The Six Messiahs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Six Messiahs is a 1995 novel by Mark Frost, a sequel to The List of Seven. The two main characters are real-life person Arthur Conan Doyle (albeit engaging in fictional actions) and fictional character Jack Sparks.
| The Six Messiahs | |
 Cover of The Six Messiahs |
|
| Author | Mark Frost |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | William Morrow & Co (1995) |
Contents |
[edit] Summary
The year is 1894, Arthur Conan Doyle is visiting America on a book tour. He is there with his brother Innes. He is also investigating the disappearance of a number of holy books under the orders of Lord Gladstone. During his investigation he meets Jack Sparks again who survived his fall at the Reichenbach Falls but has become a broken man (physically and spiritually) because of it. Jack is experiencing a series of dreams about a black tower, which five other diverse individuals are also experiencing, which leads them out to the desert of New City in Arizona to find the secret of the Black Tower, where once again the two Sparks brothers come face to face.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Arthur Conan Doyle
It is ten years after the events of The List of Seven and Arthur is older and a lot wiser. He has served the Crown on a number of occasions since then and is the highly successful author of the Sherlock Holmes stories. By this time he has become sick of writing the Holmes stories and killed him off the same way Jack died in real-life plunging over Reichenbach Falls.
[edit] Jack Sparks
Having survived the fight with his brother at Reichenbach Falls, Jack has injured his hands significantly. His is very closed and guarded about the years since his late meeting with Doyle.
[edit] Eileen Temple
Since the events surronding her last meeting with Arthur Conan Doyle, Eileen left England for America.
[edit] Who are the Six Messiahs?
- Jack Sparks
- Kanazuchi
- Walks Alone
- Rabbi Jacob Stern
- Peregrine "Presto" Raipur
- Reverend A. Glorious Day (Alexander Sparks)
[edit] Chronology
| Year | Events |
|---|---|
| 1841 | Alexander Sparks is born |
| 1847 | Jack Sparks is born |
| 1884-5 | Events of The List of Seven |
| 1885 | Jack and Alexander Sparks seemingly die at Reichenbach Falls |
| 1889 | Doyle visits Reichenbach Falls |
| 1894 | Events of The Six Messiahs |
[edit] Trivia
- One of the book's recurring themes is how Doyle is constantly hounded by Holmes fans, demanding to know how he could have killed off Holmes, and whether he will bring him back in a future book. This is Frost's jab at his being hounded by Twin Peaks fans during his book tour for "The List of Seven". [1]
- The character Major Rolando Pepperman is derived from Conan Doyle's American tour manager Major J.B. Pond.
[edit] References
- ^ "Twin Peaks FAQ", http://www.twinpeaks.org/faqfrost.htm. (English)
