The Devil Pulls the Strings

The Devil Pulls the Strings is the pulse-pounding first tale in the Archivist series.

This second edition exists because readers, producers, and studio executives took the time to share what they wanted: a protagonist who arrives sooner, whose motivation hits harder, who drives the story instead of chasing it, along with deeper backstory and expanded details. Their feedback made this story better, and this edition is the result.

For readers who felt lost keeping track of the book's rich cast of characters, a character glossary was added to the front of the book. For fantasy readers who craved deeper detail on the world and its mythology rooted in authentic Slavic folklore, a comprehensive glossary was added to the back.

The Librarians. The Magicians. The Dresden Files. Neil Gaiman's Sandman. The Devil Pulls the Strings belongs in that conversation, and then goes somewhere none of them have gone before.

Set across modern-day Wentzville, MO, New York City, and 1813 Genoa, Italy, the story weaves bromance, Slavic mythology inherited from oral tradition, secret societies, Paganini's music, and time travel into something that operates on layers upon layers upon layers.

Twenty-two-year-old Boone Daniels experiences the world differently. Music floods his vision with color and taste. Action words materialize around him like panels leaping off a comic book page. And his memory never lets anything go.

Not helping is the evil spirit, a wendigo, that has haunted him since age six, nor the debilitating panic attacks and gut-wrenching guilt he feels for almost killing his best friend in a joust. And when he fills in for that same injured friend at a New York gig, he goes to meet the gig's contact at a NYC brownstone, only to watch him fall from the balcony as gunfire erupts around him.

Boone barely escapes and uncovers a sinister plot to perform Paganini's secret sonata that summons the Devil, to be used to trap Baba Yaga. Not the two-dimensional villain you have seen before, but the full, ancient, terrifying supernatural force of Slavic folklore. And destroy modern-day New York City.

Now he is racing through time to capture a cursed melody before it ends everything. A Romani immortal, steampunk vampires, and Baba Yaga herself set the stage for war. Boone will have to risk death for redemption. And all he really wants is to keep a promise to a friend. The same friend he almost killed last Sunday.

Can a small-town Missouri musician outplay the supernatural and save NYC's soul?

If you love tortured heroes, epic battles, time travel, twisted history, and secret societies colliding, and a Baba Yaga rendered in her full folkloric glory for the first time, you will love J. W. Zarek's spectacular page-turner, The Devil Pulls the Strings, Second Edition.

J. W. Zarek is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author who has written or co-authored seventeen books. Nine are published, and seven are number one bestsellers. He helps catch naughty folk for the Government. His global adventures fuel his authentic storytelling: teaching English Conversation in Japan, climbing Mount Fuji, getting kicked off Mount Rainier, hunting pirates in the Persian Gulf, navigating the Suez Canal, ...and successfully completing the Walt Disney World Marathon as a woman. The Walt Disney World website shows he successfully completed the marathon as a 44-year-old woman. That made him laugh so he never asked that it be changed. After the race, he called his mom to congratulate her daughter on completing the marathon, and asked what other secrets she'd been keeping from him.Beyond storytelling, Zarek has created 48 professional lesson plans (24 comprehensive and 24 topic-focused, spanning Pre-K through 4th grade) for four of his published children's books, with the lesson plans available free to educators via his website.

Suzanne Purvis is a writer, artist, and editor transplanted from Canada to the northwest Florida Panhandle. She writes poetry and fiction of the long, short, and flash variety for both children and adults, usually with a touch of humor. Her awards include first place in the University of Toronto Trinity College Short Fiction Contest and RWA Launch a Star. She teaches writing workshops and offers private editing services. Find her at suzannepurvis.com.

Peter Johnston (also known as Monkey Paw) has produced concept art and illustrations for clients around the world. Peter was born in Tooting, London and was raised on a diet of military history, Greek mythology and comic books. His earliest drawings were strange re-imaginings of the battle of Hastings with Normans fighting the Avengers. He studied visual art and printmaking in Wales, learning various techniques of painting, etching and mezzotint. He has now replaced the printing press with Photoshop and has been a digital artist for over 15 years, designing and creating illustrations in many styles and genres including steampunk, sci-fi and fantasy scenes for books, games and software.Published Credits with Osprey Publishing (part of Bloomsbury Publishing): Burrows & Badgers: Second Edition - praised by Goonhammer as "incredible art" and called a "tour-de-force" by Miniature Wargames MagazineHeirs to Heresy: Faith & Fear (2024)Through the HedgerowPortfolio Galleries (petejohnstonart.com): Recent Paintings, Game Illustrations & Concepts, Cartoon Concept Characters, Mechs & Environments, Horror & Macabre, and Children's Illustrations - all updated through 2023.