The 6 Messiahs
"The 6 Messiahs" is a novel written by Mark Frost published by William Morrow & Co. on 26 april 1995. This is a sequel to his 1993 novel The List of Seven. The two main characters are real-life person Arthur Conan Doyle (albeit engaging in fictional actions) and fictional character Jack Sparks.
Plot summary
In 1894, Arthur Conan Doyle tours America with a covert brief to trace stolen sacred texts. A rare-book dealer is murdered aboard his steamer, where an "old priest" proves to be Jack Sparks — alive after Reichenbach but spiritually shattered. Jack and four others share recurring visions of a desert "black tower" : Kanazuchi, a lethal Japanese monk; Walks Alone (Mary Williams), a Native American seeker; Rabbi Jacob Stern, a Kabbalah scholar; and Peregrine "Presto" Raipur, an Indian prince–magician. They, along with actress Eileen Temple and hired killer Dante Scruggs, are drawn toward "New City," Utah, ruled by the charismatic Reverend A. Glorious Day.
Jack reveals Day is his brother Alexander, also alive, now backed by Hanseatic mercenaries. Alexander has stolen holy books from major faiths to fuel a ritual inside New City's colossal obsidian tower — meant to slay God, unleash the Beast, and massacre the mind-controlled townsfolk.
Arthur Conan Doyle, Jack, and allies mount a desperate assault through the desert, fighting into the tower to halt the summoning and save as many as possible. In the final confrontation, Jack forgives Alexander, breaking his madness. United as the "Six Messiahs" (including Alexander), they force the Beast back. Alexander dies redeemed, and Arthur Conan Doyle hauls Jack "back into the light."
