The truth is that there weren't three.
There were three and a half.
The Air Force wants her back.
Blues, hoodoo, santeria, and the Eye of the World:
An American Mythography
From Publishers Weekly:
* Bone Music
Alan Rodgers. Longmeadow, $19.95
(320p) ISBN 0-681-10086-9
Startling originality, a strong and rhythmic narrative voice, compelling characters and delightfully quirky metaphysics make this a noteworthy hardcover debut for Rodgers, author of New Life for the Dead and other paperback horror novels. In this apocalyptic tale rich in the mythos of the African-inspired religion of Santeria, the singing at his death by blues singer Robert Johnson of the legendary, forbidden song Judgment Day cracks the Eye of the World, allowing the forces of evil entrée to the earth. Assorted blues singers, including Leadbelly, Ma Rainey, and even Elvis; mythic figures such as John Henry and Saint Peter; more mundane heroes and heroines such as musician Dan Alvarez and Lisa Henderson, a girl who dies and returns to life -- all have pivotal roles to play in saving the world. Well realized settings range from contemporary New York City to Missouri and Mississippi in 1938; heaven and hell both come down on earth in modern New Orleans. Through colloquial prose that's strong and perfectly pitched, Rodgers combines elements of horror (sometimes graphic), fantasy and magical realism into a unique novel that's not only an occult standout but a captivating memoir of an important slice of American culture. (Sept.)
FYI: In the 1980s, Rodgers was the editor of the influential horror digest Night Cry.
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Alan Rodgers, author of the well-received paperback originals Pandora and Fire, makes an impressive hardcover debut with Bone Music (Longmeadow Press; 304 pages; $19.95), an ambitious literary gumbo that combines the history of the blues with a horrific vision of the approaching Apocalypse.
One night in Mississippi in 1938, bluesman Robert Johnson lies dying from poisoning. So enraged and self-pitying is he that he dares sing Judgment Day, the tune that heralds Doomsday, cracking the celestial edifice known as the Eye of the World. Half a century later, an eight-year-old girl named Lisa Henderson dies of cancer, but even then her spirit isn't allowed any kind of rest. It is up to her to repair the damage done by Robert Johnson and keep Earth from being overrun by demons and humanity out the threat of eternal damnation.
Recounted in a convincingly colloquial voice, Bone Music weaves together disparate threads of African-American legend and history, from John Henry to Leadbelly to Elvis Presley. While paying close attention to the earthly concerns of his characters, Rodgers also conjures up awesome visions of Heaven and Hell. While some of the individual episodes may seem repetitive, there's no denying the power of the novel's climax. Bone Music is a horror novel like no other, and Rodgers takes a big leap into the genre's front ranks.
--Michael L. Berry
"Alan Rodgers . . . uses simple and beautiful
words to tell this complex and horrific story. Really weird! Don't
die until you've read Bone Music --"
-- Brian Lumley
"Bone Music is the most fascinating and terrifying
hardcover debut of the year . . . Alan Rodgers is firmly taking his
place alongside Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Clive Barker, as
one of the true masters of suspense and terror . . ."
-- Douglas Clegg
"Alan Rodgers' Bone Music is a work of mythological
proportions. He captures the beauty and the horror of the old
bluesmen, the terror and majesty of Heaven and Hell, and mixes
it all into a potent tale of earthly woe. For atmosphere, real
soul, and a touch of mystical madness, read the dream that is
Bone Music."
-- Billie Sue Mosiman
"The adage, 'There's nothing new under the sun,'
is considered by most to be an axiom. With Bone Music,
Alan Rodgers has challenged the axiom and has won.
"Like his previous works, Bone Music is
rich with passion, grace and magic. His fluid prose embodies a
sinister undercurrent that curls about the legs of the psyche
and drags you into the silver sea of darkness and gruesome elegance
a place you both despise and desire, when the lights are out and
you are alone with your most intimate fantasies."
-- Dale Hoover
"Alan Rodgers' Bone Music mixes suspense, horror, and
magic to create a nerve-wracking and unique tale of music and terror."-- Matt Costello
Author of Seventh Guest
"Blues men and headmen: folklore, phantoms and fantasy Bone Music
blends the hellish and horrific in perfect harmony. Brace yourself
for a terror-filled trek across an entirely original yet hauntingly
historic American dreamscape. With Bone Music Alan Rodgers may well
have created The Great American Horror Novel."
-- Joseph A. Citro
Author of Deus-X and Green Mountain Ghosts
Rodgers' novel is poised on the borderline between horror and science fiction; that is, the treatment leans toward horror, but the theme -- first contact with aliens -- is straight out of sf, with a nod to Steven Spielberg. The plot includes all the classic elements of the alien-contact story: kidnapped humans, rumors of UFOs, secret government projects (not to mention plots), a general going (if not already gone) insane, and so on and so forth. Rodgers arrays these elements with great skill, however; the characterization is outstanding, and the efforts of the alien (the title character) to find her way home will keep the reader turning pages. Rodgers will acquire an audience with this one. Horror and sf collectors, take note.
