The Ogre of All-Saints

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This is a proposal for a collaborative novel entitled The Ogre of All-Saints. The basic idea is that I will write most of a novel but many key scenes will be narrated and introduced as though they were excerpts from a chapter in a different novel entirely. For example, if the main characters get in an argument in a restaurant, that scene might be described in a chapter narrated by the waitress, who is writing about it as a significant event in her career as a waitress. So if you want to participate, create an account on this wiki and give an email address, as that is how I will contact you when I am ready for you to begin. In most cases, I will offer you 1% of the royalties from the book for each chapter you write

I would also like to propose a fantasy collaborative novel. If you're into fantasy fiction (the sword-and-sorcery kind, not urban fantasy), see The Commander's Wife.

This novel (provisionally entitled "The Ogre of All-Saints") is about Mario Cohen, who is sort of a prototypical big, dumb and ugly thug. He is illiterate, white but swarthy enough he can pass for Latino, and he stutters so badly he usually pretends to be mute. He is a champion fighter. He is covered in scars and tattoos, and has a messed up-looking pupil. Altogether, he is a terrifying man. That's one of the reasons I want chapters written from the POV of minor characters: I want to remind the reader that people are scared of Mario based on his appearance. He looks like a murderer, and has a dull affect, a vacant stare and a very rough demeanor. In his adult life, he is a professional fighter and hired muscle for his two best friends and former foster brothers, Antonio and Jamaal. This novel is primarily set in Frederick, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore/DC. Mario has never in his life left Maryland; to parallel that, it's important that the novel itself does not "leave" Maryland. Important things can happen outside the state, but the novel's POV must remain within the state, except for when Mario goes to a different dimension.

The novel opens with Mario stumbling into "the Homestead", which is a mansion inhabited by seven crazy old ladies. They describe the Homestead as being located where "all coordinates are infinite in value. As such, it consists of all possibilities, both real and unreal, simultaneously". He then runs into aspects of his life, people and places jumbled up and recast into new environments. So he sees his friends dealing smuggled unobtainium powder instead of cocaine, and he sees himself dealing with the same problems he dealt with, but back in the 19th century, just to give a few examples.

Along with Mario, the most important characters are his former foster brothers, Antonio and Jamaal.

Antonio is Latino and very attractive. He is charming and suave. He's not especially intelligent, and he's foolhardy. He's a conman at heart and he's very greedy and ambitious. The only reason he works with Jamaal and Mario is that he trusts them and he needs people he can trust. He has a cocaine problem and is basically a sex addict.

Jamaal is black and very intelligent. He's the mastermind of the group, but he is very lacking in charisma. He's not articulate, especially around strangers. He's pudgy and is sometimes described as toad-like. He is cynical, sarcastic and often rude. He does lots of drugs and drinks constantly, eventually he gets addicted to heroin too.

The relationship between these three people will probably make up the bulk of the novel. Depending on who you are and how you see things, it sometimes looks like Jamaal and Antonio are protective of Mario, or that they are exploiting him, or that just one is and the other is trying to protect him. At times it seems like Jamaal is in charge, and at times it seems like he's just putting the brakes on Antonio's wildest schemes.

Important Notes:

Length: Aim for 5k to 10k words for most chapters. It's okay to make it longer. I might cut some stuff and I might make some of the more standalone parts a separate prequel or something. I've put a bunch of chapters, some of which will require multiple authors, down below. Some of those won't get filled or will be combined, I'm waiting to see who's interested in what. I won't actually use all of the chapters below, probably.
Mario never in his life leaves Maryland (except for the alternate dimension, wherein he's trying to get back to Maryland). To parallel that, the novel's POV can never leave Maryland. Characters can talk about and recollect things that happened outside the state, but the actual POV consciousness must stay within the boundaries.
I'm developing a real world Open Setting on this very wiki, so all brands and celebrities must be fictional. I'm developing a list here. As long as nothing in your chapter relies on a particular celebrity or brand, you can go ahead and use real world stuff, and I'll fix it. Like if you want a character to be listening to Metallica, you can say that and I'll replace it with something appropriate. If you do come up with a fictional brand or celebrity, please add it to the list I linked (and if you need one, look over what's already there - it's better to re-use one one somebody else has already used than to make up a new one).
I'm giving you a summary of an entire novel, but you are only writing a chapter from it. You don't have to communicate the entire novel's story in that chapter. just imply the basics and what you need to explain the chapter you're writing. It's not set in stone either, if you think you have a better idea, let me know.
If you want to format shift, say by making your chapter a 1 act play or something, that's probably fine. Just let me know. If you have an idea for a genre-shift, that's okay too.

