I would like to welcome Elias Barton to The Avid Reader today. Thanks for stopping by Elias Barton. Check out Elias Barton's book Above the Universe Below and his Book Playlist. Thanks to Full Moon Bites and Elias Barton for allowing me to be a part of this tour.
Book Title: Above the Universe Below
Author: Elias Barton
Genre: Fantasy, Dark
Publisher: Iron Glass Press
Ebook/Paperback:
Pages: 332
PURCHASE
BOOK DESCRIPTION
ABOVE THE UNIVERSE BELOW
For two years running (2011 & 2012) Above the Universe Below was was a semi-finalist in Amazon.com's Breakthrough Novel Award and Publishers Weekly:
"Brilliant writing carries this pleasantly odd tale of an agoraphobic artist, Carder Quevedo... Carder's road is not an easy one, but readers will be rooting for him in this unusual and beautifully written book."
An agoraphobic artist in our world but a grim reaper in another, Carder Quevedo hides at home, immersing himself in the paintings which commemorate the strange deaths he's witnessed. He ventures into public only when necessary, scrambling to his hospital job to extract corneas from deceased donors or darting to the diner to share a meal with Darren, his only friend. That's Carder's existence - and he's content.
Until...
Haika changes that. As the bored, beautiful owner of an art gallery - who also happens to be married - she stumbles into Carder in a chance encounter and soon becomes obsessed with his art. As they forge a quirky, electric relationship, Carder is reluctantly pulled into Haika's social world of wealth, status and the peculiar characters that come with it. Carder is pushed further to the edge when his teenage niece visits, rebelling against her ultra-conservative upbringing. All the while, Carder's hidden history threatens to ruin his developing chance at normalcy, and on the opening night of his art gallery show, his past finally catches up to his present and wreaks havoc upon them all.
EXCERPT
ABOVE THE UNIVERSE BELOW
Haika’s mouth is obscured behind an empty Styrofoam cup riddled with repeating arches of gentle teeth-marks she’s bitten into it like colorless rainbows perforating white sky. She meets Carder’s gaze with a mischievous smile, enjoying the role of spectator and anthropologist. She’s relaxed, as if sitting in a bubble bath with a goblet of wine in hand, reading this all in a novel someone lent her.
Love.
That’s what Haika is: love. Not just love for Mike or art or New York. Haika is love in every moment. She’s loving to Carder, to his relatives, to the Carlisle boys. But she’s more. She’s love in the cloudless sky above, in the honey she brought for tea, in the music she tries to soundtrack Carder’s life with, in the thrift-store clothes she’s wearing, in the ascot knotted at her chin, in her bare feet sliding through what would once have been war-torn grass, in the sadness sometimes hiding in the corners of her lips. She brings love to every moment… something Carder has never seen in another person. Ever. He obsesses over every detail, and gulps down the harrowing thought that he’ll one day lose her. He tries to be love like Haika is, to laze on the hammock of friendship hanging from her eyes right now. He fills with gratitude. This has actually happened. She had actually been in his life, and no one can take that away. Carder could live off it for decades and fully plans to.
BOOK PLAYLIST/SOUNDTRACK
ABOVE THE UNIVERSE BELOW
- VAST "Here" – Chapter 1, Salmon Belly, as Carder journeys through NYC’s subway system, we get a glimpse into his life and mind. YOUTUBE
- Bat For Lashes "Daniel" – Chapter 2, Drawing Him In, when Haika meets Carder, something inexplicable draws her to him, an enigma which she’s never before encountered. YOUTUBE
- Porcupine Tree "Lazarus" – Chapter 5, A Reaping: ‘Bis, when a seven-year-old Carder finds himself in another world where he meets a savage, dying beast. YOUTUBE
- Prisma “Glide In” – Chapter 7, Close to the Gate, when we enter Carder’s home overwrought with a maze of dark paintings. YOUTUBE
- Patrick Wolf "Bluebells" – Chapter 13, The Battlefield, when Carder leaves the city and meets with his sister, Lucy, and retrieves Mandy. YOUTUBE
- IAMX "Running" – Chapter 15, Potato Chip Fingerprints, Vines & Viviennes, when Carder runs the bridge. YOUTUBE
- Royksopp "Vision One" – Chapter 24, Creep Crawls Toward White Light, the night of the gallery show – a collision of worlds. YOUTUBE
- Tori Amos "Precious Things" – Chapter 25, Happiness Found with Multiple Stab Wounds, when Carder and Mandy merge and leave everything behind, running the streets of NYC. YOUTUBE
- VAST "Touched" – Chapter 28, The Fury, The Sound, The Wine Country, when escapes to a cottage far away, his feelings for Haika emerge. YOUTUBE
- William Fitzsimmons "So This is Goodbye" – Chapter 29, What’s Washed Away, when Haika realizes that not only has she likely lost Carder, but home has disintegrated as well. YOUTUBE
- Imogen Heap "Can’t Take It In" – Chapter 33, Dawn of the Undead, when Carder returns, bringing Haika a gift from another world. YOUTUBE
- Guns and Roses "Welcome the Jungle" – Closing/Chapter 35, An Unexpected Party, when Carder finds himself in a new world and encounters an interesting party. YOUTUBE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elias Barton has lived on the edge of an active volcano, worked in a Bible factory and is the author of the novel "Above the Universe Below." He was a semifinalist in both 2011 and 2012 for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. He currently resides in Washington DC where he befriends gargoyles, feeds unicorns and combats two cats who try to smother him in his sleep.
FIND THE AUTHOR
Be sure and check out all the other stops on the tour.
TOUR SCHEDULE
Sept. 24th- A Bit of Dash (Excerpt/Giveaway)
Sept. 25th- Juniper Grove (Interview/Giveaway)
Sept. 26th- A Dream Within A Dream (Review/Giveaway)
Sept. 27th- I am, Indeed (Review/Excerpt)
Sept. 28th- Community Bookstop (Giveaway/Promo)
Sept. 29th- The Avid Reader (Book Playlist)
Sept. 30th- Musings of a Writing Reader (Guest Post/Giveaway)
Oct. 1st- Beach Bum Reads (Giveaway)
Oct. 2nd- Fighting Monkey Press (Guest Post/Giveaway)
Oct. 3rd- A Bibliophile's Thoughts on Books (Guest Post)
Oct. 4th- Day Dreaming Book Reviews (Excerpt/Giveaway)
Oct. 5th- Paranormal Fans For Life (Excerpt/Giveaway)
Oct. 6th- Off the Page (Interview)
Oct. 7th- Reader Girls (Book Playlist/Giveaway)
This tour was put together by FMB Blog Tours
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