Master of Rods and Strings by Jason Marc Harris

Jason Marc Harris weaves a tale of dark enchantment and vengeful obsession in this Supernatural Horror.

Elias, tormented by visions of his sister’s suffering and jealous of the adulation her puppetry skills command, is drawn into the shadowy world of occult puppetry. Under the tutelage of the enigmatic Uncle Pavan, Elias seeks to master this arcane craft, but the price of knowledge is steep, and the path to vengeance is fraught with unspeakable horrors.

Set against the rich backdrop of France, Harris’s novella is a masterclass in suspense and dark fantasy. Critics hail it as a “masterful work” that brings to life a world where the art of puppetry descends into magical damnation. With captivating and expert prose, this story pulls readers through a fever dream of loyalty, artistic passion, and the ultimate cost of revenge.

Comparisons have been drawn to Patrick Suskind’s Perfume for its vivid sensory detail and the portrayal of an obsessive protagonist. Master of Rods and Strings stands out for its “boundlessly unique and charmingly strange” narrative, ensnaring readers in its crackling compulsion.

Joining the ranks of modern masters of weird fiction, Harris delivers a morbidly fascinating journey that begins as a quiet horror novella and crescendos into an apocalyptic climax. The novella is a chilling exploration of the transformation from innocence to a capacity for great evil, all in the name of retribution.

At its core, Master of Rods and Strings is a classic revenge story, a testament to the mastery of a craft, and a cautionary tale of ambition’s potential to corrupt the noblest of intentions. In just ninety-two pages, Harris crafts a world teeming with depth, where every scene is laden with both the tangible and the spectral.

For those who find a thrill in the menace of the inhuman, from antique dolls to emotionless automatons, this dark fiction novella is a chilling new entry into the canon. Master of Rods and Strings is a novella to be devoured in one sitting, but its haunting essence will linger long after the final page is turned. Discover the dark allure of occult puppetry and the lengths one will go to for revenge in this unforgettable narrative.

Description

“Jason Marc Harris’s Master of Rods and Strings is a masterful work the likes of which I have not read in many years. Among its other admirable qualities, it is an adept exemplar of the novella, a literary form peculiarly suited to tales of dark and mysterious themes, among them being Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Henry James’s “Turn of the Screw, Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness,” and Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, as well as numerous other works of a nightmarish or fantastical nature. In captivating and expert prose Master of Rods and Strings brings to life a world where the enchantment of puppetry inexorably descends into a magical perdition.”—Thomas Ligotti

“A magically unnerving tale of loyalty, artistic passion, and revenge that digs into your skin and pulls you through the back alleys of period France. Harris assuredly directs his characters with the precision of a puppeteer through this fever dream of a novella.”—Sequoia Nagamatsu, author of How High We Go in the Dark & Where We Go When All We Were Is Gone

“Strange and compelling, Master of Rods and Stringsis a fantastic foray into the realm of occult puppetry. Like Patrick Suskind’s Perfume, this book is memorable for its vivid sensory detail and portrayal of an obsessive protagonist exploring an arcane world.”—Susan Hubbard, author of the Ethical Vampire Series

“Boundlessly unique and charmingly strange, Jason Marc Harris’ Master of Rods and Strings is a breakneck tale of occult puppetry and the toll of seeking revenge. What a cracklingly compelling book. I can’t get it out of my head.”—Robert James Russell, author of Mesilla and Sea of Trees