The Messenger

ISBN: 1430325127

Author: Andrew E. Shipley

Condition: New

Review "keeps one turning the pages like lightning...gripping plot...highly original rollercoaster ride that is simultaneously inviting, terrifying and inspirational." -- TCM Reviews, November 1, 2007"one to add to your list...very well-written debut...one of the highlights of my year." -- The Book Fiend, December 30, 2007Four Stars: "exceptionally readable...entertaining action...characters are clear, comprehensive...perfect to tuck into the beach bag...sure to provide conversation." -- ForeWord Clarion Reviews, October 1, 2007 Product Description Is U.S. Senator Peters a prophet, a fraud, neither, both? Senator Peters vaults to worldwide fame and political prominence after his first speech from the Senate floor. According to Senator Peters, he delivered his speech in English, but according to amazed listeners from around the world, he could be understood by all who heard it, no matter what their language. When the 'tongues' phenomenon recurs, several parties, ranging from a political power broker to a Catholic Archbishop, seek to appropriate the apparent miracles for their own purposes. As Peters exploits his newfound fame to propel his career to heights beyond those he had ever dreamed possible, two men following different trains of thought reach an identical conclusion: the Senator must die. Meanwhile, a centuries old society known as the Order of Mani keeps watch. The Order believes that it alone holds the secret to the Messenger's true purpose, and it is determined to stop it. From the Back Cover Miracles on the Senate Floor? The Washington Gazette, October 15Do you believe in miracles? Not the U.S. hockey team, garden-variety, once-in-a-century sports upset, but the hair-raising, water-into-wine, this can't be happening kind?If you don't, you soon may. Freshman Senator John Peters, a soft-spoken man from the hills of North Carolina, walked into a nearly empty Senate chamber yesterday morning to give his first speech. But the way he delivered it? - God only knows.According to his office, Senate Peters delivered his speech in English. According to his office, English is the only language Senator Peters knows. But according to the hundreds of amazed listeners from around the world who downloaded his speech from the Internet, he spoke in every language in the world, all at the same time. Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Venice, 1605 AD His eyes, large and unnaturally black, fixed on the solitary figure moving like a shadow through the foggy courtyard. Rainwater spilled over the side of a clogged gutter and dripped on his head, but he did not move. "From shadow to ghost," he whispered. A soft chirping sound drew his gaze; a bat had perched incongruously on the lip of the courtyard's ornamental fountain. It distracted him for only a moment as a muffled cry broke from the man he had been watching. A second shadow had joined him. A glint of steel flashed through the mist just before the two grappled and fell. Only the second man rose. The Messenger had been silenced. The man retreated down the alley from which he had watched the assassin earn his pay and headed toward the Grand Canal. From there, a boat would take him to the mainland and a waiting carriage. If he pushed hard enough, he would reach Florence by dawn. He would follow the river to the sea, make the crossing to Corsica and deliver the news to the Master. Afterward, he hoped, he would return to his life in London. He saw no reason for the Master to prohibit his return. If the lessons of history held true, there would not be another Messenger for decades, perhaps longer, so it would fall to another to ensure the Order of Mani's preservation. The Order had existed for over a thousand years, exerting influence from the shadows of power. Not even he, who had been chosen for this singularly important mission, whose intensely black eyes attested to the depths of his initiation, knew the full extent of the Order's r