[edit] Chapters

I have some more details in place about some of these chapters, so this list is just presented so you can choose a few you could write. I will contact people over the next couple of months to assign chapters, so don't get committed in your mind to doing something specific. Everybody's work will build on each other, with minor characters appearing and reappearing in different contexts, so don't start writing until I specifically email you and tell you to start, giving you a deadline and a specific list of details you need to include.

To choose one or more, just click "edit" and type ~~~ in the list under each item (this "signs" with your username). Multiple people can sign up for the same chapter, and you can sign up for more than one (feel free to put a number after the tildes to indicate the level of desire you have for each chapter, where 1 is your first choice, 2 is your second, etc.) Some people undoubtedly won't follow through, so it's okay to claim a chapter even if others already have. Make sure you gave an email address in your preferences if you didn't use it when you signed up', as I will email you to work things out and hopefully get everyone a chapter that they will be happy with.

I've written a long poem you can read "Living Hideous". It is written by Jamaal, and it will eventually be used by a prosecutor who links each of the stanzas to a different murder or other crime. Most of them represent drug dealers who were robbed, but you can do something else instead. Antonio infiltrated each of these victims beforehand, setting up a perfect time to strike. In most cases, the victims don't realize, even after the fact, that Antonio was colluding.
1. Minifidel
When Mario is briefly adopted by the Thurstons when he is 16, he has his first romantic relationship with Lisa, the best friend of his adoptive sister, Vanessa. The story of their romance is told through a series of historical chapters as follows. Each one is separate in setting but has the same characters more or less.
1. Colonial Frederick: Mario is an orphan taken in by a wealthy colonial family. In this chapter, he and Vanessa meet Lisa, who flirts with Mario. This parallels Mario's real world adoption.
2. Early 19th century: Mario is an escaped slave traveling north through Maryland. He runs into Lisa in the woods at night, and she takes him to a group of friends who aid him. This parallels Lisa taking him to his first social event when he moves into town.
3. Civil War: Mario is a Confederate soldier wounded in the Battle of Monocacy just outside Frederick. Lisa is a nurse who has fallen in love with him. He is bitter and uncaring but in this chapter, she gives him opium, which calms him and relieves his pain. They have sex. This parallels real world events where she gives him Ecstacy and opens up just a little bit, and they have sex. (note: this chapter must contain mention of Barbara Fritchie))
4. 1880s or 90s: Mario is a young Italian immigrant working for the Thurstons in Frederick. He is consistently out boozing with his friends when he is not working, and Lisa is mad because he only comes to see her late at night when he is very drunk. This parallels him doing the same thing in the real world: getting drunk with his friends and sneaking into her room just to have sex and pass out.
5. World War 1: Mario is a soldier soon to leave for the war. He is an orphan who had been taken in by the Thurstons, and Lisa doesn't want him to go. Mario has a clear drinking problem here and is trying to get Lisa to drink with him. This parallels real world events when Mario is arrested for trespassing or something relatively minor like that. He gets probation, and Lisa is worried he will get in big trouble one day and go to prison for a long time. Lisa only drinks at parties and is annoyed when Mario wants to get drunk with her.
6. World War 2: Mario is a native american stationed at Fort Detrick, Frederick, and his job is to inform families when their sons are killed. Lisa is a receptionist, and she tells him she loves him. He does not reciprocate, and she gets mad, breaks up with him. He is drunk and angry when he leaves her, promising to do something dangerous and illegal (you can decide what). This parallels real world events when Lisa breaks up with Mario because he gave Andrew (Mario's adoptive 13 yro brother) LSD and then drunkenly kicked Lisa's dog. Mario is arrested soon after for accidentally killing one of his teachers (he is innocent).
7. 1967: Mario is a hippie in some sort of reform school. The staff include a fat white redneck named Bradley and a black guy named Caleb. There is some sort of unrest among the residents, exacerbated by Mario when he is told that Lisa died in a drunk driving accident. This parallels a similar situation in the real world.
