The Way of Lucherium
by Christopher J. Rziha
In a war-torn land where the line between the spiritual and the material is blurred, an ambitious bard named Geoffrey falls out of favor with his powerful superiors and falls into a life of grace, freedom, and fulfillment when he joins the followers of an ancient Lord and embraces their paradoxical path of light and life.”
Geoffrey never expected to lose everything. He was a wildly popular bard, a dedicated subject of the great and prosperous nation of Trastaluche, and a fervent devotee to the Trastalucherian motto, Progress before all. But when a secret mission to root out a family of traitors goes horribly awry, and no one but Geoffrey is left alive, his history of loyalty no longer seems to matter. The Committees need someone to blame for such a disaster, and Geoffrey’s account -that an entire house disappeared before his eyes- is much too far-fetched to save him from being their scapegoat.
But losing everything isn’t always a total loss. At his lowest point, Geoffrey is rescued by a band of shadowy figures whose questionable actions and vague answers leave him both fascinated and terrified. When the leader of the band is revealed to be the very man whose house vanished in front of Geoffrey, the bard must decide between betraying his saviors to regain the favor of a dreadful Lord or rejecting his former allegiances and embracing the Way of Lucherium: a secret path at once mystical and grotesque that allows its followers to bridge the gap between the spiritual and material realms and to harness the fabric of existence itself. As Geoffrey struggles with the torrent of truths and choices that threaten to overwhelm him, he is certain of one thing: either path will lead to suffering, but only one can grant Geoffrey true Light and true Life.
Intimate and epic, action-packed yet deeply contemplative, Christopher J. Rziha’s The Way of Lucherium presents a stunning parable of the soul that reimagines the moral complexities of redemption, friendship, progress, sacrifice, loyalty and grace by asking: what if the realities of grace and sin, of angelic inspiration and demonic possession, of sacraments and cultures of death, were made explicitly visible in our bodies, souls, and relationships? Perfect for young adults and above who seek to immerse themselves in a rich new world of fantasy that illuminates the metaphysical undertones of everyday life, Rziha’s novel combines St. Augustine’s restless heart, J. R. R. Tolkien’s fascination with verse and lore, and The Wingfeather Saga’s emphasis on the transcendent calling of the ordinary person in a tale of subterfuge, conversion, and warfare.
Paperback: $19.95 | Kindle: $9.99
TESTIMONIALS
“What if we could see the reality of grace? What if the invisible mystery of God were tangibly manifest before us? This, in many ways, is the subplot of this great work. Before you is a gripping story, full of the drama of conversion, sin, grace, repentance, and forgiveness—with intense internal dialogue and struggle along the way, as well as moments of thrilling action. Christopher Rziha is a deep and well-formed Catholic thinker, and he “incarnates” his Catholic intellectual vision here in the embodiment of narrative. Read to be entertained and to have your mind and heart formed in the Catholic faith, without even realizing it! Highly recommended!” – Dr. Andrew and Sarah Swafford, national speakers and authors of Gift and Grit: How Heroic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher J. Rziha completed his undergraduate studies at Benedictine College, earning degrees in philosophy, theology, and Spanish. He earned his MA at Baylor University, where he analyzed the presence and role of marriage in the religious theater of the Spanish Golden Age, and he is currently completing his PhD at the University of Notre Dame. On the way he met and married his amazing wife and welcomed two children. Christopher’s research interests lie at the intersection of mystical and theatrical literature of the Spanish Baroque. More specifically, he is interested in examining how the central teachings and themes of the Spanish mystics were dramatized and popularized through theatrical and poetic genres such as the ‘comedia de santos’ and the ‘auto sacramental,’ and how these works are situated within the larger historical, cultural, and religious contexts of Baroque Spain. As a result, he is especially engaged with scholarship and research on figures such as Lope de Vega, Juan de la Cruz, Teresa de Jesús, José de Valdivielso, and Marcela de san Félix. In addition, Christopher serves as a Solomon Fellow for the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at Notre Dame, an appointment which reflects his interest in the intersection of Catholic intellectual and moral tradition and Hispanic culture.
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