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Praise for The Alchemists of Kush: |
The Alchemists of Kush: Now in paperback for only $14.99, and in ebook for only $2.99 (click the icon to the right). Get a 10% discount on the trade paperback by buying from this website. No Kindle? No problem! Get free ebook reading apps for your preferred device. Or buy the ebook for the Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital Editions, or Palm device. Discover the story of the novel and watch teaser and trailer videos. Go to the music page to "hear" the book! If the book hits the Kindle Top 100, Minister Faust will donate $500 to ship university textbooks to the Doctor John Garang Memorial University of South Sudan. |
"It was only a matter of time before the hip hop culture would invade the literary world. With The Alchemists of Kush, Minister Faust is leading the invasion. His novel is possibly the first hip hop epic. Hip hop has a short attention span on most occasions. The Alchemists of Kush gives it gravitas." Ishmael Reed Author of Mumbo Jumbo and Juice! "Minister Faust's first two books broke new ground in the SF field. His latest, The Alchemists of Kush, not only breaks new ground; with the story-telling skills of a modern jali, the Minister creates new vistas of history, mythology, erudition, uplift, tragedy, triumph, and contemporary community activism. Once you start the first page of this book, you won't be able to put it down until you've finished the last one." Charles R. Saunders Author of Imaro and Dossouye "I started The Alchemists of Kush and kept reading until I finished. Minister Faust has the most electrifying and true voice I've read in years. The Alchemists of Kush is brilliant." Sparkle Hayter Author of What's A Girl Gotta Do? and Naked Brunch "I loved the story, the mythology, and the characters. I found myself locked into it for hours at a time and couldn't put it down. Rich in detail ...A great book." Kenneth T. Williams Playwright of Thunderstick and Three Little Birds "A hell of a story. A hell of a book. A hell of a style. A frenetic novel and voice--very enjoyable. Minister Faust knows how to write about male relationships, brotherhoods, and getting into the hearts of men, and about boys turning into men. The Alchemists of Kush is a triumph, not just for Minister Faust, but for Edmonton and the community of Kush." Wayne Arthurson Author of Final Season and Fall from Grace "The Alchemists of Kush is both a powerful and vital contribution to Canadian literature that looks at contemporary Edmonton from an African-Canadian perspective. The characters in Minister Faust's novel reflect the true diversity of African-Canadians living in Edmonton. Hopefully this is the beginning of more great novels from people in Edmonton that look like us that tell stories about us." Arlo Maverick of Politic Live MC and Producer on Adaptation and Market Share "This book represents the first modern Pan-Africanist coming-of-age story, bringing together the traditional components of the Hero's Tale with a rich understanding of Ancient Egypt and contemporary realities for diasporal youth. The characters jump off of the page as Minister Faust deftly moves back and forth between Ancient KMT and contemporary Edmonton. As an African American with strong USA biases, I would never have imagined that one of the best Black male writers of my generation would come from Edmonton. Go figure." Lester Kenyatta Spence Author of Stare in the Darkness: The Limits of Hip-hop and Black Politics |
"Inspired by a true story and set against an urban backdrop of African immigrant communities in present day Edmonton, Minister Faust weaves a masterful tale around the sacred Book of the Golden Falcon, ten Hermetical scrolls that expound upon the cross pollination of cultural themes and social considerations shared by Original People throughout the African Diaspora. "The Alchemists of Kush is more than a story; it's a philosophical elixir of Kemetic (Egyptian) folklore, African traditions, urban Sufism, hip hop culture, and Five Percenter pedagogy designed to transmute the challenges of colonialism, assimilation, juvenile delinquency, and moral decay into a universal solvent. Through an array of colourful characters facing unique struggles towards advancing a common cause, Minister Faust boldly takes his readers on an alchemical journey of Self Knowledge, Self Determination, and Community Action, a transformative terrain of true & living 'gold'!" Saladin Quanaah Allah Blogger, Allah School in Atlantis (ASIA) Author of Tales of an Urban Sufi; MC on Brothers from Another Planet "The Alchemists of Kush is its own kind of alchemy. Composed of ancient past, gritty present, mythic fantasy, social activism, it's how Minister Faust blends it all that gives the book its rare power. Reflecting the brilliance of his earlier novels, Minister Faust again strikes the perfect balance between eloquence and entertainment. "Within the first twenty pages, I could (and did) imagine The Alchemists of Kush on the big screen. It's got that epic sweep to it. More importantly, I kept reading (and reading, and reading) because Minister Faust knows it's all about creating characters you'll love. I wept at the end." Mark Kozub Author of The Uptown Browns, A Calgary Album Founding father of the Raving Poets "Minister Faust presents a fierce piece of fiction in a way that only he can. I was entertained, educated and fascinated with his alchemy. The Alchemists of Kush has to be one of the best books I've read this year." Milton John Davis Author of Meji, co-editor of Griots: A Sword and Soul Anthology "In The Alchemists of Kush, Minister Faust risks telling stories that threaten the empire-builders, that encourage us all to become agents of action. Such a novel demands a truthful response. I’ve been thinking we need prayers for right now. Advertising jingles and gangsta rhymes split our souls, jangle our spirits a thousand times a day. Minister Faust is a technician of the sacred, getting the geometry, the dance of our humanity into his words. Buy The Alchemists of Kush for yourself and a friend. Read it and then give it away. Give it away a lot." Andrea Hairston Author of Redwood and Wildfire and Mindscape "The Alchemists of Kush blew my expectations clean out of the water. The importance of faith has been fresh in my mind recently. And as the novel is, at its heart, about a spiritual awakening, it felt perfectly timed that I discovered it when I did. The twin stories and characters had me drawn in immediately, and it didn't hurt that there was ample name dropping of favourite musical artists (Gil Scott-Heron among them) and comic book characters (Static and King Peacock). The characters are rich, their battles hard fought and heartbreaking. And the resulting affirmation of love, community, pride, responsibility, and family makes this the calibre of book I would love to see as required reading …. Highly recommended." Nathan Crowder Author of Cobalt City Blues and Ride Like the Devil |