“Without warning or reason, thirteen year old Louis Proof falls into a mysterious coma due to a ‘virus’ of a mysterious celestial origin. When he awakens three months later, the world he once knew and loved is totally different and out of control. He will discover that his ‘illness’ and everything wrong with the world are connected, and it is not only his responsibility, but his destiny to set all things right again.” “The Marvelous Effect”
“All of this started because when I was nine I wanted to be a Goonie,” Troy explained. “But none of the Goonies looked like me. I never wanted to be a director, but I vowed that I would be instrumental in creating a movie where all kids, but especially ones that looked and lived like me, could see themselves on the big screen in an action packed fantasy adventure. The book is the first step to realizing that dream.”
The neighborhood JunkYard JunkLot sets the stage for an action-packed intergalactic and multi-dimensional fantasy adventure that introduces our world to The Marvelous World of the Supposedly Soon to be Phenomenal Young Mr. Louis Proof. Louis is a smart and chill 13 year old African American kid from East Orange, NJ, abruptly wrenched from his seemingly normal life as a kid to face real and imagined demons on his journey to fulfill his destiny and save the world. Debut author Troy CLE (you’ll have to read the book to find out what CLE means) has written a compelling, artful, thoroughly original and just plain fun novel that finally gives young people of color and the young at heart of all ages an action hero to call their own.
Combining the best and hottest elements of fantasy, science fiction, hip-hop, video gaming, Nascar and Anime, “The Marvelous Effect” has been likened to a “Black Harry Potter,” for the outrageous adventures, over the top sci fi gadgets and memorable characters Troy has created, as well as the passion it elicits from the hundreds of high schools students in some of the toughest neighborhoods who’ve attended Troy’s readings. These kids, who usually shy away from reading, have been so inspired by Young Louis Proof, they actually fight over who will get the limited supply of books Troy brings.
Troy’s dream quickly took on a life of its own and began attracting the best and brightest from other fields to lend support. The cover art of “The Marvelous Effect” was done by the elite artist Daryl Mandryk, formerly of EA Sports (“Fight Night” and “Madden”) before becoming the lead artist for Disney’s video game company, Propaganda Games. The book’s back cover was created by Joe DiVelario, who was the visual effects designer for the Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie blockbuster “Mr. And Mrs. Smith.” When Troy couldn’t find an agent or major publisher for his novel, he published it himself with the help of David Finn, co-founder of the worldwide corporate PR firm, Ruder & Finn, and then created a fictitious publicist to get the word out. He did such a good job, that Simon and Schuster and Random House both signed him, for the written and audio book rights of “The Marvelous Effect” respectively.
Like his lead character Louis Proof, Troy CLE grew up and still lives in the urban, gang-infested city of East Orange, NJ. While some of his closest childhood friends were convicted of murder, he studied acting and classical piano, became a hip-hop producer, went to Prep School and acquired multiple degrees from New York University, including Bachelor of Arts degrees in American literature and English, and a masters in digital design. He learned, firsthand, what was missing from the educational process by working as a student teacher in the NYC public school system and he embarked on a TV and film post- production career, working on projects for Nickelodeon and Sony. With each area of exploration, Troy was training for realizing his dream, determined to keep moving toward his goal.
Now, “Marvelous World, Book 1: The Marvelous Effect” is poised to infiltrate Planet Earth and give everyone who loves a good adventure something to smile about. Stay tuned.
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