Shedding Light Upon the Shade of Time

 When it comes to Ayn Rand, I just can’t put the book down.  There was one point where I stood up from my seat, continued out the waiting room and onto the scale still searching for the bookmark (receipt) and fumbling for an ending word.  But, it never came, so I had to find my spot on the page again later.  It has taken me a month to get back to this when the book was only 100 pages!  

Sad to see my own goal mocking me, but I will just say I was a bit naïve and get on with it.  Things come up and distractions are a disaster mixed with the untimely appearance of my dear old skill-set of professional procrastination.  But at the end of the day, I read it and that’s all that matters.  So, here it 'tis.

This book is genius.  Anthem was published a novella in the U.S. during the 1940s and is a perfect example of Ayn Rand’s claim to fame in the world of philosophical fiction.  Her ability to craft visual phrases into beautiful exposition is impressive and the characters are relatable because of their human qualities and imperfections.  Rand delivers the background and information as simple as possible, but also in a way that will influence the audience to give the final story new meaning.  In the end, she has shown her mastery of the art of literary theory.

Never have I ever considered writing a fan-fiction, for ANYTHING… but.

If I was ever into that sort of thing, this story is definitely worth writing an entire series about.  The idea itself is exciting, since it takes place in a civilization that would seem very strange when compared to our own.  Everything is done for “we” and thinking collectively has become the mode of society.   

Anthem Graphic Novel by Charles Santino

And if you don’t comply, you will be lashed (just when you thought we had gotten past the Dark Ages).  There is no advancement in every day life, any discovery of knowledge is buried, there is only that which you are assigned and ordered to do, and you obey.  No one rebels, it is unheard of and unthinkable.

But just when you thought it could maybe be not so bad, you realize that the main character’s name is Equality 7-2521.  There are no personal names.  Names are more like numbers in a classification system.  And the anthem of the ages goes like this, "We are nothing.  Mankind is all.  By the grace of our brothers are we allowed our lives.  We exist through, by and for our brothers who are the State.  Amen."

Oh, Equality 7-2521 is about the age where he is beginning to see the bigger picture.  He’s genuinely intelligent, more so than all others.  And, he has a thirst for knowledge.  It is reminiscent of the forbidden fruit meaning the understanding of all things you did not know before.  It can change a person, and it has since the dawn of humankind.  Now we all wear clothes, and that feeling of embarrassment while unclothed is symbolic of the realization that we are a being that is looked upon by other beings.  The themes are quite similar, since there seems to be a switch in mode of thinking once he crosses the barrier of forbidden knowledge.  The story itself is short and sweet.  My only complaint is that, I want to know more!

Ayn Rand.  Anthem.  (New York:  Signet, 1995),  21.

#6 Dubliners by James Joyce

"The Wild Ones" by Jack B. Yeats

 This book is definitely one of the most well written pieces of literature that I've come across in a long time. It is a good sign when you can reread something and receive even more enjoyment out of it the second time around. That being said, I am excited to read more by James Joyce some day, but for now it is all about Dubliners.

I began reading just before leaving for a tour, and ironically enough, my tour guide was from Dublin. It is interesting to me to find myself being pulled into these scenes when Temple Bar or the river Liffey is mentioned, but the stories really do the city and the people justice. There is such a huge difference of social functionality between cities in Ireland that I was utterly amazed. From Galway to Killarney to Cork to Dublin, the Irish are the same, but all so different!

So for Dubliners at this time, it is all about routine and fantasizing about breaking away from this daily droning into something full of spontaneous excitement. The difficulty lies in a moment when you must make a sacrifice to build something better, and in each scene the character will struggle with a reaction. It is fear or a circumstance or even a person who has such an impact that change seems impossible.

When it comes to the last story, The Dead the theme is obviously in the title. In this story, the final word leaves the reader with a somewhat reassuring truth to the matter at hand. The life of those who live outside the routine leaves more of an impact, because they were devoted to something and this force is carried over even after their deaths. They will be remembered among and even over the living for their passionate nature.

Out of all of these stories, I have to say my favorite is Eveline. There's just something very romantic about it.

Encounters with Realism

James Joyce in 1904

#6 Dubliners by James Joyce

 Ever since I left for Ireland, I’ve been carrying around the next book Dubliners.  This book which is a compilation of fifteen separate short stories was written by James Joyce in and about early 20^th Century life in Dublin.  The stories are told through the eyes of narrators at various stages in life, and each is progressively older than the next.  