Write a murder mystery, longer than most chapters, maybe even a short novella. Tony, Jamaal and Mario know a guy named Ferris. Ferris is gay and he makes and sells porn online. Eventually, he and Tony will make millions off porn, investing together, but at this point, Tony is just a part-time porn actor and Ferris' cocaine dealer. Ferris invites Tony, Jamaal and Mario to come to a friend's mansion to sell cocaine. They come, along with one of Antonio's whores, a half-Japanese heroin junkie named Amy. I had a plan for this chapter but I haven't written it and am not totally thrilled with it. So if you want to come up with your own short murder mystery that's fine. The important parts are that you should show Mario, Tony and Jamaal working together efficiently to sell cocaine. Mario is pretending to be mute and is an effective deterrent to anyone trying to rob or cheat them. Amy is a junkie who has previously narrated chapters and said over and over that she is strong and independent, and she is using Antonio for sex and drugs. This chapter will be the first time it is obvious that she is totally delusional, and she is a servile whore doing whatever Tony wants in exchange for heroin. When the murder occurs, Mario must be the first suspect - he looks like a killer and everyone will always blame him first - but it wasn't him.
1. EldaTaluta
2. Specialkake2
A woman named Rita has written a novel about her first love, Jamaal. She is rude, tempestuous and not particularly attractive. He is a drug dealer, which she does not approve of. They met in high school. Write a chapter from her story, set in the summer of 2002, when Jamaal and his friend Tony move into an apartment. This chapter is significant because it is about how she realized she loved Jamaal and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. She should reflect on their courtship back in high school. Note that she will eventually be murdered by Antonio who suspects her of cooperating with the police.
This one will require a couple of authors. It takes place at a group home for teenagers, one of whom is Mario. They go to see a Harry Potter-like movie, and the fire alarm at the theater is pulled. Chaos ensues and they are separated from each other and from staff. I'll write a few chapters set amongst these kids and staff that build up to this trip to the movies as a climax. 3-4 writers will contribute a chapter written from the POV of different kids, each one of whom only knows a part of what happened. This was a very serious night - two of the kids end up dead, and another is in prison for murder.
1. EldaTaluta
2. Watyrfall
3. Polyaddict
A prisoner named Beatrice Helgorin writes a confessional novel about her life as a cop. She is reflecting on how she accidentally became a crooked, corrupt cop. In this chapter, it is 2003, and she meets a charming Latino man. This is Antonio, though he goes by a fake name. He seduces her and she falls in love. She gives him information that she now (years later, in prison for not directly related reasons) realizes he used for evil. What she does in this chapter was against the rules but not obviously malevolent, and she didn't know at the time that Antonio was just pumping her for information on his rivals.
This chapter is a detailed Internet posting on a white pride message board. It is a man contrasting two events. He claims he is a police officer, and is explaining why he doesn't like white people. In one story, a black homeless man who goes by Dagger is making a scene, and the cop calmly, politely gives him a chance to leave. Dagger grows irate and attacks the cop, who arrests him and is forced to tase him. In the second event, he is called to a Chinese restaurant by its owners, who say that Mario, keeps coming into their restaurant shirtless, and they are unable to make him understand that this is not allowed. The cop meets Mario there, informs him of the rule and the situation is resolved. To the officer, this is proof that white people are more civilized.
Set in 2006, this is a chapter about a heavyweight fighter from a book about his life. He is approaching the end of his career because he is getting old. His trainer is a gruff coach, Duff Kagan. Duff is hired by Antonio to coach Mario, who has a lot of raw power and talent but is untrained. In this chapter, the narrating boxer first realizes that he is past his prime because Duff ignores him in favor of Mario, the new up and coming sensation.
1. Henrykul3
A skinny, beautiful half-Japanese woman named Amy is sent to prison after being caught drunk driving with cocaine and a gun in her purse. She is one of Antonio's prostitutes, and the drugs and gun are his, but she does not give him up. She only goes in for three months. In this chapter, she finds god and becomes born-again, promising to give up drugs and Antonio. There is an incident in this chapter where a combination of guards and prisoners insist on watching a fight on TV. It's a high-profile match but it is cancelled at the last minute for reasons that are not explained. This can be a minor incident of little importance, or it could lead to a riot or whatever, that's up to you. There's some more important details I won't get into here.
