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Patrick Gawain knows monsters. He's seen plenty of the human sort
in the Holy Lands, and as he sails home from The First Crusade, a
hooded apparition begins to stalk him. Convinced that he's lost his
mind, he holes up in a monastery to convalesce and, if recovery
proves impossible, to hide his demons from the world. But a
stranger comes to find him and presents a barely credible
invitation: travel to Avalon and serve with the Avangarde, an order
of knights sworn to protect young scholars from around the world.
Thinking it will be a fresh start, Patrick agrees, and soon
discovers that Avalon is more than a myth; it is the site of a
vibrant secret academy - and it's also full of ghosts, goblins, and
talking wolves. He can capably protect the castle from the island's
supernatural beasts, but in the relative peace of the academy life,
his hooded demon returns and his troubled heart causes him to
sabotage the love of a young woman, Katherina. When an ancient
being with sinister designs for the island infiltrates the academy,
Patrick is the first to suspect its true nature when it begins its
quest by seducing Katherina. Patrick soon learns that before he can
defeat monsters, he must first defeat his personal demons.
"Adam Copeland on Edge" is what the author describes as "a mental
picture." It's also a dream -- "one of many" -- that he decided to
realize while at home convalescing from potential career-ending
neck surgery. And it's a journey that explores not only his life
but also his innermost thoughts.
In the small town of Orangeville, Ontario, Copeland was raised by
a loving mother who, while working multiple jobs just to pay the
rent, nurtured her son's passion for Spider-Man comics and KISS
albums. When a family tragedy created a void in Copeland's life,
that void was soon filled by the wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, who
"made me feel like I could accomplish anything."
For Copeland, "anything" meant becoming a wrestler, an ambition
shared by his friend Jason Reso, who would eventually form the
indie tag team Suicide Blondes with Copeland, then join him in WWE
as Edge's "brother," Christian. Winning a newspaper essay contest
earned Copeland free wrestling training from independent veterans
Sweet Daddy Siki and Ron Hutchinson. The author shares his vivid,
often outrageous memories of wrestling throughout Canada and the
midwestern United States and befriending future WWE Superstars like
Terry Richards (Rhyno), Sean Morley (Val Venis), and Chris Jericho.
Hard work and persistence brought Copeland to World Wrestling
Entertainment. But his "inauspicious" "Raw" debut -- during which
he accidentally knocked out his opponent -- supports his claim that
"I had no idea" how to make the transformation to Edge.
Copeland retraces the steps he took to "Edgeucate" himself, from
his goth days with the Brood's Christian and Gangrel to ushering in
the "E&C Dynasty," which in turn revitalized WWE's Tag Team
division (with the aid of the Hardy Boyz, the Dudley Boyz, and
countless tables, ladders, and chairs).
With vivid detail and sincerity, Copeland offers his thoughts
about not only fulfilling his goals but also building upon them. He
shares his actual surprise over winning the Intercontinental title
for the first time; the anxiety he felt while splitting up with
Christian; his eventual determination "to grab the damn ball out of
someone's hands and take off"; the distress of almost losing his
long blond hair to Kurt Angle; his wonder over enjoying a brief Tag
Team title reign with the icon who first inspired him; the
simultaneous pain of a broken marriage and two ruptured discs in
his neck; and the nervous energy of returning to Raw in March 2004
and setting his sights on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
You think you know Edge? Then read on....
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