Sceadu
by Prashant
Pinge
Genre: YA
fantasy fiction
Date of
Publication: Nov 10, 2014
Number of pages:
246
Word Count:
About 70,000
Cover Artist:
Reptile FX
Book
Description:
All this while,
Matilda’s shadow had been growing larger and larger. Suddenly, it lunged out of
the ground and swallowed her, like a python does its unsuspecting prey.
Nine year old
Matilda ends up with a century old book through a series of strange
coincidences. And disappears. Her brother and cousins are forced to suspend
their hostilities and pursue her to Sceadu, a land inside the human shadow.
Once there, the reluctant visitors find themselves chased by the vicious
Hefigans, creatures of Sceadu. However, everything changes with the revelation
of an ancient prophecy that foretells the doom of the world they left behind.
With the stakes
suddenly raised, the children must now navigate the dangerous terrain, overcome
grave challenges, and unlock the secrets of the shadow. But can they do it in
time to thwart the plans of the treacherous Hefigans? Or will they succumb to
the guile of a ruthless enemy who is equally determined to destroy mankind?
Sceadu
is a fast-paced adventure which blurs the boundary between the physical and the
psychological, the real and the mythical.
Buy Links:
Amazon
Excerpt from Sceadu
The
moon had once again found refuge behind the clouds.
“Er
ye tere?” croaked a voice out of the velvety darkness.
The
man scraped his elbow hard against the rough edge. But the searing pain never
reached his lips.
“It’s
me…ol’ Marcus.” A pale shadow followed.
“Do
you have it?” The words burned in the man’s throat.
The
old man stumbled, and a messily wrapped packet fell out of his stubby fingers.
The man dived, grabbing at it with both hands. The packet landed with a gentle
thud, followed by the dull clank of his cane. “Old fool,” he hissed. “You’ve
been drinking. I should send you without a dime.”
“Jest
took me a few swigs,” the old man mumbled, swaying like a reed. “To give ol’
Marcus the guts to break in.”
“Quiet,”
the man snarled, thrusting his fingers into his trouser pocket. “Take these and
be off.” He pushed the bills into the old man’s rough hands.
“Ye
promised fifty bucks,” Marcus protested, trying hard to count.
But
the man hadn’t heard a word. He simply stood still, staring at the packet that
promised to change the course of his destiny.
There
was a tap on his shoulder. “But ye promised…”
The
man swung around, his cane raised. But his grip tightened and his hand stopped.
“It’s more than a hundred,” he said, clamping down his jaw. “Now get out of
here.”
Old
Marcus walked away, staggering slowly in his drunken stupor.
The
man drew in a long breath and kept his cane aside. For a brief instant, his
mind wandered off to that gloomy winter evening many years ago, to the
discovery he had made in a far away corner of the country. But this wasn’t the
time for reminiscing.
The
man gently loosened the strings and brought out the contents, an old book. He
had the means now. From here on, his path would be one that few humans had
trodden through the ages. The brown wrapping slowly drifted to the ground.
The
man suddenly jerked his head. But it was only old Marcus, still sauntering
towards the street. The man’s shoulders relaxed; he was in control, at least
for the time being. There would be challenges ahead, grave ones. The boy had
probably complicated things. But he could deal with all that later.
About the Author
Prashant Pinge
was born and brought up in the picturesque neighbourhood of Shivaji Park in the
bustling city of Mumbai in India.
A quiet and
diligent student throughout his schooling and college years, Prashant proceeded
to pursue electrical engineering at Purdue University in the United States.
Over the next decade, he accumulated three more degrees, a master of science in
management from Lancaster University, a post graduate program in management
from Indian School of Business, and a post MBA master in international
management from Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Apart from
enjoying the company of books, Prashant had always had an imaginative bent of
mind. But writing only happened in the fall of 2003, when a remarkably
intriguing dream interrupted an uncharacteristically deep spell of slumber,
compelling him to stagger to his desk and pen down the idea. That book is still
a few years away from being written. Prashant, however, continues to work from
his cauldron of creativity and churn out critically acclaimed works of fiction.
In addition to
his literary pursuits, Prashant is Managing Partner in his marketing and
branding firm, Media Panther. In his spare time, Prashant enjoys collecting old
coins, reading fiction, travelling to exotic destinations, watching movies, and
listening to music. He recently wrote and produced a short film titled Freedom
of Expression. Prashant is also keenly interested in the subjects of
psychology, mythology and ancient history.
Prashant lives
with his wife and son in Mumbai.
Author Links:
Website ¦ Blog ¦ Author Facebook ¦ Sceadu Facebook ¦ Twitter ¦ LinkedIn ¦ Google+ ¦ Goodreads
***GIVEAWAY***
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Such thrilling book trailer! Interesting.
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DeleteThanks for the great post! I do hope your readers enjoy Sceadu!
ReplyDelete