1. Stirthepot
The climax to a horror story about a haunted apartment building. The ghosts are three beautiful young women, all of them junkies who oded on bad heroin. The story should conclude in some way, and must provide a crucial piece of backstory: the three young women and prostitutes, who shared an apartment Antonio paid for, saw Antonio with blood on his jeans the night before they died. Though your chapter won't make this clear because even in death, the three women don't realize it, but this fact will imply that they didn't just overdose: Antonio poisoned them with bad heroin because they could link him to a different murder. That part will come out in a different chapter though, it's just a point for you to keep in mind.
1. EldaTaluta
2. Stirthepot
A chapter from the middle of a Western novel. It's about a livestock veterinarian in the old west who treats some cows owned by a brothel. He falls in love with one of the prostitutes (who is either black or half-black), escapes with her and finally kills the cruel bandit sent to retrieve her. You'll write a chapter from somewhere in the middle or maybe near the climax of this book. The author is a real world veterinarian, and the characters are real world people he knows. Only, in the real world, he bought cocaine and prostitutes from a customer (Tony) in exchange for treating Tony's pitbull named Bitch, and the vet (Yancy) fell in love with a prostitute. In the real world, she did not fall in love with him. Later, Yancy pursues a young employee named Emily only to be repeatedly intimidated by her boyfriend, Mario. Antonio and Mario are the villains of his story, and the prostitute he falls in love with combines the first real world prostitute with Emily. None of that will be apparent from your chapter, but it's important subtext, which the reader will know. Yancy basically tells this story to explain what he wishes would have happened.
1. Who was me
A chapter from a noir style detective novel. The author and hero/detective is a real-world cop who is developing schizophrenia. He sees Mario as a crime lord, and this is after Jamaal and Antonio die, so he's wrong, he just sees Mario in rough parts of town and hanging out with people who are criminals. In his novel, the detective is receiving coded messages from Mario as crime lord, and the messages are accurate. In this chapter, it should come across as real; the reader will realize later it is a thinly veiled version of a schizophrenic cop.
1. Specialkake1
2. Who was me
A chapter from near the beginning of a superhero novel. Tell the story of a person victimized by Antonio, Jamaal and Mario - it could be a rival drug dealer, an extortion victim, whatever. In the real world, s/he gave in because he was scared of them. In his story, he is victimized in a dramatic way, becomes a superhero and vows to take revenge.
1. EldaTaluta1
2. Stirthepot
A chapter from an autobiography of an ex-convict. You can come up with all the details, except for one important plot point. Mario (then a teenager, very tall but skinny and awkward, scarred and rough so he can easily pass for an adult) has been basically smuggled into the prison and is kept there unofficially for unsavory purposes by inmates. The hero of your chapter finds out about him and reports him, the guards are either to corrupt to care or just don't believe him, and the hero writes a letter to a fictional organization like Amnesty International. Nothing comes of it in the course of this chapter, so you'll have to provide some other plot line that has a resolution of some kind.
1. Who was me
The real world characters Mario, Antonio and Jamaal sell cocaine. Write a chapter from a science fiction novel in which those three characters are smuggling something else, either a drug or a chemical of some kind. They are almost caught but manage to escape due to a key piece of information that Antonio has received from a woman he seduced previously. This will parallel real world events in which the same thing happened.
1. Who was me
2. Stirthepot
3. Hacx 17:04, 14 October 2011 (UTC)
This one's a bit complicated, so let me explain the real world context first. Antonio makes porn. He both acts and produces . Mostly it is rough gangbang stuff at first. Then he develops a hit line of videos in which he plays "Miguel Machisme", a Latin thug who is a violent drug dealer and legendary seducer of women. In the videos, he finds women at the clubs, takes them home, has sex with them and then talks them into having anal sex and/or letting his friends have sex with them or doing other kinky things. "Miguel" offers tips to the viewer to get women to do what he does, but his tips are to act like an extra cartoonish rap star. Obviously it's all staged and meant to play on men's insecurity (he reiterates that a large penis important, for example, and sells penis enhancement pills in the video), but the videos are marketed as real. Write a chapter in which a guy describes spending thousands of dollars hiring Miguel to go out with him to help him pick up chicks. This guy (who's narrating the chapter you're writing) gets two hot chicks to come home with him and have sex with him because he is doing what Miguel tells him. It's an amazing experience for him, and he becomes basically addicted to it, spending thousands on "Miguel" because he can never seem to do it on his own. Of course Miguel is Antonio, the women are prostitutes, and they are just bilking the guy out of money. If you want to write erotica, this chapter can be it, though it doesn't have to be.
