Through Violet Eyes by Stephen Woodworth

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Through Violet Eyes

Name: Through Violet Eyes
Price: 6.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Stephen Woodworth
ISBN: 9780553898804

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Published on Aug 31, 2004 | 368 Pages

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Published on Aug 31, 2004 | 368 Pages

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“A fast, smart novel, brighter than a meteor and twice as scary. Stephen Woodworth provides shocks and thoughts in equal measure, and climbs right to the top!”—Greg Bear

In a world where the dead can testify against the living, someone is getting away with murder. Because to every generation are born a select few souls with violet-colored eyes, and the ability to channel the dead. Both rare and precious—and rigidly controlled by a society that craves their services—these Violets perform a number of different duties. The most fortunate increase the world’s cultural heritage by channeling the still-creative spirits of famous dead artists and musicians. The least fortunate aid the police and the law courts, catching criminals by interviewing the deceased victims of violent crime.

But now the Violets themselves have become the target of a brutal serial murderer—a murderer who had learned how to mask his or her identity even from the victims. Can the FBI, aided by a Violet so scared of death that she is afraid to live, uncover the criminal in time? Or must more of her race be dispatched to the realm that has haunted them all since childhood?

Praise for Through Violet Eyes

“Chilling . . . shades of Minority Report and The Eyes of Laura Mars . . . tantalizing puzzle rife with red herrings, one made all the more entertaining by brisk pacing and strong internal logic.”—Publishers Weekly

a“Wow . . . one cool idea and Stephen Woodworth makes it work like fine oiled machinery. Full of energy and suspense, Through Violet Eyes is a great and original first novel. I look forward to his next.”—Joe R. Lansdale

“An eerie and compelling page-turner that maps the terra incognita between the living and the dead, loss and redemption, desire and grief, at the same time exploring what it means to be human in a frightening otherworld that too closely evokes our own reality.”—Elizabeth Hand

“Chilling . . . shades of Minority Report and The Eyes of Laura Mars . . . tantalizing puzzle rife with red herrings, one made all the more entertaining by brisk pacing and strong internal logic.”—Publishers Weekly

“A fast, smart novel, brighter than a meteor and twice as scary. Stephen Woodworth provides shocks and thoughts in equal measure, and climbs right to the top!”—Greg Bear

“Wow . . . one cool idea and Stephen Woodworth makes it work like fine oiled machinery. Full of energy and suspense, Through Violet Eyes is a great and original first novel. I look forward to his next.”—Joe R. Lansdale

“An eerie and compelling page-turner that maps the terra incognita between the living and the dead, loss and redemption, desire and grief, at the same time exploring what it means to be human in a frightening otherworld that too closely evokes our own reality.”—Elizabeth Hand

Stephen Woodworth

The idea for Throught Violet Eyes occurred to me after watching far too many true-crime shows on cable. Inevitably, whenever these shows depict an unsolved cold case file, the host will come on at the end and in a grim, hard-boiled baritone say something like "The only people who will ever really know what happened on that fateful night are the killer . . . and the victims." And I got to wondering: What if a detective could interview a murder’s ultimate witness? Indeed, what if this became standard procedure, and victims could even accuse their killers in court? Could someone still get away with murder in such a world? Would the dead be any more reliable than a living witness? Or would they merely add their own prejudices, misconceptions, and hidden agendas to a homicide investigation?

I also wondered about the psychics giftedor cursedwith the ability to channel these lost souls. What would it be like for them to experience the final torment and anguish of a killer’s prey firsthand, not just once, but again and again and again? How would they live with such a burden?
From such speculation were born the Violetsa group of violet-eyed mediums, rare genetic anomalies who are prized by society for their abilities yet shunned as freakish reminders of human mortality.

As I started writing, I began to contemplate the dramatic possibilities offered by a world in which the door between the living and the dead is left open. Here is an alternate reality in which one could buy a freshly painted Picasso or a CD of a symphony that Beethoven composed from beyond the grave. A place where the dead can guide avaricious archaeologists to hunt for hidden treasure. A world in whichfor a priceone could make amends with estranged family members who have passed on.

I explore these possibilities and others in Throught Violet Eyes, its sequel With Red Hands (02/05), and future volumes in the Violet series. This world has captivated my imagination, and I hope it will also have you wanting to see "through Violet eyes" for years to come.

Author

Stephen Woodworth

A First Place winner in the Writers of the Future Contest, Stephen Woodworth has published speculative fiction for more than a decade. His work has appeared in such venues as The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Weird Tales, Aboriginal Science Fiction, Gothic.Net, and Strange Horizons. A native Californian, he is currently writing more novels in the Violet universe.

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Through Violet Eyes

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Book 1 of 4: Violet Eyes