GODS OF ABERDEEN by Micah Nathan
Publisher Simon and Schuster, June 2005
A haunting and suspenseful novel about a brilliant young man who enrolls
at a small New England college and becomes embroiled in a mysterious
death-and the ultimate scientific quest.
Eric Dunne is a sixteen-year-old academic phenom. Desperate to escape his
foster family, Eric graduates early from high school and earns a scholarship
to Aberdeen College, a small, stately school in northern Connecticut.
Aberdeen is an elite school where America's privileged sons and daughters
study and party with equal intensity.
Assigned a work-study job with the secretive and eccentric head librarian
Cornelius Graves, Eric finds himself curiously drawn to the man, if only to
divine whether it's true that Graves is pursuing the legendary Philosopher's
Stone, a mythical substance that supposedly holds the secret to immortality.
Meanwhile, Eric's preternatural ability for Latin has attracted the
attention of Arthur Fitch, an Aberdeen senior who invites him to become a
research assistant for Aberdeen's most celebrated professor, Dr. William
Cade. Eric, a lifelong outsider, soon discovers that Art and his fellow
research assistants, Howie Spacks and Dan Higgins, are not just conducting
research for Dr. Cade-they too are searching for the Philosopher's Stone.
When an alchemical experiment goes fatally wrong, Eric is swept deeper into
Art’s obsession and desperately strives to solve the mystery around him-and
discover the moral limitations of his desire to belong.
Like The Secret History and A Separate Peace, GODS OF ABERDEEN demonstrates
the selfishness and savagery that can lie at the heart of the most rarefied
academic setting. Combining terrifically assured writing with an intriguing
subject, GODS OF ABERDEEN is a winning and accomplished debut. 
"Open Gods of Aberdeen and step into the halls of a venerable old New
England college where a brilliant but reckless student has lured three
allies into his deadly pursuit of immortality. Combining the authenticity of
The Da Vinci Code with characters right out of Prep, this stylish and
intelligent novel deliciously picks up speed for a surprising climax and
thoroughly satisfying conclusion."
-- Pam Lewis, author of Speak Softly, She Can Hear
“A spooky pyschological drama that delivers, Gods of Aberdeen drew me in
from page one. This is a gripping debut that haunted me long after I put the
book down.”
-- Sean Desmond, author of Adams Fall
“The GODS OF ABERDEEN is a taut, elegantly written literary thriller.
Part coming of age novel, part gothic New England mystery, it will keep you
turning the pages to the end. Micah Nathan is a terrific storyteller.”
-- Thomas Christopher Greene, author of Mirror Lake
Visit Micah Nathan
and GODS OF ABERDEEN Web site... |
