The Seventh Thunder

by Larry Brooks

Overview

When committed agnostic Gabriel Stone’s wife dies in an unlikely airline disaster, he pours himself into the writing of a story that has haunted him since his youth—a novel his devout wife had warned him never to finish. Inspired by a visit to the island of Patmos, he is fascinated with the visions beheld there by St. John The Divine while in political exile for his beliefs. Those visions included terrifying events delivered by what John described as “seven thunders,” which he was instructed to withhold, to seal up and “write them not” (Revelation 10:4). As Stone becomes entrenched in his speculative interpretation of what those visions might have been, an embedded code within the Book of Revelation itself reveals startling connections to covert operations that are about to tear the world’s political landscape to shreds, perhaps signaling the beginning of the prophesied end of times.

As Stone’s novel nears publication, he finds himself the pawn in a war between superpowers and supernatural forces, each hoping to control the book, each driven by hidden agendas beyond Stone’s comprehension. Facing choices that are at once spiritual and life-dependent, with global stakes pivoting on his ability to accept the unbelievable and stop the unthinkable, The Seventh Thunder is a secular thriller that stops at nothing short of our very souls hanging in the balance, while ringing frighteningly relevant to today’s headlines. Winner of the 2010 Next Generation Indie Book Award for best novel in the SUSPENSE/THRILLER category.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620454923
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	12/02/2014
Pages:	358
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Larry Brooks is the author of six critically praised novels, including USA Today bestseller Darkness Bound, the Publishers Weekly “Best Books of 2004” novel Bait and Switch, and the critically praised Deadly Faux, as well as the bestselling writing books Story Engineering: Mastering the Six Core Competencies of Successful Writing and Story Physics: Harnessing the Underlying Forces of Storytelling. Brooks teaches at writers’ conferences nationally and internationally, and is the creator of Storyfix.com, named three years running to the Writers Digest “101 Best Websites for Writers” list. He lives in Arizona.

Read an Excerpt

A visceral presence permeated the cave. It spoke through a textured silence, something gentle and–depending on one’s frame of mind–holy. Maybe it was the warm shade of purple that imbued the walls with a surreal embrace, or the facsimile artifacts on display to channel the ambiance of the age. This place, known as The Sacred Grotto of The Revelation, was believed to be where St. John the Divine had been graced with apocalyptic visions while in political exile some two thousand years before, and where in a state of eschatological passion he rendered them into what would later become the holy Book of the Apocalypse, or as it would be translated and forever known, Revelation.

Gabriel Stone, still very much a man-in-training at twenty-seven, had stood to the side as the monk leading their tour channeled the past with a carefully rehearsed reverie: the indentation where John had rested his head, a flat pulpit of rock upon which he wrote the prophecy, the three fissures from which a holy voice had narrated the forthcoming end of days. Gabriel had studied Revelation years ago, part of a sociology assignment, finding it more metaphoric than fascinating. Yet he couldn’t shake the image of John trembling before the rocks as the visions overwhelmed him, and through the years he’d cultivated an intellectual curiosity that he steadfastly refused to acknowledge as spiritual.

But St. John would not let him go. And so, when the opportunity arose, Gabriel came here to find him.

The small crowd had obediently moved into the adjoining Chapel of St. Anne, built in 1088 as a sort of foyer to the cave, leaving Gabriel alone with what he realized was perhaps the first truly religious experience of his life. An inexplicable and quite unexpected emotion had washed over him, rendering him humble and full of awe, and he was hesitant to leave until he understood why.

Later, looking back on this moment, he believed he knew.

A soft voice suddenly pierced his awareness, echoing off the rocks, sending a shiver up his spine.

Editorial Reviews

A master of terror and suspense.” —Publishers Weekly "An absolute must read, Deadly Faux is guaranteed entertainment." —Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Jury Master, for Deadly Faux "Deadly Faux is a fast, fun read with plot twists I did not see coming and a satisfying ending." —Phillip Margolin, New York Times bestselling author of Sleight of Hand, for Deadly Faux "Sexy, complex, intelligent; a truly delightful novel with more plot twists than a plate of linguine swimming in olive oil.” —James N. Frey, author of How to Write a Damn Good Novel, for Deadly Faux "This intoxicating and intelligent tale of corporate corruption feels as authentic as a true crime chronicle, but Schmitt's first-person narration ensures that it is much more entertaining." —Publishers Weekly on Bait and Switch “Full of surprises, Darkness Bound is one sneaky read.” —Leslie Glass, New York Times bestselling author of Stealing Time, for Darkness Bound

From the Publisher

2015-04-17
In Brooks' (Deadly Faux, 2013, etc.) latest thriller, a widower's unpublished apocalyptic novel may actually have prophesied the end of times.Gabriel Stone, who recently lost his wife, is a former Catholic and no longer a believer. When he shops around his first novel, Whisper of the Seventh Thunder, he's unprepared for the response: a literary agent sells the book and movie rights in a deal that could add millions to Gabriel's bank account. But various (often covert) factions, including the Brethren, have intense interest in the manuscript. Gabriel's name, it seems, was part of a hidden code in the book of Revelation translated in Israel, while one of the scenes in his book describes a bombing identical to a real-life event planned for the near future. As the day of the attack nears, Gabriel tries to keep himself alive to prevent what many believe to be the impending end of days. He may need to rely on the one thing he doesn't have: faith. Brooks' story is wrought with suspense, particularly the rapidly approaching bombing, which becomes synonymous with the foretold apocalypse. There's also another name in the translated text that identifies the Antichrist, a significant detail Brooks teasingly dangles in front of readers but doesn't reveal until the end. Characters, meanwhile, are a well-rounded, motley bunch. Some, like CIA contractor (read: assassin) McQuarrie, are unquestionably villains; a scene in which he finishes off a victim in the hospital is particularly chilling. Other characters are more delectably ambiguous. National Security Agency Special Agent Sarah Meyers, for example, certainly seems to be Gabriel's ally, but it's clear from the start that she's not telling him everything she knows. Overall, Brooks' narrative is richly textured. As Gabriel frequently finds himself in perilous situations, the conflicting goals of the diverse groups—one wants author and book completely eradicated, another believes the book will sell better if Gabriel is dead—help the plot maintain a steady pace. And just when readers think they've got it all sorted out, Brooks shakes things up again by having a group change its objective and deciding, perhaps, that Gabriel is better off alive.A frantic but never confusing story enhanced by its characters and tantalizing religious theme.

Kirkus Reviews