Circus by Moonlight and The Prophet of Sorrow by Mark Van Aken Williams

The Prophet of Sorrow -- Historical Fiction Finalist, 2010 International Book Awards

"An accomplished poet, in The Prophet of Sorrow, Mark Van Aken Williams has superbly crafted an historical novel around the assassination of Leon Trotsky. The killing took place in Mexico at the order of Joseph Stalin and was implemented by the men of the infamous Soviet organization the GPU. This is the story of Ramon Mercarder [sic] who spent twenty years in a Mexican prison for felling the old Bolshevik with a mountain climbing axe he had smuggled underneath his coat into the unsuspecting Trotsky's home. Told from the perspective of the assassin,The Prophet of Sorrow is a riveting novel that plays careful respect to historical detail. An entertaining read from beginning to end, The Prophet of Sorrow is an especially recommended addition to community library fiction collections." Midwest Book Review, June 2010

"Ohio author Mark Van Aken Williams has written a tense, engaging novella of the assassination of Leon Trotsky, The Prophet of Sorrow. The story is told in a series of journal entries by other characters and in narrative by the assassin himself, Ramon Mercado.
     "Set against the Spanish Civil War, Mercado and his mother get caught up in the war itself, then get recruited as members of Stalin's notorious spy ring, the GPU (who, in time, will be come the infamous KGB), and are sent to assassinate the exiled Trotsky. Along the way, other characters, the famous and the infamous, join in to add rich flavor and set the story within the time and place of a horrendous time. 
    "Williams' characters are multi-faceted, coming across as idealistic, jaded, criminalistic. Mercado seems to be caught like the proverbial deer in the headlights as a young man trying to please his mother. He's an easy mark for men already well schooled in the art of mind control. His mother has her reasons for becoming involved but Mercado is an unlikely assassin, only wanting to please her.
    "There is a sense of true tragedy within the spy game, and reading along is both painful and intriguing. Williams' plot is rich, allowing us to know these people and their motivations. While we may not agree with the ideals, we can certainly understand them. Set within the confines of fiction, the historical perspective reminds us that real people were involved--people that aren't as easily defined as the history books seem to want us to believe.
    "A page turner that makes you think, reminds us who these people really were, and gives them a voice to tell their side of a dark event in history. Definitely a must read for anyone who enjoys historical or spy thrillers." Review by J. W. Coffey at the Examiner

Author Q & A (PDF)

Publisher's Synopsis:
Set against the political backdrop of the Moscow Show Trials and the exile of Leon Trotsky in Mexico, a Spanish agent of Joseph Stalin’s notorious secret spy ring, the GPU, is sent to assassinate Trotsky.  After killing the exiled Bolshevik, Ramon Mercader has spent 20 years in a Mexican prison. The Prophet of Sorrow is a tale of suspense, courage, and love as recounted by the assassin.
    The main characters are involved in the tumultuous civil war in Spain, recruited as Soviet spies, trained in Russia, and unleashed as part of Stalin’s private army of gangsters and murderers. Ramon Mercader and his mother are in a relationship rooted in a reign of terror led by the masterful old-time spy Leonid Eitingon. The famous artist David Alfaro Siqueiros masterminds an armed assault on the Trotsky compound in Mexico, but fails. It is up to Mercader to murder Trotsky through deceit and delivering the fatal blow with a mountain climbing axe, which was hidden under his coat.
    Different characters that represent the middle of the 20th century make cameo appearances in the novel. Diego Rivera and Freda Kahlo give Trotsky a house to live in. Siqueiros comes into contact with Ernest Hemmingway and Jackson Pollack. Charles Laughton, Ira Gershwin, and Tyrone Power commission works from Siqueiros. It is through art that a potential for connection and intercourse is revealed at the very core of our awareness. And through the murderer, Mercader, the author reveals what keeps us from being ourselves: our own nature broadening outward and furnishing evidence of our true tastes and convictions. Read an Excerpt          

Need refreshed on your knowledge of political history? Click here for an info sheet on Trotsky.

ISBN: 978-0-9844627-0-4            Hardcover with Jacket  5.5 x 8.5           152 pgs    Retail: $26.00  USD        
Categories: FICTION / Historical  and  FICTION / Psychological

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Circus by Moonlight

“A perfect browse for poetry enthusiasts . . . Williams [is] an impressive talent and skilled wordsmith, deserving of as wide and appreciative an audience as possible.” Midwest Book Review, Small Press Bookwatch

Williams has been writing poetry and essays for many years and his work reflects a sensibility that extends beyond national borders and encompasses the dichotomy of poverty/wealth, striving/acceptance, ancient/modern, and the particular and universal. Circus by Moonlight contains poems written between 1990 and 2007.

Read an Excerpt          

Paperback; 6 x 9 inches; 130 pages ISBN-13: 978-0-9760576-6-6; Retail Price: $ 12.00; Category: Poetry; Ohio Poets 

Click on the retailers below to order your copy:

• Barnes and Noble
• Amazon
• Powell's Books
• Alibris
• Ebook: KINDLE