1. Josemandiaz
This one is very freeform. Mario has basically four serious romantic relationships in the course of the book. There is a redhead named Lisa, a half-black vet tech/social work major named Emily, a fat black comedian named Sharlene and a woman who I haven't named or described yet beyond that she will be another big black woman (Mario has a thing for big black women, if you hadn't guessed). Mario also has a mother (Betty) who was in prison for almost his whole life. In 1986, Mario was 5 and didn't know any of them yet. He was brought to a shopping mall by the man who raised him, where all five women also are at the same time. None of them know each other yet. In 1986, Lisa was 3; Emily was a newborn; Sharlene was 12 and the fourth woman was between 5-10. Betty is outside the mall picking up trash as part of a prison job. None of these characters interact and we'll work out subtle ways to signal to the reader that they are all there. You'll write a chapter that can be about anything as long as it allows you to describe these characters at the mall. It could be about Emily's parents and the stresses of raising a child, it could be about employees of a girls clothing shop, whatever you want.
1. Hacx 17:04, 14 October 2011 (UTC)
When he's a teen, Mario is briefly adopted by a very nice, very naive couple named Brad and Janet. They are wealthy and a little guilty about it, so they think they will "rescue" Mario and turn him into a Christian. This does not work. They have a daughter Mario's age, Vanessa, and a 12 yro son, Andrew, who is an awkward nerdy teen. He idolizes Mario, who is rough and thuggish at a time when that is very hip. He tries to be more like Mario, much to his parent's dismay (they hoped Andrew would rub off on Mario, not the other way around). Mario has never been respected by pretty much anybody, so he exults in this. Write a chapter from the POV of one of Andrew's friends. This friend was best friends with Andrew until his family adopted Mario and Andrew tried to act like a thug. At one point, Andrew is given LSD (by Mario) and has a bad trip; your narrator isn't necessarily involved, but this incident should be referred to. They moved apart and your narrator feels intensely betrayed, especially when Andrew openly calls him a pussy or something along those lines, in public, humiliating him. Your narrator remains bitter about this incident years later and is writing a chapter about it.
1. Minifidel
This is a chapter from a book about a novelist who wrote one best-selling novel and then a string of failures. Eventually broke, he is forced to begin teaching. Humiliatingly, he can only find a job teaching poetry at the Frederick County Maryland Community College. He hates poetry, especially rhyming. In interviews, he used to badmouth the very concept of teaching writing, and he feels like a hypocrite being forced to do it. His first class contains a ragtag bunch of misfits, including Jamaal. At this stage, Jamaal is somewhat hopeful for his life, and he is living with Antonio, who is selling coke, but Jamaal is not participating. He wants to go to college and change the world. While he teaches your narrating teacher a lesson, Jamaal is comparing his own struggles to Antonio's success in drug dealing. Jamaal is jealous, and will eventually drop out of school to make money with Antonio. You'll write a chapter involving Jamaal writing rhyming poetry, which the teacher hates, and some sort of lesson. You can write the poetry if you feel comfortable, if not, I can write it, I have rhyming poetry ready for this purpose.
1. Henrykul1
2. Minifidel
Several authors needed here. Mario becomes embroiled in a "trial of the century", with a bunch of media coverage. He initially humiliates himself on TV, hurts his legal situation and otherwise messes up because it all starts suddenly and he doesn't know what to do. A gaggle of celebrities get involved for their own personal reasons. Each of the follow celebrities narrates a chapter:
1. "Chief Tall Bear" is a Native American themed professional wrestler. He sees himself in Mario's life story, and thinks he can make the jump to serious acting if he can get the life rights. He reaches out to Mario for that purpose. He literally finds Mario on the street and causes a disturbance to get the press to look at him, so "Tall Bear"'s lawyers can whisk Mario away.

