Fugue by David Houston

Novel of literary fiction and six-track musical concept album

Fugue is a literary novel and musical concept album synthesized together as a mobile app, written, composed, and coded by David Houston.

A soldier/spy with uncertain allegiances and a unique relationship to music; a troubled optimist who suspects her dreams can foretell the future; a power-motivated nemesis who believes he speaks directly to God; these characters coalesce in tragedy and triumph, in violence and romance, in a shifting global landscape that spans thirty years of time across four continents. From New York to Afghanistan to Seville and beyond, each character undergoes a life-altering event as young adults which sets him or her inexorably on a path for redemption.

This highly nuanced work of literary fiction is accompanied by a six track musical concept album. The music displays a diverse array of styles and genres, ranging from rock to classical, from metal to singer/songwriter. Professionally recorded/mastered and streaming direct from Soundcloud (available for download on iTunes), these works of music develop the central thematic material in the story by means of both original lyrics and famous poems (Kipling's If and Frost's The road not taken). The three vocalists personify the three main characters, while a host of talented musicians support with acoustic/electric guitars, piano, cello, drums, and bass.

The app fully incorporates the musical experience with the literary text in a multi-media hybrid suitable for all mobile devices. Bookmark your progress as you read, share the music as you hear it, explore maps relative to the plot, and read handwritten passages from the characters. This app was coded using the Ionic framework and AngularJS. Note, parts I and II are released here, with parts III and IV scheduled for release (via a free update) by August 2015.

As a former Captain and decorated combat veteran with the United States Army, a previously published author in the field of linguistics, a classically trained guitarist and composer, and proficient computer programmer, David Houston is pleased to present this literary-musical-digital project to you. It has taken him three years to write, compose, and code the numerous aspects of Fugue, but the process has been very rewarding. Thank you, and enjoy!