It took me awhile to really get into this, and it may just be because the writing style is so relaxed and fluid.  The stories need no build up or introduction, and as you read, you have to allow yourself to fall into the scene.  

What I have found to be most intriguing is the simplicity and realism within each story.  Joyce is the type who picks each word carefully and will not overdo the description.  Because of this, time seems to pass at the true pace of experiencing a memory. 

These scenes are snippets of average, everyday life for all middle class Dubliners at this time.  But there is also a powerful message in each one of these stories.  I find most of them are unsettling in some way.  Each seems to hold a key lesson.  There is always something to be silently observed from the distance in these stories, and the difference between succeeding and failing at what appears the smallest insignificant moment becomes symbolic of the larger picture.  

Much of Joyce’s intent when it comes to the emotion of each story is to demonstrate how life is never as simple as it seems on the surface for a Dubliner.  Routine is inevitable at the end of the day.  To break away requires change for the better and can depend on another's cooperation.  Or the joys in life may very well be missed for fear of taking the next step into the unknown.  

The Liffey Swim by Jack Butler Yeats

#5 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Ivan Albright

 Finally, finished with The Picture of Dorian Gray.  After getting over occupied with traveling, and useless distractions to follow, I'm back to give a review.  

This book was definitely worth finishing, though I had a bit of a hunch about how it would end.  Nevertheless, it was entertaining enough and touches on a subject that very few stories are about.  The acts of corruption seem to plague Dorian and those he comes into contact with not long after the portrait of his perfect face is finished.  After he comes to the understanding that his young face will change with age until he is no longer appreciated, he decides he would do anything to avoid this inevitable future.  He fears getting old, or having an ugly face.

What I found most entertaining about the story was the depiction of the inner driving force which propels a person to commit such terrible acts.  Murder as an example is something that most would never consider.  Thus, it is interesting to observe the way a person would come to such a point that murder would seem reasonable.  It is more a study of a state of mind, and a motivation.

From a distance, Dorian Gray can be skewed as the archetype of an evil aristocrat.  When he wants something, he has enough influence to get it.  Even if the service or thing is questionable, no one will raise a brow to his request.  It is parallel to the idea that living at a status above others can poison the soul.  The combination of unlimited resources, additional leisure time and boredom is a recipe for devious tactics.  The problem flowers from Dorian's focus to pursue his desires.

Lastly, I believe this book is somewhat symbolic of forbidden information.  It seems once Dorian is 'in the know' he can no longer live his life the same.  He claims the book he was given is filled with terrible information, the type that will pollute the mind.

The Novel of Classic Controversy

#5  The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde looking fancy

 The Picture of Dorian Gray is a mirror into the world of Oscar Wilde. This author was no stranger to celebrity. In fact, Wilde understood the power of being talked about to the point that he could be compared to the likes of Lady Gaga today. But, it was not just the writing, fancy dress, or traveling about America to teach aesthetics which made Wilde the talk of his time. It's safe to say the real controversy came from his slowly unveiled identity which clashed with mode of Victorian society. 

Dorian Gray is a beautiful youth.  An artist paints his picture finishing it at the most opportune moment when Dorian Gray is struck with the thoughtful expression of a deeper meaning on his face.  It is the look of realization, and the surrender of his blissful ignorance.  Seeing the picture will remain in the same moment it was finished for all time, Dorian realizes the picture will always lie in showing his youth even after he ages.  Dorian is taught earlier than most that his good looks will slowly fade to the undeveloped nothing underneath.

After reading only the first few sentences, I was immediately impressed by the language alone. For quite some time I've been developing my own voice by considering things like the lack of beauty especially in the English literature, and interestingly enough, this is worth mentioning early in the novel by Oscar Wilde. Because, that's exactly where this story finds its place up on the shelf. It's a fantasy to read. Though it's not always happy, it is enchanting to be within the story.

Most of the time, it's hard to really figure out what the guests are rambling on about at their dinner parties, but no one seems to notice, for the dialogue continues to hold the crowd in expression alone rather than needing to rely on the reasoning of it all.

