The 21st century — Meet Dr. Robert Fludd aka Robertus Fluctibus, the delightful gazillionth great Uncle of Theo Fadel. A physician and alchemist, in the year 1616 he was the first Englishman to comment on the Rosy Cross publications newly released in Germany. Theo has just illustrated a new edition of one of these, The Chemical Wedding. This did not come to light until after Theo finished the illustrations and she has no idea why Dr. Fluctibus is trying so hard in this image NOT to make the Vulcan sign.
“It’s not so strange,” says Theo “They often throw me a bone like this from the far side. Also, I’m known as a joker, but this one seems to be true. There’s a lot of inbreeding and complex arrangements in European ancestry, but as a child I did have extra fangs growing from the roof of my mouth. That alone confirms . . . a lot of things. And I didn’t make up the book either. Gavin at Small Beer says it’s coming out next year and I believe him.”
After four hundred years Small Beer Press is expected to release John Crowley’s new edition of The Chemical Wedding in 2016 AD.