India... Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva. Swamis, Gurus, Saddhus and Saints. The land of Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. The Buddha's homeland and the birthplace of Advaita-"non-dualism." Majestic and corrupt, beautiful and polluted, holy and desecrated, the best and the worst of all of life in one magical land. Temple Cook is on a spiritual quest to find "The Forever Sage," the man or woman who has found the secret of eternal life in a youngish healthy body. This Immortal might have the answer he needs... Except there's a price on Cook's head. He's in India on a motorcycle on his quest but he's also a "Fugitive." The Sangha has gone dark, and five bounty hunters have come for him. There is no "Dead or Alive." Temple Cook, dead, is the only acceptable outcome. The Shiva Paradox. India, from the Himalayas in the north to Tamil Nadu in the far south. Motorcycles and Martial Arts. Gurus, Swamis, and Bounty Hunters. Beautiful Women, Ambushes, Betrayal, and Sacrifice. Spiritual Truths, Holy Mysteries, friendship, love, fear, vengeance, and hate. Characters ranging from ancient Shankar, Captain Tom Diamond, a double dose of Murthys, Swami Shantanda, the evil Shawnelle, Joe the Snake, Greg the Giant, fantastic Deena, and Temple Cook himself. Set in places holy to Lord Shiva, including renowned Rishikesh, hidden Tattapani, and powerful Arunachala. "If a person likes Travel, India, Spirituality, Adventure, great characters, or a plain fun read, he or she will really enjoy The Shiva Paradox." Bob Nickel (the real-life model for "Captain Tom Diamond" and subject of the biography A Nickel's Worth by Mark Sawyer.)
About the Author: MARK SAWYER has visited India "more times than I can count" beginning in the 1980's. "My teacher was Indian, and so are many of my favorite places. Many of them are in The Shiva Paradox." Mark says, "People ask me if I am really Peter Grant or Temple Cook. I just laugh and say, 'He is much more good-looking, athletic, and better at martial arts than I am. However, we are similar. We both love India, have traveled around it by train and-most memorably-motorcycle, and have studied spirituality there, particularly Advaita. We both love the ladies, have some great, talented, and loyal friends, and we both studied martial arts with Jerry, a Kenpo master who looks like Bodhidharma. We also both got on the bad side of a spiritual group that was going dark, and we have met some of the most profound and bizarre spiritual teachers-gurus, swamis, and un-titleables-you can imagine." Says Mark, "In high school I loved football and girls. I never would have guessed I'd live and work overseas so much. Nine years in Japan, five in Korea, almost four in Europe, partly in the military, and who knows how many years in Thailand and India when you put together all the times and months I've been there-plus time in Africa, Indonesia, Australia." His book Married To Islam happened due to a set of serious questions asked by a friend in the USA which coincided with meeting an Islamic woman in Europe soon after. This woman, "Dalia," gave good answers-and much more. The book Sinking the Samurai, The Priest Wonho's Memories of Admiral Yi was a direct result of his many years in Korea and Japan. There is more about Mark Sawyer and his books at www.marksawyersworld.com and www.marksawyerbooks.com