So far, this book has made me rediscover why I wanted to become a writer, and it's like a breath of fresh air. It’s often that I struggle with developing the most unique and original grand theme- A reason larger than life to write and convey in the best way, exactly what it is I have to say. Though I almost forgot why I found writing my niche in the first place. For the controversy... boom, explosion, gasp!

Dorian Gray in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

It has always been a goal of mine to uncover the lies in life. I feel it's wiser to be skeptical of what others would have you believe is reality. This may be the real reason why a person chooses the arts. Once the ideas turn to words that burn in your mouth and you can no longer hold them back, you are ready to write.

#4 Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

  Also known as, Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World, in Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships.

Welllll, I can't look at the word Yahoo the same anymore. And honestly, I have no idea how to start with such a powerful book, so here goes.

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift is definitely a masterpiece. It's the kind of writing that inspires real thought and retrospection into the human condition. The satire side is amusing and sometimes gross, but it does give you something to laugh about until you realize what you are laughing at is the reality around us.

The various fantasy worlds with each their own culture and flaws differing from Gulliver's own country of origin are only exaggerated forms of societies which exist in our own world even today.

It's amazing that Gulliver is so indifferent to most of these accounts to the point that he shares his experiences in a relatively impersonal, narrative form. Throughout the journeys Gulliver finds himself first at a position of power over the Lilliputians due to his gigantic size, then in Brobdingnag just the opposite where he has now become the tiny man. 

Though between his positions of power and belittling, Gulliver keeps his morality and reason about him.  This idea that morality should be above all other things as social standard is a primary theme in this story. After all, it is a play on how things that may not be commonly referred to as vices are actually such when viewed from an outsider's perspective. 

The floating islands of Laputa symbolize the institution of government floating in isolation above the city. Then, the result is the impractical implications of science which completely fails to improve the disastrous conditions of the citizens living impoverished in their country below. And no matter where Gulliver travels, he will find something wrong with society. 

Laputa: Castle in the Sky, 1986 film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Until, he meets the Houyhnhnms which hold virtues of reason and kindness. Although they seem superior to all the nations already described, they will believe it only reasonable to enslave the Yahoos which are a violent race of brutes. But then they reason Gulliver is no different than a Yahoo and he is exiled from the only society that he ever wished to call his home.

In the end, this is the destruction of Gulliver's outlook on humanity. He will even look at his own reflection with disgust at the ideology of perfection which was the Houyhnhnm way of life. 

It is sad but true to understand the human condition in such a way. There is so much idiocy in everyday life that I sometimes suppress the urge to shout in public places (or stoplights where roundabouts would've been more intelligent, c'mon even Tijuana knows that). 

But it is really a burden to look at so many people with contempt, so Gulliver makes his final action. He will try his best to suppress his disgust and teach his family what he had learned. This is the real treasure to be taken from this story, because Gulliver has in the end, taken action. And for once, he is left stepping in the right direction. 

 

"I considered how all these pure native virtues were prostituted for a piece of money by their grand-children; who, in selling their votes and managing at elections, have acquired every vice and corruption that can possibly be learned in a court." -Lemuel Gulliver

Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels (Ann Arbor:  J.W. Edwards, Inc., 2006), 178.

The Eighteenth Century, Political Satire

Gulliver looking like a giant in Lilliput

 In honor of my upcoming trip to Ireland, I've decided to cover some well known Irish authors in the next three weeks.  One of my favorites by one of my favorites.  

#4 Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

For those who don't know, Gulliver is an Englishman who journey's to far off places and records the various cultures and societies he encounters, and each world has its own fantasy twist.

 In one land, the people are small enough to fit in his hand, and another the people look like giants and he can see all of the blemishes on their skin. And then, there are the floating islands in the sky.  All the while, he has left his wife and kids at home, and upon his return with all of these crazy stories, they begin to suspect his mental health is suffering.

Since I read it way back in high school, I've forgotten a lot of the specifics. And actually, it can be quite difficult to understand at times, given it's packed with political themes. Things that your average high school student hasn't thought about much. But I'm back prepared after studying history in college, and funny enough, it makes much more sense!
 

The point that most will fail to see in comparing these different worlds is that it is for the sake understanding the good and bad of society. Or to venture into what makes a true 'utopian' society. This theme is very common to the 18^th century.

James Gillray's The King of Brobdingnag and Gulliver

For the first time, new political ideals were explored with the establishment of new governments which popped up all over the vast uncharted continents and islands that make up the Americas. (for the Old World at least) And, people were throwing around theories about how to go about it all.

