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Rich Shapero
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    • Dreams of Delphine
    • The Slide That Buried Rightful
    • Dissolve
    • Island Fruit Remedy
    • Balcony of Fog
    • Rin, Tongue and Dorner
    • Arms from the Sea
    • The Hope We Seek
    • Too Far
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    • Dreams of Delphine
    • The Slide That Buried Rightful
    • Dissolve
    • Island Fruit Remedy
    • Balcony of Fog
    • Rin, Tongue and Dorner
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    • Too Far
    • Wild Animus
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  • About  Arms from the Sea
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Arms from the Sea

What kind of sea change in our ideals might we need to refashion our world for the better?

Lyle is a young man who hates his life in the State of Salt, a cultural and literal desert. He vandalizes a State icon, then swallows a poison pill that transports him not to death, but to a liminal realm—blue, aquatic, and wholly alien.

He’s rescued and shepherded by henchmen of the Polyp, god of the oceanic world they call “heaven.” A series of encounters unfolds between Lyle and the monstrous, seductive god, who gradually reveals his grandeur and mysterious purpose.

Lyle is horrified at first but soon finds himself falling for the Polyp, and the potent and bizarre creative potential he represents . . .

Whimsical and outlandish but also timely and dead serious, Arms from the Sea navigates allegorical realms of possibility, pointing to what it might mean to redeem a desolate world.

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About Arms from the Sea

A Q&A with Rich Shapero
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Q: Arms conjures a dystopian future, and the hope for a “sea change” appears in the form of the Polyp, the tentacled god of an oceanic heaven.

RS: The Polyp is perverse, yes. But he poses important questions. How are the ideals of a world established? What are the values of creation and destruction that are at work in our world, and what kind of higher power rules it? Is the higher power a conventional deity or the law of fang and claw? Is it quantum physics or trickle-down economics? If you were going to refashion our world from scratch, who would you put in charge? On what basis would decisions be made about whether creatures flourish or perish?


Q: You’re questioning our ideals.

RS: People know how to create degenerate societies, and I’ve made my little contribution with the State of Salt. The real question is: what would you replace it with, if you had the opportunity?

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The Art

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Project Cover, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on masonite, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 831. July 30, 1959. 23 7/8 x 24 in.

Project Cover, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on masonite, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 831. July 30, 1959. 23 7/8 x 24 in.

Book Plate, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on masonite, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 607. July 3, 1957. 24 x 24 in.

Book Plate, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on masonite, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 607. July 3, 1957. 24 x 24 in.

Album Cover, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 634. September 11, 1957. 25 3/4 x 22 in.

Album Cover, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 634. September 11, 1957. 25 3/4 x 22 in.

1. A Living Wheel, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 629. August 31, 1957. 25 3/4 x 22 in.

1. A Living Wheel, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 629. August 31, 1957. 25 3/4 x 22 in.

2. Behold the Sea, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Wand of the Genii. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 652. October 25, 1957. 25 3/4 x 21 in.

2. Behold the Sea, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Wand of the Genii. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 652. October 25, 1957. 25 3/4 x 21 in.

3. Your Only Chance, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Wand of the Genii. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 471. August 22, 1956. 28 x 29 in.

3. Your Only Chance, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Wand of the Genii. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 471. August 22, 1956. 28 x 29 in.

4. The Power to Change, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 615. July 31, 1957. 28 x 22 in.

4. The Power to Change, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 615. July 31, 1957. 28 x 22 in.

5. Sweet Chemistry, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 489. September 28, 1956. 28 x 29 in.

5. Sweet Chemistry, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 489. September 28, 1956. 28 x 29 in.

6. Cold Currents, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 492. October 2, 1956. 28 1/8 x 21 7/8 in.

6. Cold Currents, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 492. October 2, 1956. 28 1/8 x 21 7/8 in.

7. On the Sea Stack, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 616. August 1, 1957. 28 1/8 x 22 1/8 in.

7. On the Sea Stack, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 616. August 1, 1957. 28 1/8 x 22 1/8 in.

8. Child of Mine, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Wand of the Genii. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 743. September 21, 1958. 25 7/8 x 22 in.

8. Child of Mine, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Wand of the Genii. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 743. September 21, 1958. 25 7/8 x 22 in.

9. Something Greater, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 495. October 11, 1956. 28 x 29 1/2 in.

9. Something Greater, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 495. October 11, 1956. 28 x 29 1/2 in.

10. Give Me Strength, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on paperboard, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 693. March 26, 1958. 25 1/4 x 22 in.

10. Give Me Strength, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein,

11. These Arms, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on masonite, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 609. July 8, 1957. 23 7/8 x 24 in.

11. These Arms, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein,

Arms from the Sea in the TooFar Media App

The multimedia version of Arms from the Sea combines Rich’s novel with visionary paintings by Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, and hypnotic music and vocals by Orenda Fink.

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Use your device’s camera to scan and download the TooFar Media App. Available on iOS and Android.

Acclaim for Arms from the Sea

“Arms from the Sea is a tangible encounter with the creative spirit. A guide for reconstructing our understanding of water and our origins.”
—Moses Hacmon
“Shapero is a spellbinding storyteller.”
—Howard Frank Mosher
“Shapero displays an impressive command of the unconscious.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“An interesting, thought-provoking mix of described action and spiritual & physical transformation.”
—Nanci, Goodreads
“Pure Gold!!! A richly tapestried underwater psychedelic dreamscape adventure. Heartfelt and moving. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.”
—John, Goodreads
“It was wild. I saw someone describe it as a slow burn horror and I would agree with that . . . I really enjoyed the pay off.”
—Dineka, Goodreads
“I enjoyed the premise and very much liked the characters . . . It gave me poetic vibes, which I savored.”
—CeriseFern, Goodreads
“Different from most novels, psychedelic. Interesting.”
—Bill Winett, Goodreads
Book Plate, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled. Oil on masonite, signed, dated and numbered. EVB 607. July 3, 1957. 24 x 24 in.

Download Arms from the Sea

Arms from the Sea combines novel, visual art and music to create a provocative story for the eyes, ears, and imagination.

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Get the full multimedia novel, including music and art, in the TooFar Media App.

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Rich Shapero

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Titles

  • Dreams of Delphine
  • The Slide That Buried Rightful
  • Dissolve
  • Island Fruit Remedy
  • Balcony of Fog
  • Rin, Tongue and Dorner
  • Arms from the Sea
  • The Hope We Seek
  • Too Far
  • Wild Animus

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© 2023 Rich Shapero. All rights reserved
Rich Shapero is an author, writer, and musician whose novels are available in hardcover, as ebooks (on Amazon Kindle, Apple Books and Google Books), and in the TooFar Media app for iOS and Android (on the Apple App Store and Google Play). His titles include Dreams of Delphine, The Slide That Buried Rightful, Dissolve, Island Fruit Remedy, Balcony of Fog, Rin, Tongue and Dorner, Arms from the Sea, The Hope We Seek, Too Far, and Wild Animus. Use this site to learn more about Rich Shapero and his work.
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