2. In a previous brush with fame, Mario was a judge on a food TV reality show. One of the chefs from that show is now an esteemed gourmet (a well-trained expert named Thomas Regaux), and he reaches out, hoping to get a little publicity for his restaurant. He lets Mario stay at his home in Maryland during the trial.
3. An as-yet unnamed individual from some sort of legal aid org. He's devoted and messianic, and though his apparent motives are more pure than the other two, he is just as self-aggrandizing as they are. His chapter is about his interviewing Mario and preparing him for trial.
  1. Hacx 17:04, 14 October 2011 (UTC)
The prosecutor who goes after Mario gets caught up in fervor and is convinced that Mario is a mass murderer. He's not entirely wrong, but he manufactures evidence, resulting in most of the charges getting thrown out and the prosecutor himself being disbarred. Back in undergrad, the prosecutor wrote a series of intensely philosophical dialogues for a theatre writing class he had to take for a fine arts credit. Write the script to this short dialogue, which should have some sort of story as well. But it was written by someone who's not very creative and really just wanted to argue philosophy (remember he's pre-law). It should express the mindset of the author, who will eventually go on to see himself as justified in manufacturing evidence to get someone he knows is guilty convicted. This will come across like the prosecutor defending his actions to the reader (though it is written many years before the trial starts).
Dr. Tom Armstrong is a gay pediatrician who was accused of child molestation. It was eventually proven that the boy in question was making it up, but he has to move. He moves to Frederick MD, and becomes a family practice doctor. He falls in love with a man. Write a chapter about their love. The most important point here is to mention a character named Gerald. Gerald and Dr. Armstrong used to be lovers back when he was a pediatrician. They broke up and moved apart, now they happen to both be living in Frederick County. Gerald is a middle aged black man who is now "ex-gay" and goes by "Brother Gerald". He will play a role later but this chapter will be the only way the reader knows he is ex-gay. He will eventually take a child to see Dr. Armstrong and the reader will not know about this subtext between them until later. Be subtle about it though, and don't actually call him Gerald - call him Gerry or some other pet name. The reader will have to pay close attention to realize why this chapter is relevant and who Gerry is. FTR, Gerald is black (Armstrong is white as I've written him but he doesn't have to be).
A chapter written by someone who lived in a foster home with Mario, Jamaal and Antonio. Jamaal and Antonio have known each other for many years, having lived in various foster homes in the same area. Mario moved in more recently. Mario is heavily scarred and very tall and skinny, he is seen as a freak and an outcast. Those three are 15 in 1996, when this chapter takes place. Antonio is very sexually active, Jamaal is a sarcastic pothead. The narrator is a younger kid in the same foster home. You can do whatever you want, as long as you illustrate the burgeoning relationship between those three. I'm expecting the narrator will be a kid who is bullied by the threesome - Mario is easily controllable and strong, and Antonio loves to control him into bullying younger kids. But you don't have to make it a straightforward bully story, just show the relationship now that Mario has entered it.
A short chapter written by a woman. She falls in love with Antonio, has sex with him and he eventually breaks up with her. Write a chapter narrated by he explaining how this episode in her love life came about and then ended. Remember that Antonio gets off on control: he would be a rapist if he thought he could get away with it. Instead, he seduces women and talks them into doing more than they wanted. If she is willing to have sex, he talks her into anal. If she is willing to do anal, he talks her into having sex with other women while he watches. If she is into kinky stuff, he will push it as far as he can until she resists, and then he'll push hard for that no matter what it is. This chapter needs to communicate all that.

