The Ragnarök Conspiracy
by Erec Stebbins
An American bin Laden, a heroic Muslim, and an FBI agent
THRILLER EXPLORES DOMESTIC TERRORISM DRIVEN BY PERSONAL VENGEANCE
If someone murdered the person you loved most in this world, would you seek revenge? If your child, or your spouse, were killed in the 9/11 attacks, would you fight back against the terrorists who took their lives?
In The Ragnarök Conspiracy by Erec Stebbins, William Gunn, a wealthy American who lost his wife on 9/11, says yes to retaliation. Gunn recruits highly trained soldiers to form a covert group of domestic terrorists. The group, called Mjolnir, uses Norse mythology as its inspiration, including the prophecy Ragnarök, which details the end of the world. To aid in this apocalypse, Mjolnir carries out a series of targeted, escalating attacks on Muslim holy sites and communities around the world, killing thousands.
In order to restore global stability, FBI Agent John Savas, who lost his only son on 9/11, must put aside his personal pain and work with a man who symbolizes all he has come to hate—Husaam Jordan, a Muslim CIA Agent. Savas and Jordan are drawn into a race against time to put an end to a plot so terrible that it could literally destroy civilization. Only by transcending his own devastating loss can Savas hope to prevent the ultimate calamity unleashed by the Ragnarök Conspiracy.
“When we suffer a grievous wrong, instinct pushes us to take revenge,” Stebbins explains. “Living in New York during the 9/11 attacks, I experienced this firsthand. I felt the anger and the need to strike back, and yet saw our invasion of Iraq as misguided. We were attacking them because we needed someone to blame, not because Iraq had wronged us.”
In addition to dealing with themes of vengeance, The Ragnarök Conspiracy also explores:
- Maintaining tolerance in a violent and dangerous world
- The fragility of world peace and possibility of the most dangerous terrorists breeding in our own backyard<
- Danger of trading our rights and freedoms for safety and protection<
- Overcoming pre-conceived notions to achieve heroism
“The Ragnarök Conspiracy incarnates our battling emotions as Americans and brings them to life,” says Stebbins. “The pain is as deep as it can be, the vengeance extreme, the temptation acute to become whatever retribution deems necessary—until we ourselves become as much the enemy as those we pursue.”
Erec Stebbins received a degree in physics from Oberlin College in 1992, and a PhD in biochemistry from Cornell University in 1999. He previously co-authored a science textbook and was interviewed by The New York Times. The Ragnarök Conspiracy is a novel that took root in him after he witnessed the destruction of September 11, 2001 from his Manhattan apartment. He is a “religious liberal, a skeptical inquirer and an emotional theist.” He currently lives and works in New York City as a scientist and professor in biomedical research.
For more information please visit www.RagnarokConspiracy.com and www.ErecStebbins.com
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