Kindle Edition Amazon Category:  Fantasy Publisher: Blueberry Lane Books ISBN-10:  1942183046 Type: Fiction Pages: 380 Copyright: 2008 ISBN-13: 9781419691393 Price: $1.99 (eBook) The science fantasy Wade Of Aquitaine Series tells the story of a young man and a young woman separated by 1,200 years, each coping with the rarest of conditions and abilities. At a critical juncture in the Dark Ages, with Vikings to the north and Aghlabid pirates to the south, a small flicker of the Roman Empire has been nurtured as an island of high civilization. Defeated Longobards scheme to bring it down from within. If Byzantium falls 600 years too soon, nothing of western civilization will survive to spark the Renaissance. Enter Wade Linwood of the 21st Century. Suffering of crossed senses where scents can conjure objects and sights can call up tastes, he wants nothing but the ordinary life of an insurance underwriter. When a trip to the acupuncturist opens an unused portal in his synesthete's brain, a plea from the past draws him to a time when he must save the remaining shreds of history to preserve his own. Excerpt [As we join this scene, we have already met Wade Linwood, a man from the 21st Century thrown into the past against his will by astral projection acting upon his rare disability.] Constanz, Swabia, Holy Roman Empire under Charlemagne, 813 A.D. Wade's guards hauled him into the chamber, laden in heavy chains, shoeless on the wet stone, to stand before the scabini. The younger of the two wore robes and sported the well-trimmed goatee and longish hair of a nobleman. He said, "Wade of Aquitaine, I am Count Gerardus of Ravenna. With me is the Bishop Egidio." The old Bishop, in identical robes, nodded almost imperceptibly. His eyes pulled shut in a slow blink as though he were going to sleep. Then both judges lapsed into expectant silence. Wade thought furiously for something appropriate to say. Gerardus' eyes widened with anger when Wade did not respond. Wade said, "I am humble before you." Gerardus seemed mollified. "You stand accused of trespass on the land of Olich the Dyer. You claim to know no one in Swabia and you carry no letter." Egidio drew a strenuous breath for his part. "Wade of Aquitaine, how do you plead?" "Innocent." The count gave a small shrug and lifted his quill to make a long, looping notation. "So it shall be recorded. To the charge of trespass, Wade of Aquitaine, who knows no one, pleads innocent." To Wade, he said, "I think you will find we are a fair court. Olich has given testimony and you have denied it. With neither count nor commoner to vouch for your character, you are to be tried by God. Bishop Egidio and I have discussed this matter at the proper length, consulting the Folkright for the appropriate measures, etcetera. You are to undergo the ordeal of the stone and the boiling water. Do you wish to change your plea?" "What happens if I plead guilty?" Wade asked. Old Egidio widened his eyes as though he were testing if they still worked. Gergardus' smile at Wade looked benign. "Then you shall be forgiven,...and your hand shall be severed." Wade swallowed. "I will stick with innocent." Snorri led Wade to another part of the chamber where the group that now reconvened included two large men with swords. Wade took his place with leaden feet. He looked around at the only people he knew in this world: Olich, Snorri, and Grimketil Forkbeard. The grotesque Rotrud had joined as a spectator as well. She showed her wrecked teeth. Count Gerardus spoke with growing enthusiasm. "Wade of Aquitaine, the cauldron before you contains boiling water, into which you shall plunge your--have we determined that he is right handed?" Gergardus dropped his voice for the aside. The Bishop nodded carefully as though he were not sure if his head would rise again. Gergardus turned back to Wade, cleared his throat, and continued. "You are to plunge your left arm into the water. Somewhere in the vessel, you shall find a stone and several slots. You are to insert the stone into the slot that fits it. And I would advise you to find the slot quickly. The fire under the cauldron will be maintained throughout your ordeal. If you fail, we shall start over--with boiling oil."

Well-written and Exciting
"Wade of Aquitaine is wonderfully well-written and exciting, an interesting and insightful volume that makes you say to yourself we've got a smart guy writing this. Ben Parris understands the challenge that a writer has, to write sentences that nobody ever wrote before."

--George Clayton Johnson (Author of Oceans Eleven, Twilight Zone Movie, Logan's Run)

Witty and Action Filled
“Many would be lucky to write a whole series marked by the wit and gift for swashbuckling action and romance that Parris builds into his debut. A sharply intelligent and energetic historical fantasy.”
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