Thursday, October 11, 2007

The Strange Cases of Rudolph Pearson


Slated for release from Chaosium this December is a my book about the horripilating tales of Rudolph Pearson. Set after the Great War, Professor Pearson from Columbia University ventures into the encounters dark mysteries and unimaginable terrors. And occasionally, he finds a stray baseball -- in the most unexpected locations. And the cover art is provided by Steven Gilberts.

The Pearson has always been an enjoyable character to write about, as he lives in the past, which allows me to have thinly veiled conversations about anything I like. The book is a blend of occult detective, supernatural mystery, and horror thriller.

It is available on Amazon.com for pre-order.


Brief Glimpse:

...I turned away, hoping vainly that not seeing the words would distance their meaning from me. "How was Ziven killed? I asked, a cloying nausea burning in my throat.

"The medical examiner believes he was eaten alive..."

7 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

Congrats. Nice cover there. Would you say this collection is a successor to something like the Jules De Grandin stories from the pulp era?

William Jones said...

Thanks, Charles!

Steven has quite an imagination, so I owe him for the creative cover.

And someone who knows of Jules de Grandin! His writings did follow the path of Doyle's and many others during the time, except the supernatural was present. The Pearson book does take a different approach, however. I have the advantage of NOT living in early 1900s, so my perspective is different. This means that the stories were not written for readers of the past, but today. That one seems obvious, I suppose, but it is an important distinction between prior the prior works mentioned.

Also, the scope of "strange" goes beyond the things Gardin touched upon, as the genre has expanded in so many ways. it allows me to venture into new realms.

Anonymous said...

I've been waiting for the Pearson book. Congrats. I hope it covers some of his past. In the stories I get the feeling he's hiding something.

Anonymous said...

I've read several Pearson tales and enjoyed them all. I even "borrowed" Pearson for a cameo in a story I wrote "The Faceless Watchers", and included another of William's Pearson tale in my upcoming edited anthology "Cthulhu's Dark Cults", so I too am interested in the deeper mysteries to this strange man.

I'm presuming the collection will include “Through the Eye of a Needle”, "Feasters of the Dark", "Harami" and “The Transgression of Effram Harris”?

David Conyers

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, William. The cover looks great.

Stewart Sternberg (half of L.P. Styles) said...

I'm looking forward to this. The cards you had the other day..or was it just card...really piqued my interest.

William Jones said...

Jeff,

Yes, the book does reveal what's been bothering Pearson, and hopefully a few other secrets.

David,

It is always good to see Pearson popping up in unexpected places. Wasn't their an archaeologist name Conyers around in past years?

Paul,

Many thanks. Steven Gilberts created a cover that captures the mood, and seemingly something that is about to capture the person in front of the portal.


Stewart,

Thanks as well. Yes, the card you saw was one of a small number used for promotion. I'll have to find a way to send them to a few people. (For those wondering, Stewart is referring to something around the size of a 3x5 card that has the cover of the book on the front, and copy/information on the back; I've been handing them out at conventions and wherever someone is in need of a card).