- Recommended Age Range: 12 and up
- Formats: E-Book
- Approx. Length: 102,565 Words
A dark Wonderlandish “oddyssey” that merges and contrasts elements of humor and horror; fantasy, reality, and literary nonsense; legends, myths, and history; Pop, Mexican, and American Culture; wordplay and swordplay.
It is a modern legend, a rumpus of revelrous rompery about being lost and choosing the road least traveled . . . the path unknown. In Tome One of the whimsical epic adventure, a Mexican-American brother duo of folklore dancers and a desert farmer — along with a diverse band of mortals, angels, and ghosts — battle supernatural forces to protect an oracle-princess as well as past, present, and future times from an Aztec serpent god’s wrath.
This fantasy-horror-adventure novel is currently being enhanced for a Second Edition!
Samples
“THE LEGEND GOES that two Mayan brothers, identical in age and appearance but different inside as the moon and sun, were destined to visit Underworld Xibalba and battle terrible demons.”
One’s options in this world are as vast as the horizon, which is technically a circle and thus infinitely broad. Yet we must choose each step we take with utmost caution, for the footprints we leave behind are as important as the path we will follow. They’re part of the same journey — our story.
~ from Dance Of The Chupacabras
MALICE BUZZED, RATTLING in the air as if a lake-sized nest of hot diamondbacks were riled, glass-marble eyes blinkless, their scales gathered like coils of rope to strike. This atmosphere clung to vegetation, a blight of transparent malignancy, and fevered the soil with an army of infection. Sand stirred, composed of decay and pulgas, rambunctious ranks of blood-starved popcorn fleas springing from billennial-layered putrefaction — for what do we walk upon but the bones and flesh of History, the seasons of yesteryear?
~ from Dance Of The Chupacabras
foreword
Imagine, if you will, the sloooooow aggravating creak of a chamber door that swings inward upon cobwebbed hinges. Musty seldom-breathed air, thick with sediment inside a claustrophobic dungeon attic, suffocates your lungs. While the throbbing irregular rhythm of a heart being squeezed by the tense grip of dread shudders in your chest.
And what if you should venture beyond this threshold, into the vast recesses of a disturbingly abstract mind? What then?
Don’t look at me. I asked you first.
Think! What should you do? The cuckoo clock is ticking and you must decide . . . Would you hesitate, or plunge forth with delicious anticipation, mercurial abandon?
IT’S TOO LATE!!! The door has slammed. Are you locked in or out? That is the question.
foreword
prologue
I. HEROICS
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II. BEASTLINESS
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12
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III. PROPHETICS
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epilogue
Videos
Praise
“I found this book is unique, like nothing I’ve ever read before. Funny? Yep. Filled with suspense? Yes. Nail-biting Are-They-Going-To-Make-It parts? You betcha. Make ya cry? Uh huh. How about laughing out loud? Most definitely!!!”
“‘Dance of the Chupacabras’ by Lori R. Lopez isn’t the easiest-to-read book I’ve ever picked up. Honestly, it took me a little while to get “into” it. (I knew what a Chupacabra was because I saw that episode of ‘The X-Files’, so I was good with that.) Once I got going though, I found this book is unique, like nothing I’ve ever read before. Funny? Yep. Filled with suspense? Yes. Nail-biting Are-They-Going-To-Make-It parts? You betcha. Make ya cry? Uh huh. How about laughing out loud? Most definitely!!!
Ms. Lopez has an obvious love of words — all kinds of words, all kinds of languages. You will learn new words because if the right one doesn’t exist for what she’s trying to say, well then, she’s gonna make one up! The author doesn’t just tell the story, she also talks directly to you. She talks to the characters. They answer her. Ok, I confess — I answered her a couple of times too… She writes prose, but then frequently blends in marvelous poetry so skillfully that you’re reading rhymes in your head before you realize it.
The main story is about a pair of brothers unknowingly tasked to find a little girl who they don’t know is missing, and in doing so will save the world as well. How are they supposed to find someone they don’t know is missing you may ask? Good question, but I’m not going to tell you in this review. Now throw in the little issue of being lost themselves, and it’s REALLY a problem! Both Mayan and Aztec gods, rulers and lore play major parts. You know the Mayan calendar that says the world is going to end 12/21/12? It’s part of the story too.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, (or maybe the point of the cactus needle would be more appropriate for this book). There are plots and sub-plots galore, but they’re not done in such a way as to get you as lost as our hapless heroes. [Quandaries] are resolved, questions are answered, and wrinkles are ironed out so that in the end ‘Dance of the Chupacabras’ is a very satisfying read.”
Sara Smolarek
Barnes & Noble, Amazon Reviews
♥
“Dance made me chuckle as much as it made me shiver. A great romp through the desert with plenty of characters, mythological and otherwise, to hold your interest from start to finish.
*****
I loved this book! A shivery trek across the desert with two brothers who are anything but ‘ordinary’. Follow their adventures and misadventures as they attempt to rescue a kidnap victim. Ms. Lopez’s style is both humorous and frightening and will hold your interest from start to finish.”
Geri Graham
Smashwords Reviews
♥
“This is a wild, wonderful romp. I have never read a novel like this before. I love it!”
Blaze McRob (Robert Nelson)
BLAZE MCROB’S TALES OF HORROR BLOG
♥
“This is a great and fun book. It will hold your attention from beginning to end. Lori has such [a] way of writing like no other. Each and every character in this book will catch your mind and imbed itself there for years to come. The words and descriptions of this book are written in a way that no one else but Lori could pull off. I love her no holds bar writing style every one of her books and stories never cease to amaze me. If you love mythology, adventure and a bit of humor read this book you will not be disappointed. Thank you so much Lori for just being you and letting your true self shine in your books!!!!”
Jennifer Thomas
Smashwords and Goodreads Reviews
♥
“This novel was a difficult one for me to review. I had a hard time getting into it (I would have cut the prologue) but once I actually got into the story, it had me intrigued. I must also admit that I am not well acquainted with YA-geared horror and it took me some time to get accustomed to the colloquial prose. With that said, this novel is a bold, highly creative, and ambitious endeavor that comes together quite nicely. Ms. Lopez has a unique style well worth checking out, with a wonderful sense of humor that shines throughout the text.”
Lisa Lane/Leigh M. Lane
THE CEREBRAL WRITER; Amazon and Goodreads Reviews
♥
“Dance of the Chupacabras by Lori R. Lopez is not an easy book to read. The author tells you right off the bat that she has no use for rules of writing nor will she be limited by them. There are all capitals used in the middle of sentences, creative word use not to even mention words that are created and odd punctuation. Having said that I have to say that [in] this book it not only works, it works well.
A little slow in the beginning the book slowly draws you into a complex web of creative storytelling. You are part of the story along with the characters. The author stops to talk to you and explain as we go along which gives you the feeling of sitting around the campfire listening to a master storyteller weave a tale. The basic story involves twin brothers who must find a missing young woman. As inept as they are enduring, they traverse a complex world in search of the girl who no ones knows is missing. How they know is part of the mystery and suspense so I am not going to tell you that part.
Very uniquely written, dancing with fun and intrigue, this is a sumptuous story. Touching all your senses as you follow the twins on their adventure, this novel will not put you to sleep. If anything it is best to finish it in one sitting or you will find yourself unable to sleep thinking about it. I giggled a lot while reading this story. Not something I do often.”
