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The Astonishing

SKU: The Astonishing
$75.00
$75.00
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Author: Peter Orullian & John Petrucci
Publication Date: Spring 2018 -- Click here for update
(Art and book-cover design are placeholder only.)

Peter will be making frequent status updates on the book, including cool teasers. Follow him on Twitter: @peterorullian and Facebook: www.facebook.com/peterorullian

More from Peter about The Astonishing book at www.orullian.com
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The Astonishing, the novel, 
builds on the story rendered in The Astonishing, the ground-breaking concept album by the kings of progressive metal, Dream Theater. The novel adds new plot lines and intrigue, additional characters and motivations, as well as explanations and ideas not explored on the album. ​It also has several exclusives, as noted below.

Writer of The Astonishing, the novel, Peter Orullian spent many long sessions in person and by phone with guitarist, song-writer, and producer of The Astonishing, John Petrucci. Through those conversations he gathered a depth of understanding into Petrucci's story and vision. Orullian then began to ideate on ways to extrapolate the core story, build in rationale for key pieces of the world, and introduce story elements to further expand and deepen the story that has become the novel.

About the book
In a not so distant future, our world has returned to the ugliness of feudalism. Only this time, those in power control the servant class with the very thing that once inspired men to rise up and take back their lives—music. But it is not the music of old. That music is forgotten. No, this new music is engineered entirely by machines. This music suppresses that part of humanity which might be inspired. This music suppresses hope.

But what is old will be made new again.

In the village of Ravenskill lives a young man, Gabriel, who comes with a gift of power. A gift of music. As a human expression.

Gabriel’s brother, Arhys, leads a rebel militia that is trying to liberate the people. And he believes Gabriel’s gift is the key; a key he hopes will help him keep a promise he made his wife on her deathbed.

But the emperor and his son have different plans--to maintain control. Those plans may find an unlikely challenger in their own family. And the resulting conflict may yield lasting consequences. For them all.

With music as a moving force, the choices each player must make will bring them to a shared moment of pain. And perhaps redemption. 

Edition Details

  • Full-length novel of The Astonishing, adding new plot lines and intrigue, additional characters and motivations, answers to fan questions, as well as explanations and ideas not explored on the album
  • In-depth Introduction by John Petrucci, going deep on why he wrote The Astonishing, what it means to him, etc.
  • Definitive interviews of each member of Dream Theater, covering their experience in the genesis of the album, in performing it, what it means to them, as well as their own music history, interests, and part in the band
  • A few early music demos (often taken from original iPhone recordings) of original songs set in the universe of The Astonishing but never used on the album
  • The genesis of one song: From early iPhone recording to final tune, listen to several song clips of the steps in the song writing process of one of the songs from The Astonishing
  • Foreword by a celebrated musician (Announcement coming soon)
  • Afterword by a music industry luminary (Announcement coming soon)
  • Never-before seen hand written notes, early art renderings, photographs, etc. chronicling the development of The Astonishing, with a behind-the-scenes look at how it all came to fruition
  • An original story by John Petrucci & Peter Orullian, set in the universe of The Astonishing
  • Original cover art on full-color dust jacket
  • Original full-color interior art depicting key scenes in the story, including some scenes not represented in the album
  • Map of the world of The Astonishing
  • Full lyrics, song-by-song breakdown, and final synopsis as written by John Petrucci
  • Printed on 60# acid-free paper
  • Smyth sewn for durability
  • Foil stamping on the front boards and spine
  • Bound in leather
  • Limited to 700 copies
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 ​Peter Orullian has worked at Xbox for fifteen years. He's toured internationally with various bands and been a featured vocalist at major rock and metal festivals. He studied voice with David Kyle, vocal trainer to Geoff Tate, Layne Staley, Ann and Nancy Wilson, and others.  

Peter is an award-nominated fantasy and science fiction writer, noted--among other things--for the powerful and lyrical way he weaves music into his stories. His work has appeared in a number of major anthologies, and his fantasy novel series is published by Tor Books. He recommends, if you're a novel reader, that you begin with Trial of Intentions. If you like shorter fiction, he suggests The Sound of Broken Absolutes. Both of these feature Orullian's music magic system.

Peter will be making constant updates on the progress of the book. If you'd like to stay up to date on the latest, visit Peter at www.orullian.com ​or follow him on: Twitter: @peterorullian and Facebook: www.facebook.com/peterorullian 

John Petrucci is a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He's inspired a generation of guitar players to pursue excellence, both as guitarists and as song-writers. He has been named Guitarist of the Year by Total Guitar Magazine and Best Metal Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine. 

John’s original story for The Astonishing inspired the music and lyrics of Dream Theater's widely-acclaimed rock-opera/concept album of the same name, and also served as the inspiration for the the novel that has been written by Peter Orullian.
Edition Details
  • Full-length novel of The Astonishing, adding new plot lines and intrigue, additional characters and motivations, answers to fan questions, as well as explanations and ideas not explored on the album
  • In-depth Introduction by John Petrucci, going deep on why he wrote The Astonishing, what it means to him, etc.
  • Definitive interviews of each member of Dream Theater, covering their experience in the genesis of the album, in performing it, what it means to them, as well as their own music history, interests, and part in the band
  • A few early music demos (often taken from original iPhone recordings) of original songs set in the universe of The Astonishing but never used on the album. These will be delivered to authenticated purchasers via secure links
  • The genesis of one song: From early iPhone recording to final tune, listen to several song clips of the steps in the song writing process of one of the songs from The Astonishing.  These will be delivered to authenticated purchasers via secure links
  • Foreword by a celebrated musician (Announcement coming soon)
  • Afterword by a music industry luminary (Announcement coming soon)
  • Never-before seen hand written notes, early art renderings, photographs, etc. chronicling the development of The Astonishing, with a behind-the-scenes look at how it all came to fruition
  • An original story by John Petrucci & Peter Orullian, set in the universe of The Astonishing
  • Original cover art on full-color dust jacket
  • Original full-color interior art depicting key scenes in the story, including some scenes not represented in the album
  • Map of the world of The Astonishing
  • Full lyrics, song-by-song breakdown, and final synopsis as written by John Petrucci
  • Printed on 60# acid-free paper
  • Smyth sewn for durability
  • Foil stamping on the front boards and spine
  • Bound in leather
  • Limited to 700 copies
Reviews of The Astonishing: (coming soon)

Reviews of The Astonishing, the album:

“Put simply, the new release lives up to its title in every way imaginable.” – Rolling Stone

“The Astonishing is an absolutely unique experience…it demands your full attention.” – Consequence of Sound

“The band’s 13th studio album is certainly the most ambitious one it has yet recorded, and it’s a cinematic effort in both concept and scale.”
- Billboard
 
“To call it ambitious would be a vast understatement.” – Huffington Post
 
“…the multifaceted quintet have continued to push personal and genre boundaries.” – ‪Grammy.com
 
“…a heavy, anthemic blend of intricate songwriting and musicianship.” – The Wall Street Journal
 
“…a sprawling, epic opus” - Loudwire

Art coming soon.

You might also like:


Trial of Intentions

Broken Absolutes

The Vault of Heaven
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