{"product_id":"valley-of-the-damned-douglas-laurent-9781984534279","title":"Valley of the Damned: Modern Tales of Old Valhalla","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eValley of the Damned Epic Martial Arts\/Allegorical Life Poem\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eClose ranks and join in Battle Royal far beyond all human sensibilities with \u003cem\u003eValley of the Damned\u003c\/em\u003e as the tenacious tome engages the worldwide Forces of Evil for all of humanities sake \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eValley\u003c\/em\u003e is an action-adventure martial-arts story and is designed as an interactive karate kata, a mirror, a Zen meditative rock garden, a mandala, a guide to the classical Underworld, a strategic soul-map and life-labrinth in which to see yourself and the \"musing's upon\" humanity of the great and awesome \"Celestial Powers That Be.\" Pilgrim, if you're going to ride with those three killer-phantoms, best saddle up and strap in, because they are looking for you  Poem Info: \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor millennia, Epic poems have been some of the world's most powerful sources of inspiration, capturing the high essence of gods, heroes, romances, glories, tragedies and monsters. From Homer's \u003cem\u003eOdyssey\u003c\/em\u003e to \u003cem\u003eThe Aeneid\u003c\/em\u003e, Arthur and \u003cem\u003eBeowulf\u003c\/em\u003e, and from \u003cem\u003eGilgamesh\u003c\/em\u003e to \u003cem\u003eThe Mahbhrata\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Divine Comedy\u003c\/em\u003e, these larger than life tales transcend time, revealing to humanity our innermost secrets, dreamsand nightmares. Conveying a deep sense of the mystical, Epics carry with them a sweeping sense of life in the fullest measure, as men and women of renown stand tall against the backdrop of history and destiny, our presentand futurebeing firmly rooted in the past . . .\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eValhalla\u003c\/em\u003e  Norse gods, spirits \u003cem\u003eo'\u003c\/em\u003ewar, shades, swordketeering pallorous ghost traces, soulpires, jowling grunting pigmen and slavering wolveweres, spectres, wraiths, banshees and other mind-lacerating night-haunting creatures of untold dread all come together in this Epic action-packed, martial arts adventure never before heard of tale on earth\u003cem\u003eThe Valley of the Damned\u003c\/em\u003e  In this, the \"Forgotten tale that no one knows, except those who enter therein,\" all are invited to venture into the exotic, serrating, unseen Netherworld of the dead, where fragmented remnants of driven spirits contend with each other for power and control over kingdoms, unspeakable legions of fallen shades, and the most prized possession of all\u003cem\u003ethe immortal human soul\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRide now with three killer-phantoms on their quest to pursue the vainglorious sneering karate movie superstar Mark Theman for his soulthe despised arrogant human whom all spirits desire to capture for their own sinister purposes  Trail the perpetual teenage Valkyrie Kari, mass-battle artist, known for her mesmerizing psychotically poetic-sword s'kills and who will confront \"any and all never odd or even\" risks to win. Shadowing her is the jackal-like Angel-Heart, amoral \u003cem\u003esword-slingin'\u003c\/em\u003eduelist who always dogs her, never missing an opportunity to exploit and track with Dark Storm, merciless bounty huntress who will stop at nothing in order to seize the power that Theman possesseshis soulish living \u003cem\u003ehuman aura\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased upon the works of cinematic masters such as Japanese director Akira Kurosawa (\u003cem\u003eThe Seven Samurai\u003c\/em\u003e, 1954) and Italian director Sergio Leone (\u003cem\u003eThe Good\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e the Bad and the Ugly\u003c\/em\u003e, 1966), \u003cem\u003eValley\u003c\/em\u003e is constructed as a movie. Words, sentences and stanzas function as camera shots for full lucid visual impact, pulling readers in and out of their own self-made focal mindset realizations of delight or horror that can only but belong to their own innermost soul-searching intertwined personal Netherscapes \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrom the mortal aspect, what is covered in the Epic is a survey of the modern American martial arts scene. A study of souls in action, readers may recognize that \u003cem\u003eValley\u003c\/em\u003e is a social commentary, allowing insight into the deadly, bizarre, icy undercurrents and riptides of the unseen \"Martial Art Deadlands\"the \u003cem\u003eField of Mars\u003c\/em\u003ethat many trod today, as must the bloody countless who are yet to come. Rich in visua\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Douglas Laurent\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1984534270\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781984534279\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Xlibris Us\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/16\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 486\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.56lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 1.08d\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Douglas Laurent","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44584127824127,"sku":"9781984534279","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_286fc779-6d01-47e7-b87a-089334344345.jpg?v=1701885459","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/valley-of-the-damned-douglas-laurent-9781984534279","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}