Set in World War II China, fantasy author Ricardo Alexanders takes you on an action-packed thrill ride full of twists and turns in DRAGON TOMB.While defending his country against Japanese invasion, archaeologist Chuan-Jay Hoo is taken as a prisoner of war when a behind-enemy-lines rescue mission goes horribly wrong. His captors force him to take part in the excavation of an ancient tomb, a process that unearths the true origin of Chinese civilization.
The excavation ends; but China is still in dire need of help. Teamed up with American adventurer Dr. Harry Jones, a close friend of President Roosevelt, Chuan-Jay returns to the tomb and convinces the guardians of the tomb to interfere human affairs.
The tide of the war is turned but no one sees what is coming next: the rise of an otherworldly evil. Neither the Allies nor the Axis powers can stand in its way. Soon, our world is at the brink of Armageddon. At the final moment of human civilization, Chuan-Jay finds himself standing alone in the tomb of the First King, as the last line of defense for the survival of mankind.
About the Book
The Last Resistance: Dragon Tombby Ricardo AlexandersSeries
n/a; standalone
Genre
Adult Historical Sci Fi Fantasy
Publisher
Independent
Publication Date
November 8, 2017
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Excerpt:
Intro
The year is 1939. An expedition to the most mysterious tomb in China awakes a nameless force and changes the fate of mankind forever… In the dark chambers of the First King’s tomb, Japanese imperial army clashes with the Launtjas, guardians of the tomb, led by their commander Captain Chee. After battle, protagonist Chuan-Jay (CJ) Hoo witnesses one of the bloodies scene he has ever seen…
Gunto
All of a sudden, all gunfire stopped and the Grand Hall became completely dark once again. The only sound CJ could hear were the dying wailing of the wounded Japanese soldiers.
Not even one flashlight was turned on. CJ watched the aftermath of the carnage in deep fear.
“It is over,” the voice of Chee stated from somewhere.
CJ turned around; he saw two faint light sources moving slowly in the air and gradually became brighter and brighter.
There Chee is.
Chee tapped somewhere on his left wrist panel. The stars on the inner wall started to re-emerge. Gradually, the Grand Hall was lit again. In the middle of the hall, two Launtjas were walking among the dead bodies and dying spirits, examining something.
Big-Bell and White-Goat, probably. CJ could guess by the shape of their bodies.
Where are Black-Fish and Tiger? He glanced around the hall. There was no sign of the two.
“Ready?” Chee switched his weapon to his left hand and put his right hand on CJ’s back.
“Thanks for asking this time.” CJ meant to say it sarcastically. However, he was already on the ground before he could finish the sentence. He looked at Chee, then the place they jumped off from. CJ really admired how powerful Chee was. Prior to the onslaught, Chee had jumped up to the top of the Resting Chamber with a full-size human in his hand.
“Steady!” Chee never wasted any unnecessary words. He let CJ go and switched his weapon back to his right hand.
He is right-handed. CJ stared at Chee’s right hand. Somehow, the wrench-like weapon from the oblong umbrella holder now looked more like a snake in Chee’s hand. Indeed, CJ could see four small fangs on the silver end of the stick at such a close distance.
Wonder what they actually call it? A two-headed-snake?
Holding his “Two-Headed-Snake,” Chee started walking towards the entrance tunnel.
He is really a fast walker. CJ could barely keep up with him.
P-taff! P-taff!
Chee stumbled forward for a big step.
Ding! Ding!
Two bullets fell off his back. Apparently not injured, Chee turned around.
Out of nowhere, Captain Oda appeared in a pile of bodies, blood smeared all over his face, holding a pistol with lingering smoke, about twenty yards to CJ’s right.
Cocking his head, Chee looked at Captain Oda like he was saying, “Bring it on. You can’t hurt me.” Somehow, it did not look like Chee was planning to strike back right away.
Apparently feeling insulted, Captain Oda threw away his pistol. He drew his military sword and hold it above his head, yelling “Baka!” Oda started to charge at Chee with all his anger.
Chee stood still.
“Watch the Gunto, Chee!” CJ shouted since he had personally seen how devastating a Gunto could be in a close-range combat.
Less than three yards from Chee, Oda had reached his full speed. His slashing blade was on its way to Chee’s neck.
Still, Chee did not make a move.
Suddenly, Oda’s blade stopped slashing forward, like it was frozen in the air. Holding his Gunto with both hands, not being able to move an inch, Oda was terrified by this force that he could not see.
Moments later, Oda moved again. Not his Gunto, but his head started moving.
From where CJ was standing, Oda’s head appeared to tilt up like he had been grabbed by his neck and it was moving forward, extremely slowly.
Inch by inch, Oda’s face was forced onto the blunt side of his Gunto until the Gunto sat right in the middle of his head. It looked like Oda had cut his own head in half without making any noise. This surpassed any of the horrifying and bizarre scenes that CJ had seen today.
Out of nowhere, Tiger appeared with his weapon on his back, Oda’s Gunto in his left hand, and the back of Oda’s head in his right hand. Tiger slightly rotated Oda’s head towards him. He briefly looked into the horror in Oda’s eyes before dropping the corpse to the ground.