The book is just the same. It's bold for its time and satire at its best. 

Original Picture

#3 The Sword and the Stone by T.H.White

 This first part of The Once and Future King is a wide introduction. The story begins with a young boy Wart who meets Merlyn an old man with a talent for magic. Merlyn guides Wart through a series of lessons, some of which he is transfigured into a certain animal (like a fish or an ant) and converses with the other animals of his kind. Other times, he meets up with people for a journey or the hunt.
 

Wart is an ‘improper child’ and often admires friend Kay who is destined to become ‘Sir Kay’ the owner of the estate and an honorable knight. Oh, but irony would have it that at the end of part one, the destined ruler of the land with the ability to pull the famous sword from the stone and succeed the throne upon the death of the King Uther Pendragon is in fact, Wart aka Art or just, Arthur.

This telling is surprisingly more colorful and silly than I had expected. Sometimes it screams J.K. Rowling to me, which is more accurately described as the other way around. I see now that the Harry Potter series holds various ties to the world of magic inside Arthurian legend. The talking owl Archimedes, the hedge-pig, and the badger vaguely feel as if they fall under the same umbrella category, though these are distant resounding themes. Not to mention Dumbledore is obviously the archetype formerly established by the powerful and wise wizard of the more common spelling, Merlin.

Merlyn is the character who makes the story most quirky and is essential to the incorporation of fantasy into Arthur's tale. This introduction really captures Merlyn's character when he meets Wart at first by chance. But Merlyn already knew to set breakfast for two. Wart asks him how he could have known and Merlyn explains,

“....Now ordinary people are born forwards in Time, if you understand what I mean, and nearly everything in the world goes forward too. This makes it quite easy for the ordinary people to live, just as it would be easy to join those five dots of a W if you were allowed to look at them forwards, instead of backwards and inside out. But I unfortunately was born at the wrong end of time, and I have to live backwards from in front, while surrounded by a lot of people living forwards from behind. Some people call it having second sight.”

Merlyn is not the only recognizable mention, insofar. Wart and friend Kay are sent to Robin Hood for a lesson, and informed by Little John that his name was never 'Hood' at all. It was, Robin Wood. Maid Marian is mentioned as Wart describes a “golden vixen” and she is a female outlaw who wriggles like a snake, faster than most the others walked. And plus she wields a bow, which gives her an extra tray of brownie points, in my opinion.

At this point though, I'm almost convinced this particular telling is the very one which inspired most of Disney's The Sword in the Stone. Though, I'm not sure how much weight this version holds to the whole of Arthurian legend and immortality of this story. I mean it was written in the 20^th Century.  So, although it is a great read for those unacquainted with Arthur, it is actually just the tip of the iceberg when it a comes to generations of folklore dating back to the Middle Ages and the global audience backing the legend of King Arthur.

And by global I mean BBC's Merlin in 180 countries.

T.H. White.  The Once and Future King.  (New York:  Ace Books, 1987), 35, 107.

On to Arthurian Legend

#3  The Sword and the Stone by T.H. White

"King Arthur" by Charles Ernest Butl

 This is the beginning to the legendary tale of King Arthur and his knights.  It’s a later adaptation written by English author T.H. White in the 1930s and later published as the novel The Once and Future King.  This telling is dubbed a ‘classic of the fantasy genre’ and is well renowned in the literary world as one of, if not the most beloved of the tales of King Arthur.

Taking all of this into consideration, I picked it up and started to read.  But unfortunately, my own knowledge of Arthurian legend being the BBC show Merlin and some Disney movie (which I vaguely remember watching as a child) made this story somewhat difficult to follow. *Disney's The Sword and the Stone

The narrative is definitely of a past generation when you could openly make connections between the fantasy world in the book and the present real world.  Comparing sounds or objects to things that wouldn’t exist like the sun to a copper penny, for instance.  (though an automobile would be worse)

It made me realize how distracting this imagery on two 'planes' can sometimes be, and how the novel in general has come a long way in the past century.  

But, don’t get me wrong.  The story itself paints a beautiful picture.  The language is very intricately detailed and thoughtful.  Almost a little too thoughtful compared to the junk that makes it on the shelves nowadays.

