Sunday, December 7, 2025
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The Devil Pulls the Strings Podcast Series

Do you like when time travel, twisted history, and secret societies collide?

The Devil Pulls the Strings, described as The Librarians meet The Magicians, is an epic fantasy adventure set in modern-day Wentzville, MO, New York City, and 1813 Genoa, Italy, weaves bromance, Slavic mythology, secret societies, Paganini’s music and time travel.

Boone Daniels (22) has problems, debilitating panic attack, gut-wrenching guilt, an evil spirit wendigo haunting him since age six, and now he almost killed his best friend in a joust. But when he fills in for his injured friend at a New York City gig, he ends up meeting the gig’s contact, Professor Stone, at his NYC brownstone where his body falls from the balcony and the place explodes with gun fire.

Boone barely escapes but uncovers a sinister plot to perform a rare Paganini piece that summons the Devil to trap Baba Yaga and destroy modern-day New York City and finds himself on a race through time to capture the cursed melody. Along the way, a crazed immortal, steampunk vampires and Baba Yaga set the stage for war, and Boone shall have to risk death for redemption. Because all Boone wants is to keep a promise to a friend. The same friend, he almost killed last Sunday during a joust.

Can a small-town Missouri musician outplay the supernatural and save NYC’s soul?

The Devil Pulls the Strings is the pulse-pounding first tale in the Archivist series. If you like when tortured heroes, epic battles, time travel, twisted history and secret societies collide, then you’ll love J. W. Zarek’s spectacular page-turner.

This audiobook is narrated by award-winning, professionally trained multi-media performer & audiobook narrator, Curt Bonnem. And for music lovers, includes music by world-renowned musicians Oleg Bezuglov, Natalia Bezuglova, and Vladimir Gapontsev.

Buy the full audiobook at https://bit.ly/DevilPullsStrings. Learn more at jwzarek.com. Chapters released weekly on this podcast.

The Devil Pulls the Strings Podcast Series

49 Episodes Available
Episode 9

ACT TWO Chapter Seven – FANCY FOUNTAIN

5.56 min Sep 5, 2025

While walking with Sapphire to Stone’s office, Boone has a waking vision, and finds himself back in 1794 Genoa, Italy, in front of an ornate fountain. There is something familiar about Mélusine. 

A time travel adventure, the way of kings.

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Episode 8

ACT TWO Chapter Six – HAT AND WATCH

4.43 min Sep 5, 2025

On a bench in the quad in front of the NYU Stern Building, Sapphire shares something significant with Boone.
A small watch on Sapphire’s porkpie hat plays Paganini’s Concerto No. 1 for the violin, her mother’s favorite. 

A sword and sorcery steampunk novel.

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Episode 7

ACT TWO Chapter Five - FEED ME

12.35 min Sep 5, 2025

At a public quad in front of the NYU Stern Building, Boone finds out the girl’s name and her involvement with the murder they just witnessed. 

Boone finds out the girl is Sapphire Anjou. Boone tells Sapphire they should go to Stone’s office to call the police, and are interrupted by a nearby h...

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Episode 6

ACT ONE Chapter Four – NY RED TOP TAXI

10.37 min Sep 5, 2025

The taxi is teleported to the address provided by the girl. And the driver demands payment in song. The taxi driver hands Boone his card, and Boone and the girl exit the taxi.

Gothic LitRPG – Literary Role Playing Game

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Episode 5

ACT ONE Chapter Three – FIRST TIME ANYWHERE

9.93 min Sep 5, 2025

Boone arrives at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in NYC, and with no time to walk to Stone’s brownstone, he finds a taxi. Outside Stone’s brownstone, Boone steps out of the taxi and catches sheet music for Paganini’s sonata, Le Streghe.

A girl carrying a violin case barrels into Boone. Then a...

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Episode 4

ACT ONE Chapter Two – CRUSHED

7.6 min Sep 5, 2025

On the bus ride from Wentzville, MO to New York City, Boone has a waking dream he’s traveled back in time, to 1793 Genoa, Italy, and watches an argument between thirteen-year-old violinist, Niccolò Paganini and ten-year-old Ambrozij Serafin Sinti.
An epic time travel adventure.
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Episode 3

ACT ONE Chapter One – PROMISE ME

15.31 min Sep 5, 2025

Scene opens at the same jousting arena minutes earlier.

After four years of bumps, bruises and preparation, twenty-two-year-old Boone Daniels gets the opportunity to joust his best friend Flynn Michaels. As their lance tips cross, the horses are spooked by the sound of a loud horn, and Flynn is thr...

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Episode 2

Prologue – THE PROPHECY

15.6 min Sep 5, 2025

A prophecy scroll found by Scottish Warrior Laureus in the Lavender and Roses Society’s caverns and tunnels beneath New York City, is given to Professor Stone who sighs. “You know what must be done,” and gives Laureus a horn.
  “But that means one of our own must die,”
  Laureus takes ...

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Episode 1

Welcome to The Devil Pulls the Strings by J.W. Zarek

3.86 min Sep 5, 2025

Do you like when time travel, twisted history, and secret societies collide?
The Devil Pulls the Strings, described as The Librarians meet The Magicians, is an epic fantasy adventure set in modern-day Wentzville, MO, New York City, and 1813 Genoa, Italy. It weaves bromance, Slavic mythology, secr...

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