PLANET Z13: The Black Tome of Character
by Thomas W. Estes
Grey’s darn stubborn, though, and leans into the mind games of his bully’s insanity to become . . . the most powerful, the most desperate.
This is my first and self-published book, a dark banshee fantasy novella set in poetic prose and interspersed with freeform passages and poems.
Go with world-weary Grey to his very messy home of Rural Hall, North Carolina. Maybe our antihero’s dark side, Christie, is to blame for the doing of more harm than good there. Luckily, Grey encounters Kiro, a fiery, daemon-banshee, who at the employment of the local parish deities has gobs of good to offer the ol’ chap . . . which is comical since banshees harvest people when they most deserve it. Grey certainly ranks in that rigorous pecking order, of which, he should care, but where is he except toiling around in downright headbutting madness. If he transcends the crippling secrets of Rural Hall, redemption remains an option—if he’ll put in check his gothic, violent world, and stop demonizing Kiro or the extraterrestrial appearances who are taking over the oceans of Planet Z13. He should pray of Kiro that he have her love and the clear mind to inspire her mortal troupe, The Exies, against the alien bastards.
If you have ever lost your soul and were too afraid to lift a rock and find it there with a bunch of wispy spiders then this twisted existential journey is for you, dearest.
Buy the Kindle Book on Amazon, with paperback coming soon. Cover design by Thomas W. Estes. Use the Buy On Amazon button below. Peace.
~Thomas
The lead character, Grey, in “Early On,” Chapter II, Planet Z13: The Black Tome of Character—
“The batshit eyes—I shouldn’t have drawn Christie. On the other hand, Christie is much stronger and more brazen than expected, violent, taxing, a hateful gross one. A nest of ten blacksnakes thrum the red clay and pound the Earth from the inside. That’s the rhythm. It’s always the same ten.”
Author Bio
Thomas made a remarkable recovery from an ugly depression that struck in his first semester at the University of North Carolina at Asheville—he went on to complete a B.A. in Sociology with Departmental Distinction. In the throes, he learned about the significance of an individual’s psychology, how it’s defined by the magic of perception and meaning and how language impresses itself to be the heart of our universe. He found himself compelled to write poetry and the songwriting of Joni Mitchell, Julianna Hatfield, Tori Amos, Carol van Dijk (Bettie Serveert), and Aimee Mann motivated him throughout.
Finding all artforms essential for the evolution of the individual and thought, Thomas involves himself creatively as possible, in poetry, filmmaking, field recordings and music, and photography. “If we are sometimes sentient beings lost, we should then study the survival archetypes presented to us and combat our self-defeating masochistic dogmas.”
“For most of my life, I’ve casually made art for family or friends, or for my own enjoyment and benefit, but recently decided to share it on a larger scale, starting with my dark banshee fantasy novella, Planet Z13: The Black Tome of Character.” To see some other artistic endeavors of Thomas’, please browse his website, The House of Estes.
Inspiring the Writer to Write
Music motivates my creative spirit—so thank you to all of the artists who properly open my stream of consciousness. Explore this Spotify playlist which includes a sample of the artists I follow. If the hyperlink doesn’t open the playlist, right-click to open in a new tab or copy and paste the link into your web browser. Some of the artists appearing on the Spotify playlist:
- Caterina Barbieri
- Arvo Pärt
- Filmmaker
- Machine Girl
- Aaron Dilloway
- Suzanne Ciani
- William Basinski
- Linea Aspera and Keluar
- Boy Harsher
- Chela
- Tristen
- Burial
- Nils Frahm
- Tommy Guerrero
Teacher Acknowledgments
Though they would likely snap their No. 2s in half at the vulgarities of existence leveled in this story, I would like to thank two absolutely dedicated, innovative, and challenging English literature and literary criticism teachers of West Iredell High School in Statesville, North Carolina—Sherri (Hartsoe) Sigmon and Patty Turner, circa 1991-1993—for not for their visions and high standards I would have never developed the necessary appreciation and critical thinking of literature and all art.
“On Planet Z13, yes, my legend . . . in the big fire at Rural Hall. In the problems still burning in Asheville, The Queen City, and Snow Hill. In the unusal clarity of West Jefferson. At our campfire in Morehead City.”
~Grey
Site design, content, artwork, and book cover by Thomas W. Estes
Copyright © 2022 Thomas W. Estes