Trailer
Blitz Wide Giveaway
To celebrate DRAGON TOMB by Ricardo Alexanders, we’re giving away a $25 Amazon gift card and two autographed paperback copies of the book! Once your initial entry is confirmed, additional entry options are unlocked!
GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS: Open to internationally. Three winner will be chosen, one to receive a $25 Amazon gift card, and two to each receive an autographed paperback copy of the book. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Ricardo Alexanders. Giveaway ends 8/17/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Limit one entry per reader. Duplicates will be deleted. Winners will be chosen on or about 8/22/2018. CLICK HERE TO ENTER!
About Ricardo Alexanders
Ricardo is a descendant of the Great Yyu, a.k.a. the first king of China. He lives in Massachusetts and enjoys experiencing all kinds of cultures around the world. After obtaining his doctorate in science, he became fascinated with time-travel. As an aspiring writer, he loves to write time-travel fictions that blend fantasy, science, and real history together.
In 2017, he published his debut time-travel novel Dragon Tomb, the first book of his TLR (The Last Resistance) pentalogy. This history science fiction series starts from World War II, during which a young archaeologist discovers the true origin of Chinese civilization and saves the world from Armageddon.
Website | Facebook Group | Twitter | Goodreads | AmazonInterview with Ricardo Alexanders
Q: What is the central theme of Dragon Tomb?
The central theme of Dragon Tomb is to inspire everyone on this blue planet to cherish what we have as a species in the vast university. In my mind, all people should be united instead of hating and killing each other for political, religious, racial or whatever other reasons.
Q: What was your creative process for writing this work?
The most creative part of my work is seamlessly combining real history with science fiction to make readers feel that this hidden history could have actually happened. In the process, I sort of created my own genre, which combines fantasy, alternate history, science fiction and time travel together.
The story starts as a tomb raiding expedition during the 2nd Sino-Japanese War. Then, it becomes an Alien contact story, where the protagonist finds out that the illusive Xia Dynasty, the 1st dynasty in China, is established by some strayed Aliens who happened to land on earth 4000 years ago. After that, the novel becomes an alternative history fiction, where the Allies and the Axis powers put their differences aside and fight against an all-out Alien invasion. Near the end of the book, Dragon Tomb morphed into a time travel fantasy, in which the protagonist activates a special device buried in the Tomb of Xia, called the Ninth Cauldron, to turn back time and save mankind from total annihilation.
Q: Do you hide any secrets in your books for people to find out?
Absolutely and I love doing that. For the readers who are fans of the Japanese anime in early 90s, they will quickly figure out that all the names of the Japanese characters in Dragon Tomb are taken from the Slam Dunk, a sports-themed manga series that I grew up watching.
American adventurer and archaeology professor, Dr. Harry Jones, is an important character. His role is crucial in the story plot. Smart readers could quickly figure out where his last name comes from. I believe a few of them would eventually realize that I named him Harry to pay my tribute to Harrison Ford, who plays the title character in the Indiana Jones film series.
Q: How did you research for this project?
I grew up an avid reader with very broad reading spectrum. 40 years of reading gives me a robust background in history and military. For other details that I do not know, I have to thank Google and its amazing Google Earth.
Q: What inspires you to write, in general?
My dreams. All my stories are based on the dreams I have had at some point of my life. I don’t know how I can explain this. Many of my dreams are bizarre. Sometimes, I even woke up with sweat on my back and felt like I just experienced a life time in my dream.
Q: What are your goals for this novel?
I want to share my life in my dreams with the world and my vision for the future of mankind. At the same time, I also want to inspire myself to finish the rest of the pentalogy.
Q: What kind of writer are you?
I am an outliner writer; there is no question about it. Before I officially start writing a book, I'd like to have the ending of the story in my mind. Strangely, all my novels are based on bizarre dreams I have had at some point of my life. As a habit, I like to type down my dreams the morning after.
Q: How do you develop the characters in your book?
I typically don't think too much about them in the beginning. During my writing, I always imagine myself as one of my characters, talking to them, listening to them, putting myself in their shoes. As a result, they naturally come to life as the writing progresses.
Q: What type of writer are you?
My favorite author is George R.R. Martin. His A Song of Ice and Fire would certainly keep me up all night reading. The most valuable lesson I learned from him is that the most beloved characters should die every once in a while.
Q: What tips would you give to an aspiring writer?
Write with your heart.
Q: Can you share a bit about your past projects?
I just finished my second time-travel novel Bollywood Invasion, a story of a modern-day American boy who wakes up in 1958 India as the reincarnation of John Lennon.
I dedicated this unique book to the great Beatles and it will be officially launched on September 18. Kirkus Review calls it “an imaginative…rock ‘n’ roll fantasy.”
Book trailer: https://youtu.be/CUN5Md-tXJk.
Q: What is your next project?
My next project is to finish Resurrection, book two of the TLR pentalogy. My plan is to bring one book to my readers a year.
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