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Chaosicon

Cha-os-akon -  (Chaos: confusion, insanity.  Ikon: book of) The book of chaos, Write Way Publishing, copyright 2001 Christopher A. Leppek/Emanuel L. Isler

An original novel of supernatural terror.

The Concept
Longtime writing collaborators, Denver-based Christopher Leppek and Emanuel Isler set out to write a fictional novel based loosely on chaos theory. According to the authors, the story would, in a sense, give the reader an opportunity to meet a personification of chaos in the character of Cerf – an enigmatic figure who spans generations with only one goal: the destruction of the world as we know it.

Another inspiration for the writers of Chaosicon was a newspaper account from the 1980s of a man who visited numerous tragic events in the guise of a priest, fireman, reporter, policeman and more  His presence would often portend future tragedy. His numerous masquerades lasted for many years until he disappeared mysteriously for all time.

Chaos theory, the drawing of strikingly memorable characters, a compelling story line and a visual canvas, are the ingredients of an engaging novel that has captured the imaginations of readers around the globe -- Chaosicon.

Synopsis
(from jacket copy, Chaosicon, Write Way Publishing, 2001)

To the citizens of Coffeyville, Kansas, the world has gone mad.

This bucolic setting, deep amidst America’s heartland, is ground zero for something beyond terror, beyond evil. With the deadly crash of a commercial airliner, the chaos has only begun. Snow falls in July, animals break behavioral patterns and murder becomes commonplace.

The lives of a devout priest, an Orthodox rabbi, a powerful telepath and a hate-filled skinhead strangely intertwine as a threat --- unlike anything the world has ever faced – unwinds.

As the very survival of mankind is at stake, the riddle of chaos must be solved.

Chaosicon is more than a thrilling novel of supernatural terror, it cuts to the very heart of our most horrifying nightmares. It explores the mysterious secrets of Jewish mysticism, Catholic demonology, the awe-inspiring world of telepathy and mind control, and the concept of hate as seen through the eyes of a fanatical skinhead.

The reader of Chaosicon is thrust into a disturbing reality – a world teetering on the very brink of chaos.

Odd Coincidences
(Cited by authors, and listed in greater detail on their website, )


 * Shortly after the book’s publication, Amazon.com built a major distribution center in Coffeyville, Kansas.
 * Google designated Coffeyville as the center of the US for their mapping application (This has been cited by the authors as a particularly intriguing coincidence,
 * The setting for Truman Capote’s landmark true-crime book, In Cold Blood, is located near to Coffeyville.
 * Mirroring chaos theory, Leppek and Isler were in Coffeyville doing research for the novel when they witnessed a colorful monarch butterfly fly around and then die mysteriously at their feet.

The Making of Chaosicon
The idea for Chaosicon hit established horror writers Christopher Leppek and Emanuel Isler like a proverbial and literal brick. It was back in the 1990’s as the authors, longtime collaborators and friends had just received honors from Oxford University Press for a short story they had submitted for an international short-story competition judged no less by Stephen King himself. As they glowed on their newfound acceptance and recognition, the two pondered their next project.

Deep within his Victorian home in Denver’s handsome Washington Park neighborhood, Leppek’s library loomed as a private writer’s retreat where the two longtime collaborators would gather regularly to write.

One night, mention was made of an innocent looking object holding up aging tomes on an upper shelf. Leppek retrieved the object and offered it to Isler for closer inspection. It was an ordinary brick – worn, maroonish-red and standard sized. But it was the inscription within the brick that caught their attention: Coffeyville V.B. & T. Co. The name Coffeyville reverberated in the collaborators’ collective minds. What was Coffeyville? Was it the name of a forlorn brick factory? Was it the name of some long-deceased industrialist? Whatever its source, Coffeyville intrigued the duo. 

With the Internet not yet present in the Leppek household, the two researched the name the old school way – poring through map books and the encyclopedia. The truth was now before them; Coffeyville was a small town in the southeastern corner of Kansas. They learned that the infamous Dalton Gang had been ambushed there over a hundred years ago. And the origins of the brick? Coffeyville had once boasted a large brick factory. This very brick had been produced countless years ago deep within its long extinguished kilns and ovens by long-dead craftsmen. And with a simple Coffeyville brick and some assorted historical trivia, the concept of an engaging novel was born. 

Ten years later, after multiple rewrites and proverbial tweaking, Chaosicon made its debut at a well attended book signing at Denver’s Tattered Cover book store. Like Coffeyville bricks, copies of the book can now be found throughout the world.

Reviews
Amazon review – five stars

Review by Fred Cleaver, Denver Post, July 22, 2001

Review by Mark Graham, Rocky Mountain News, Aug. 24, 2001

Review from The Midwest Book Review

Review from The Dusty Bookshelf (online) by Kathy Thomason

Review from Paper Cuts (online) 2006

Publishers Weekly review 6/18/01

Review by Harriet Klausner on ALL READERS.COM

Jacket Blurbs
“It’s a safari into the dark heart of nightmare.” -- Edward Bryant, Nebula Award-winning horror and sci-fi writer

“Chaos happens.” -- P.D. Cacek, Bram Stoker Award-winning horror writer

Review Quotes
“Christopher Leppek and Emanuel Isler have created a supernatural horror novel that will appeal to fans of the genre’s grandmasters.” -- Harriet Klausner, Internet book reviewer

“A suspenseful battle of Stephen King proportions.” -- Denver Post

“Chaosicon is compelling reading. The stage is set for a symbolic confrontation as order and chaos take the places of good and evil.” -- Rocky Mountain News