[edit] Overview of Mario's life (you don't have to read this)

If you want to get some clarity about the overall structure of Mario's life, here you go. Depending on how things develop, I will probably combine some incidents and trim things down, and some events will only be described briefly.

As a child, Mario is kidnapped and trained to become a world-class assassin. He's trained by the only people who would try to do something like that: a pair of sociopaths who are not focused enough to really do it right. So they succeed in some ways, but fail to bother teaching him ordinary skills like reading, social interaction, etc.
Having been given human growth hormone so he looks older than he really is, Mario escapes from his captors and winds up first in an illegal immigrant work camp for a few days, then he is caught up in an INS sweep. He is basically mute at this point, so he is detained while they look for parents and somewhere to deport him to. Detained by INS in a prison but separate from prisoners, Mario is accidentally commingled and smuggled into an adult prison by inmates, with the collusion of a guard.
Escaping from that scenario, Mario winds up in a series of foster homes. He does not fit in especially well. He makes friends with Antonio and Jamaal.
At 16, Mario is adopted by Brad and Janet Thurston (they have two children: Vanessa, 16; Andrew, 12). Brad and Janet are devout Christians and they (or at least Janet) sincerely believe that they can turn Mario into a Christian like them. This does not go well. Mario beats up Brad, turns Andrew into a thug and has sex with Vanessa's friend Lisa. This ends when Mario is convicted of accidentally killing one of his teachers. He is actually innocent but he is tricked into confessing.
Mario goes to a group home. Since he is a minor with no major record, and he is not convicted of actual murder, he can leave when he is 18 if he stays with the program. He is not able to stay with the program though, and is sent to adult prison until he is 20.
Antonio and Jamaal wait for Mario to come out. Mario at this point is 7'6". When he gets out of prison, he is somewhat skinny, but he will eventually become around 430 lbs of solid muscle. Remember that he was given human growth hormone as a child. Antonio and Jamaal both truly care for Mario and they want to exploit him.
Antonio, Jamaal and Mario become very wealthy through various means. They sell drugs. They collect debts for gangsters. They rob drug dealers. They extort. They make porn. They pimp. Mario becomes a professional fighter, an underground legend who is about to become world-famous when an important bout is cancelled at the last minute. Reasons are not given publicly, but word eventually leaks that the league found out Mario was diagnosed with mild mental retardation in his group home, which disqualifies him from legally consenting to a fight.
Mario is humiliated. He has become a minor celebrity. He obsessively jogs around Frederick, MD, and since he's so huge and distinctive looking, he's a well-known local figure, and he's called the "Ogre of All-Saints". (All-Saints St. is a real road in Frederick) He has a few other more minor adventures, and meets a girl named Emily. They have a relationship of sorts, though he remains very distant. She is dying of brain cancer. Jamaal kills himself and Antonio dies of an accidental cocaine overdose.
The FBI finds video tapes documenting Mario's childhood. He is located, and the FBI tries to get him to help track down his tormentor. He goes rogue and does it himself instead.
A power-mad prosecutor indicts Mario for a bevy of crimes, some of them stuff he actually did, some stuff Antonio and Jamaal did without him, some are totally bogus. This becomes a media circus, a trial of the century. During the trial, it is revealed that the prosecutor has fabricated evidence.
Many of the charges are dismissed. Mario is convicted of some counts but escapes the worst charges on the grounds that he had little to no awareness or role in what Antonio and Jamaal did.
It is discovered that Mario was kidnapped when he was about 2. His mother, Betty, was convicted of his murder based on fabricated evidence, planted by the town sheriff, who had raped Betty, thus leading to Mario's conception. Betty is released during Mario's trial, and the very last part of the book will be about Mario finally being released from prison again, with Emily dead of brain cancer, his friends long gone, he's got no one except a mother he's never really met. So the last part of the book is written from her POV.

The Ogre of All-Saints

[edit] Chapters

[edit] Overview of Mario's life (you don't have to read this)

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