Rhythm

Bill Ricardi

Sep 2018 · Bill Ricardi

About this ebook

SUMMARY: Lucas is an abused, legally emancipated 17 year old who becomes the host-body for the son of Ihy, ancient Egyptian god of sex and music. After learning to control his rhythm based combat and seduction powers, Lucas needs to dodge assassination by religious zealots while making plans to escape his sleepy one horse town.
CONCEPT: At the turn of the century, the world was introduced to a group of 72 physical mystics called the ‘Host’. Hosted individuals have struck a bargain with Ihy, Egyptian god of music, pleasure, lust, and fertility. A Host shares their mind and body with one of Ihy’s children, keeping them safe and ‘feeding’ them with sensations from the vast array of human experience. In exchange, the Host receives supernatural powers based on the kind of music they’re listening to at any given time. This allows them to bend physics, have supernatural strength and agility, and even influence the hearts and minds of those around them… if the right tune is playing.

'Rhythm' follows Lucas Andrews, known as ‘Lucky’ to his friends. Lucas is a young man who managed to become legally emancipated from his abusive parents. On paper he lives with the family of his deceased best friend, but in reality they can’t afford to keep him. Instead, Lucas lives in an old station wagon parked in the Massachusetts woodlands. He endures constant bullying at school. He's able to muddle through the pain, work in a record store in order to earn food money, and quietly finish school as a straight B student.

On the morning of his 17th birthday, Lucky gets the offer of a lifetime. He's invited to become a Host if he willingly shares his body with Ihy's son, Izadore. After weighing all the pros and cons, Lucas accepts the god’s offer and is merged with ‘Izy’.

This fateful decision puts Lucas on a dangerous path. Being a Host also means being hunted. Will Lucas and Izadore be able to hone the power of their new partnership in time? Or will they be overrun by forces who will do anything, including murder, in order to maintain the religious status-quo?

WARNING: This book has themes of abuse, bullying, physical violence, metaphysical violence, gun violence, sexual discovery, bisexuality, religious extremism, and pagan religious power in the modern world. 

That's why it's so good.

Ratings and reviews

Well I wrote it, what else am I going to rate it?! I wanted to thank all of my fans for letting me try something new. They encouraged my debut into urban fantasy, and that meant the world to me. To Helen, Lee, Michael, and Tim: Beta readers are hard to find. Beta readers like you, who pour everything into creating a story that they're proud of, are ultra rare. Thank you so much. To Natalie Marten: You brought Lucky and Izy to life. The cover is everything that I imagined and more. To anyone new to my work: Welcome! Please check out the warnings at the bottom of the book description to make sure you're exposing yourself and/or your children to the correct themes. If it meets with your approval, I hope that you have an amazing time with the children of Ihy and their Hosts. Welcome to my little world.

An interesting read, although I felt it was geared more towards the younger adults. The storyline was an emotional roller coaster, fluctuating between sadness, humour, anger, danger and conflict. Very different to my usual read but was a refreshing change and I enjoyed it. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

About the author

 Bill Ricardi is a fantasy author from Belfast in the U.K. He has a bent for writing the unusual. 

In addition to Another Stupid Trilogy, which is his fantasy series centred around the magic of orcs, Bill is working on a young adult series that involves becoming the avatar of the Egyptian god of music in the modern world. 

Bill has a wonderful life partner, and a giant cat named Loki. Both enjoy tormenting him.