Marin Author Launches Northern California Treasure Hunt

By: Jessica Mullins

San Rafael resident Connor Pritchard has penned an action-adventure illustrated novel with an unusual twist — it coincides with a real treasure hunt.

Pritchard, 31, spent most of his youth in San Rafael before moving to Los Angeles at age 18. Most recently, he co-created Comedy’s Central’s series Workaholics and wrote for the show for its first season before returning to San Rafael three years ago to develop his new novel.

His new self-published book, The Order of the Magi, is the first in a trilogy focused on the mathematical link between playing cards and ancient astronomy. He explains his fascination with the concept on the website for his book:

“A few years ago, when I was knee-deep into the development of Comedy Central’s Workaholics, my little sister inadvertently directed the course of the next few years of my life, and my next passion project.

She brought me The Mystic Test Book, which explains the mathematical link between playing cards and ancient astronomy.  Check it out:

   ·  4 Suits = 4 Seasons

   · 12 Royal Cards = 12 Months of the Year

   · 13 Cards Per Suit = 13 Moons Per Year

   · 52 Cards in a deck = 52 Weeks in a Year  

If you add up all the numerical values of the cards, they equal 364, as in 364 days of the year (ancient civilizations did not count December 31st).  

The Beast was unleashed.

The more I looked into the origins, theories and mysticism behind an ordinary deck of cards, the more the mysteries took over my creative process. These innocuous things that have caused me (and millions of people worldwide) to win money, loose money, get drunk, or get other people drunk are actually rooted in something bigger, something that was truly meaningful to people somewhere at some point in history – a higher, natural World Order."

To research his book, he traveled to 20 countries around the world. When he created a treasure hunt for artifacts he collected on his trip and earned extensive internet attention via Reddit, it inspired him to make another treasure hunt that coincides with the launch of his book.

Those participating in the hunt must use Pritchard’s book to unlock the cues to find the 16 handcrafted and custom made bronze cards scattered throughout the Bay Area.

The clues will be released on Oct. 11 and a grand prize drawing (at least $5,000) is set for Nov. 15. All the details can be found on his website.  

And for those who might not be interested in a hunt, his book still sounds like an interesting read:

“Keeping true to my own voice, it has more swear words and sexual situations than Hunger Games but less than Game of Thrones (imagine Dan Brown with a sense of humor writing an occult Indiana Jones).  My ultimate goal is to transform the rich context of this trilogy to the big screen. For now I am having fun with the story,” Pritchard wrote on his website.