You really have to stop and imagine as you go, and this takes a little extra time and mental energy.  After I began to rush to read through it, (it’s a pretty big book, 640 pg) it started to become a chore.  Instead, I decided to read each of the four parts in a week to really take the time to understand the story better.  It is a relatively rich legend, and requires this extra attention.

And so far, I found it most interesting that while reading, old memories of  the film The Sword in the Stone have resurfaced.  Mainly, I just recall the scene of them singing and swimming around as fish.  Here it is.

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#2 Shibumi by Trevanian

 Shibumi lives up to its name in the way it unveils an array of unusual topics.  Among these topics are ideas which most people stray from mentioning.

 

Through a horrendous series of circumstances involving the duty that comes with a warrior's honor and the evils of World War II, Nicholai Hel winds up tortured and imprisoned.

A linguistic genius, he acquires a way to study and train in solitude. His goal of Shibumi and mystic sense of proximity allows him to find purpose in the seemingly meaningless activity of decoding anything he can get his hands on.

Nicholai seeks to perfect skills which at first, appear almost silly repetitions. Though, understanding Basque (language), becomes one of his greatest assets in life. Through it he acquires his loyal friend, Beñat Le Cagot.

For a moment, I griped at Nicholai’s arrogance. Though he understands he is intelligent and others may never see things his way, he fails to recognize this fatal concept, just so.  He hides from the outside like a disease, and this is where we get our antihero.

Nicholai has been trained to kill with ordinary household objects like pencils or drinking straws.  This man is a mystic, a genius, the most artful lover, and he knows it. The modesty factor is only slightly lacking.  But, his opinionated thinking provokes a strong reaction from the world. And as it is, Nicholai Hel exists either as a highly admired or hated man.

Kishikawa-san says to Nicholai, “....You will have to live in this future, my son. It will do you no good to dismiss the American with disgust. You must seek to understand him, if only to avoid being harmed by him.”

This wisdom really applies to all. If you know your perception of the world is different than a large percentage of the population, then you still must strive to understand them. It is for your own benefit that you use your intellect to understand other people.

The author Trevanian has a good bit to say about the world, and his views should not be taken as nonsense. There is certain truth about the illusions of government and the corruption that comes with capitalism. And there are several philosophic lessons amongst the superficial concepts that paint the ultimate escape through a tunnel of racing waters beneath a bottomless cave.

Most of all, I appreciate the mentioning that most main characters have become a genre of mediocrity. Between your average mistake-stricken hero and your mystical super-genius assassin, we may just have, the protagonist of absolute greatness.

And for the record, I really enjoyed Le Cagot's character.

Trevanian.  Shibumi (New York:  Broadway Paperbacks, 2005), 104.

Prospective Points of View

Point of view is everything to a story.

 After I started looking into literary theory, I noticed how much more complicated story telling had become just by learning a bit.  Now when I look to construct a scene it takes a whole new dimension.  

No longer do I care just what is said, but how it’s said.  Or maybe nothing should be said at all?  Ah, it never ends.  Thus, if I hadn’t read The Art of Fiction by Ayn Rand, I wouldn’t even know all of this mattered.   

So, expanding your own perspective about story telling and learning what makes a good story is the key to understanding the way others think.  And that is how to find what people like or dislike and why.  This is very important  when writing to a specific audience.

Simply understanding the way others think will allow you to write tailored to what is familiar and that which will draw interest.  But, if you want to write something great, you must do it in a way a great writer would appreciate.

That is why studying literary theory and classics is the first step to great writing.  You must captivate not only the readers, but the dreamers, critics, and the scholars.

This book is a great tool and one that can be read once and referred back to when the whole idea becomes fuzzy again.  It is a great book for all the various levels of writers.

Next a Spy-Thriller

#2  Shibumi by Trevanian

 This novel jumped out at me, while I was browsing the bookstore.

It’s the story of Nicholai Hel an internationally interchangeable assassin who is indifferent to national identity.  He is introduced to the game Go, and inspired by a single word, Shibumi.  

Ancient board game Go

Shibumi-  in Japanese, is an aesthetic of simple, subtle, and unobtrusive beauty.  

Or as I see it- a modest, but not to be underestimated, refinement.

Nicholai is referred to as Nikko in Japan where he trains under a Seventh Dan.  (Which I imagine is comparable to a seventh degree black belt for anyone who isn’t familiar with the Dan system)  

Nikko is destined to become a badass.

