The 21st Century Chronicles of Thugg the Barbarian King

About the Book

The story of Thugg begins atop Mt. Kilimanjaro,Tanzania,where his perfectly preserved frozen body is discovered after 12,000 years in the ice. The ancient African is transported to the prestigious University in Massachusetts for study, where the head of the Bio-engineering department announces that it is possible to restore him to life utilizing the emerging new science of microrobotics called nanotechnology. Setting this mind-boggling enterprise into motion, it is quickly realized by the university staff that the Kilimanjaroan is unprepared to cope with the shocking circumstances of his resurrection and the realities he faces in 21st Century. Thugg is deeply distrustful of white people, having never seen one in his original lifetime, and thus is paired with the head of YU’s Psychology Department, a brilliant African American named Dr. Quantez Phillips, and his best friend and colleague, Dr. Ruthenia Haynes, head of the Language Department. Together they set out to prove that they can teach this “caveman” to become a thinking and productive member of modern-day society. They succeed beyond their wildest imaginations. As Thugg’s language skills become increasingly sophisticated, he reveals that he was born a barbarian and ruled as the king of a vast, now extinct African empire. His saga intrigues and inspires all of humanity, especially African Americans, who hold him up as proof that blacks can achieve any goal they set their minds upon. Thugg becomes a global celebrity—a cross between Dr. Martin Luther King and Tupac Shakur. As he becomes increasingly cognizant of the dire plight of the black race, he invokes his royal roots and uses his status to speak out for revolution—a call that has the potential to dramatically alter race relations across the planet, for better or worse, forever. The epic saga plays out against the backdrop of the convoluted love triangle that erupts between Thugg, Dr. Haynes and Dr. Phillips, whose homosexuality is a closely guarded secret

About the Author

     Brent Dorian Carpenter was born 19 April 1964 in Detroit, Michigan, the third of three sons, to Spencer and Carmen Carpenter.  Influenced by his parents, both educators, the young Brent took a very early interest in subjects varying from astronomy, history, geography and paleontology.  His early artistic endeavors involved scripting and drawing comic books. Brent founded Foundation Studios and fostered an environment for artistic creativity.  His comic book publishing efforts garnered the attention of CNN, which resulted in an interview that was broadcast internationally.  Deciding that his true talent and love was for writing, he began to concentrate his efforts along those lines.

     Brent self-published his first novel Man of the Cloth, about a Vatican plot to create a clone of Jesus from the bloodstains on the Shroud of Turin, in May 2001, quickly distinguishing himself as very different thematically and stylistically from other black gay writers of his time.  By September 2002, his second novel, This Time Around, involving a black gay college student who travels back in time to the 1400s to prevent slavery, was self-published.  During this period, Brent supported himself as a columnist and journalist for two Detroit-area newspapers, Between the Lines, a gay weekly, and the Michigan Citizen, a black weekly, where he sharpened his writing and editing skills.  His third book, Bald Ambition, is a collection of those essay columns and bios of black gay historical figures, and seven original short homoerotic fantasy stories.

     The 21^st Century Chronicles of Thugg the Barbarian King marks Brent’s fourth and most radical literary undertaking to date.  It was written in seven months to the day while the author was navigating the death of his father and the breakup of the yearlong relationship with the partner who inspired him to write the book.  He plans to spend 2005 promoting and book touring, continue simultaneous work on his next two literary ventures, including a coffee book bio/discography/music review of film score composer John Williams, and search for the elusive multimillion dollar book contract and movie deals.