the potential link between something as catastrophic as mass suicides and as celebrated as life-affirming popular music, Songs from the Black Skylark zPed Music Player has been known to stir some controversy. Nevertheless, the book's unique use of original song lyric's as an integral element of the overall prose narrative, the author's fusion of literary styles, and a compelling storyline have prompted very positive responses to this compelling work.Whether interpreted as a southern Gothic rock and ...
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Confronting as it does the potential link between something as catastrophic as mass suicides and as celebrated as life-affirming popular music, Songs from the Black Skylark zPed Music Player has been known to stir some controversy. Nevertheless, the book's unique use of original song lyric's as an integral element of the overall prose narrative, the author's fusion of literary styles, and a compelling storyline have prompted very positive responses to this compelling work.Whether interpreted as a southern Gothic rock and roll tale or a paranormal love story, readers have found themselves intrigued while wandering about "inside the world of Danny Blue, a young man struggling to make peace with the death of his girlfriend, a gifted artist named Valerie Hyerman whose passing sparks the creation of a controversial spiritual movement. Was her demise a result of suicide, murder, or something completely different from either?"The stunning truth unfolds in Froggtown, a college community where many people are said to have "died dirty" and wander the streets in search of release from a spiritual limbo. Such a town seems an unlikely place for a superstar musician like Jimmy Redfyre to kick off his tour on Christmas Eve, or for his main rival Ruzahn to keep popping up in Danny Blue's life. Is Froggtown a metaphor for a city such as Charleston, South Carolina, or Savannah, Georgia? Or is it somewhere in a completely different dimension altogether, in a place parallel to such cities on a second or third parallel world? Like diverse genres of music itself--whether hip-hop, country, jazz, classical, rock, blues, or alternative--Songs from the Black Skylark zPed Music Player moves to the beats of interior and exterior realities.This text comprises a revised edition of the mythopoeic novel previously known as Christmas When Music Almost Killed the World. As both the title and text of the narrative indicates, the new edition is one that places a greater emphasis on the songs interwoven through the storyline. Readers of the earlier edition know already that the lyrics, presented in full within an appendix, contain important information about the disturbing plot and hopes for resolving it. Supplementing the revised edition of the book is the Bonus Story Tracks blog on the companion website. Planned features include outtakes and supplemental short fiction that give readers more insight into characters and situations while also making the story more interactive.
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