The Mayan calendar comes to an end Dec. 21, and some say the world will end with it. The pending apocalypse is the latest literary toy of author John Christian Hopkins in his new novel, Twilight of the Gods.
The good news is that itll save you a lot of money on Christmas shopping this year, said Hopkins, who read from his book March 21 at Spruce Tree Coffeehouse in Cortez.
Its based a lot on different mythologies, because most mythologies have an Armageddon, end-of-the-world type scenario, he said. I stole from a lot of them. Especially Norse mythology, because I love the Vikings.
Although the Mayan calendar ends this December, Hopkins said there is some debate as to whether its the end of the world, or just the end of the cycle. What gets interesting, is when the Page, Ariz., author compares it with other ancient cultures and legends.
The flood story is one of the central themes of the Bible, Hopkins said. Even a lot of the Native Americans, almost every mythology has a flood story in it. And the earliest one known was the Epic of Gilgamesh from ancient Babylon, which was like 2,000 years before Christ was even born.
Twilight of the Gods is the story of Napoleon Marquard, a tabloid reporter sent to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to investigate a report of a unicorn being born. More supernatural phenomenon begin to happen, and ancient gods lying dormant in the bodies of mortals begin to realize their powers.
When I write a book, I guess its my ego, but Im always the main character, he said. Ill really get into it.
The author has also published The Pirate Prince Carlomagno, the story of a Native American pirate; and Nacogdoches, a Western.
When I was writing Carlomagno, I had a little toy sword on my desk, Hopkins said. And every now and then, Id pick it up and kind of sword fight in the air. When I wrote Nacogdoches, I went out and bought a holster with a pellet gun. So I walk around the house with my cowboy hat and a gun.
For his latest book, Hopkins draws legend and characters from a cornucopia of modern and ancient culture in a sometimes playful narrative leading up to the apocalypse.
I tied in different mythologies and ancient gods from different civilizations and had them coming back to life to fulfill this ancient prophesy, he said. It was just a lot of fun.
Readers can expect to see references to Norse, Greek, Celtic, extraterrestrial and Native American mythologies thrown in the mix as well as pop culture references to MC Hammer, Gilligan and Hello Kitty.
It fascinates me that they all have a lot of the same stories, that makes you think its got to be based on something, he said. The Native Americans have the same flood story as the Babylonians. A lot of people who didnt even interact have a lot of the same stories. It just makes you think.
But does the author believe the world will end this year?
I hope not, because I still have plans, he said, adding he bought into the Y2K scare in 2000. So it was going to be this big thing, and then nothing happened. The only disaster was I took all of my money out of the bank and never put it back in.
But watching current affairs certainly leaves lingering doubts in the mind of the author.
People are just doing crazy things, he said. It seems to me the world is much more violent and crazy than it was.
Twilight of the Gods and other works by Hopkins are available in paperback and e-book from Amazon.com and www.bluehandbooks.com.
I think that e-books are the wave of the future, Hopkins said. At least until Dec. 21, and then well be back to writing in the sand with sticks.
Reach Reid Wright at reidw@cortezjournal.com.