T.S. Eliot action hero? The mysterious Eliot Waterstone and his connection to Rand O’Neal

One of my favorite introductory scenes in Alexandria Reborn is when Rand O’Neal meets Eliot Waterstone in The Library.

“I want to see you in the light,” the voice said.  “Just there. I want to see who’ve you become or, rather, who you are. The seed of The O’Neal’s.” 

As the voice spoke, a figure emerged from the shadows. A tall wispy man whose carriage was held up by a silver cane, the handle of it in the shape of a greyhound. The man’s body was not bony, but thin, whispery, almost like a wraith. He walked forwards, one hand on the cane, the other held above his head as if he was shielding off a drizzle of rain or blocking the sun.

Throughout the book, Eliot quotes lines from T.S. Eliot’s poems. A bit of ‘The Love  Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’ here, The Wasteland there. It was intentional, of course. I joked with my wife as I wrote it that I was creating T.S. Eliot Action Hero. It was only a half-joke joke, because I wanted the wizard archetype in the shadows, the elegant assasin, the mage inside his self built cage.

Eliot’s past is mysterious. We know he knew Rand’s father and grandfather. We know he tutored the villainous Kent St. James at one point. But what else? A clue. If you have read the short fiction piece – free at this link – you will see that Waterstone has more than a passing connection. If you like Eliot, here are two spoiler free teases: Eliot will appear in a prequel set in 1983 with Mary Celest and Winston.

More importantly, he will appear in Alexandra Redeemed: Book 3 coming in March 2018.