Geminga: Sword of the Shining Path

by Melvin Litton

“Very, very interesting...” – William S. Burroughs Imagine … a raven on the branch of a fruit tree speaks to you, complimenting you on the song you have just sung. You, Rodger Games, carpenter by day and guitar-player by night, are drawn by the the how, where, and why of its origins. A dialogue begins. But along with the mystery of the raven arrives the snake, a deadly ‘breath-of-heaven’, its assassin partner. The duo once worked for Shining Path, the Peruvian Maoist movement founded by the arch-ideologue, Zalo. Soon the trail leads to the Medellin Cartel and ‘The Center’ – a secret institute staffed by the tutored sons of Mengele and located in the remotest Amazon. Adjacent to the dialogue appear farm workers and laborers – Black, White, Indian, and Hispanic – a young woman of focal beauty named Luana, and a midnight prowler who drives a black Porsche; and always, the ubiquitous digressions of memory. Where will it lead? To what end? ravens, snakes, and revolutionaries, God, Devil, man, and woman all transformed into a pair of dice … roll ’em...whadaya get? The lucky seven? double-sixes? or snake-eyes? And with what consequence? The mystery is something of a creation myth. For eventually there is a the cruel scythe of political terrorism; the blessing of woman, fruit and song, and the promise of a mystical union, for with the harvest is planted the seed of new potential … Geminga. "Geminga has all the hallmarks of good folklore...succeeds in grabbing your attention from the beginning and investing you in the raven's story." -- Portland Book Review (4 stars)

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2016

About the author

Melvin Litton’s latest work, The Kansas Murder Trilogy, presents three novels of shared theme but separate time and character: King Harvest (1); Banks of the River (2); and Skin for Skin (3) – all published by Crossroad Press. He has three previous novels (also from Crossroad): Caspion & the White Buffalo; Geminga; and I Joaquin. His stories and poems have appeared in Chiron Review, Pif, Mobius, Foliate Oak, Floyd County Moonshine, Broadkill Review, and The Literary Hatchet among others. He has two books of poetry: From the Bone (Spartan Press), and Idylls of Being (Stubborn Mule); and a collection of short stories, Son of Eve (Spartan). He is a retired carpenter and lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife Debra and their shepherd Jack. Formerly captain of the Border Band, he now performs as The Gothic Cowboy with Mando Dan: www.borderband.com

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a mysterious description, the books about the amazon and the indigenous people are always intriguing so I took this one up and it was an adventure. We are along for the ride with Rodger Games,a carpenter and guitar player who lives alone in his trailer. When a well-spoken raven arrives at his doorstep, Rodgers life is changed forever. Well, maybe after he see/meets Luana. Rodger has given up on making anything of his life or even meeting that special someone so the arrival of a talking raven and snake do throw him for a loop.
I loved the raven, he was my favorite character, as well as Luana. She was self-assured and alluring and strong in her own right. Much of the writing was intricately detailed with the descriptions, as if the author is painting us a picture with his words so we could feel that we are next to Rodger, the sweat pouring down our backs from the heat. With that, this is not a light read, expect to be immersed within the story and that you will have a hard time letting go.

[Pegboard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melvin Litton creates a unique bond between a raven and Rodger Games in Geminga: Sword of the Shining Path. The raven has chosen Rodger for some odd reason to communicate with, though he had to kill his cat first to get close to him. Jimmy makes his silent, yet creepy appearance periodically as a friend of the raven, but Rodger learns to control the serpent.

Melvin Litton always write novels that are unique in character and plot. Geminga: Sword of the Shining Path is no different as this tale is told by a raven as he recalls his past to Rodger. The people he observed allowed him a rich life, while he learned to speak and read. As an occult horror read; I found this novel fascinating and captivating as Raven conveys the life he lived as a bird. Excellent mixture of suspense, humor, and bizarre events. This novel will entice anyone who is looking for an exceptional book with a different view on life.

[David Hann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rodger, a part-time carpenter, part-time musician, and full-time philosopher encounters two assassins who work together. One is a snack-loving raven with the mental agility of a human and the other is a deadly snake with human reasoning powers that loves cigar smoke. For reasons yet to be discovered by Rodger, the raven chose him…but for what? And what about the snake?

[Ivan Hecimovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you imagine a situation in which you are able to talk with snakes? Not in Harry Potter style talking with snakes, but also not very far from that. This is how the story of Geminga begins. We have a man (which is actually our main protagonist) and he opens a conversation with a snake. I have to admit that the opening premise of this novel was a bit too weird, even for my taste (and I have come across many different genres and novels so far in my life). However, we should never judge the book by its covers, or by its opening sequence…or premise.
Geminga is actually so much more that it seems and this is what I love about books like this one the most. I mean, this is what I want to read when I read a novel about talking snake. I want to read a novel in which we will be discussing questions about life, the existence, the universe, the creation of everything that exists… This is what novels like this one should be about and this is what this novel is mostly about, which is something I love. I must say, great job, Mr. Litton. Although I had my doubts about this one, I was wrong.

[Shanell Meek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpectedly entertaining

Well, interesting is definitely one way to describe Geminga: Sword of the Shining Path! Starting out I was confused and didn’t really follow what was going on, it’s not often one finds them self hanging out with genetically modified ravens, and snakes in avocado groves! Over all, it was entertaining and kept me busy for awhile, sometimes just wondering what the heck did I just read?!? So I’d reread it to understand it. It is well written and Melvin Litton spent a lot of time creating and building his characters in this curving and well laid out sci-fi extravaganza! Take a minute to sit back and appreciate an exquisitely played out tale of some pretty unlikely characters! I was not expecting how it ended either. I’ll be looking for more from Mr. Litton that’s for sure!

[Alan Wynzel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melvin Litton has written, with great skill, a story that is at the same time engaging, entertaining, even fun at times, but with a strong undercurrent of meaning. He tells the tale of Rodger Games, a songwriter in his heart, and a carpenter by necessity. Rodger has fled his native Kansas and the liquor bottle, and landed in a small trailer at the edge of an avocado grove in California. A bit lost, a bit lonely, he's turned his back on Life. That changes quickly with the arrival of a talking Raven and companion venomous snake. Along with drug dealers and a dead bear in the barranca. (a gully) and finally, a lovely black-haired beauty with a sad past of her own. An engaging series of events lead to a surprise climax where Rodger emerges victorious--in that he has decided to embrace Life once more, in the most vital sense. The most primal human themes--Life and Love--prevail.