It is really strange to come across this book at a time when the same problems written about in the 1970s have multiplied.  Except, since these problems have gotten relatively worse over time, no one seems to notice them anymore.  

It’s funny to note that this novel doesn’t hold back in stating the issues.  Materialism.  There’s a concept where most people will turn a blind eye, but in reality it has spiraled seriously out of hand.  For anyone who’s been out of the country, it is easy to make a quick comparison.   

Also note through personal study, the Japanese never favored the merchant.  Merchants made nothing themselves but profited from the good work of others.  This reasoning is wise. 

Much to be learned from Shibumi.

Original Picture

#1 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

 Having finished The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book one of five, I am happy to say it will be a pleasure to continue on with the rest of the series.

Arthur the displaced Earthman drifts about the galaxy caught up in something that he knows is far beyond his control.  The entire setup seems as if Douglas Adams outright forgot the plot, but this is just not true.  Some would complain, but the rest of us know his methods are necessary for the story we are dealing with here.  

It is told through mainly Arthur, a human who was somewhat-willingly abducted by a hitchhiking alien just before Earth’s destruction.  He has become a drifter, not so much confused as bedazzled by the extent of what he did not know before.  Thus, the story unfolds in a rather peculiar way.  But, this is intended and should be understood as intentional.  If you don’t see a plot, it is because the main character isn’t yet in-the-know about this strange new perception of the world.

It really is a dose of delusion.  But the good kind that keeps you reading on into the dead of night.  With just the right amount of crazy, you are pulled into a witty and revealing story of Earth’s creation.  Though the silly nature of the story doesn’t come across as being anything other than ramblings of farfetched characters and situations, it settles down nicely when it subtly makes you look at life's big questions in a new light.  

The story grabs you with outlandish statements such as, the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything can be found by a super intelligent computer program called Deep Thought.  And after processing the question for seven and a half million years, it finds the answer. 

But is there really something there?  Or as Arthur puts it, “….All through my life I’ve had this strange unaccountable feeling that something was going on in the world, something big, even sinister, and no one would tell me what it was.”

Old man Slartibartfest says,  “Maybe.  Who Cares?  Perhaps I’m old and tired, but I always think that the chances of finding out what really is going on are so absurdly remote that the only thing to do is to say hang the sense of it and keep yourself occupied.”

These types of statements are what makes this book remarkable.  To sum up something so extraordinary into such a simple statement is great writing.  It helps us understand life itself for our own benefit.  Yes, you can continue to wonder, but let’s face it.  You may never know.  You will likely never know.

Then again, it reminds us how fun it is to wonder.  And that is why I love this book.

Douglas Adams.  The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (New York:  Ballantine Books, 2005), 192-193.

Don't Panic

#1 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I’m not surprised.  

 This book is overly absurd and just plain ridiculous.  But I guess that’s what made it into what it is today, a comedy classic of science fiction. 

Arthur Dent (human) escapes with Ford Prefect (Betelgeusian) just before Earth’s demolition to make way for a galactic hyperspatial express route.

 The quirky characters and dialogue are what really drives this story to its current status.  Yes there’s a plot, but that’s really not the point.

I find the most random facts untold by the famous text The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to be both interesting and hilarious.  Who knew you could put a Babel fish in your ear and understand any language?  (not to mention the sheer existence of such a fish disproves the logic of God… or does it?) 

This story keeps you on your toes just to ponder such ideas for the sake of entertainment.  And though you thought humans were smart, the poor displaced Earthling Arthur learns different.  Don’t let those mice fool you into thinking humans were running scientific experiments on them.  It's actually just the opposite.  Needless to say, the dolphins tried to warn the humans that Earth would be destroyed.  But, those humans just wouldn’t listen.

It’s a page turner.  Each chapter is just a few pages.  And, just a few chapters left to go.

A book a week.

  To write, you must first read.  If not for inspiration, for the appreciation of literature.  This is the tale of my own exploration into books and writing.  Asking, what is the true essence of a story?  What gives a story power over a generation?  How does it continue to inspire readers for spans of hundreds or thousands of years?

#1 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 

I will journey into the heart of storytelling by starting with a simple goal.  A book a week.  Wish me luck. 

 Starting off easy with a comedy.