Books I Am Reading & Writing
WHAT I AM CURRENTLY WRITING:
I have begun writing the story that will serve as the first book in my Maalstrom Series. As yet untitled, the story shows how Earth colonists arrived on the alien planet Maalstrom and what happened to them when faced with the almost indescribable impact that the planet has their DNA. For readers of Maalstrom and its sequel, The Selk King, who are looking for the sci-fi element and an explanation of how the later mostly medieval society on Maalstrom evolved from the original Earth colonists, the story I am writing will answer every question. The colonists called themselves Mok-sa.
WHAT I AM CURRENTLY READING:
The Iliad, trans. Alexander Pope (in English). Needs no commentary. If you are not familiar with The Iliad, you are missing one of the main roots of Western Civilization.
Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. A disappointment. Nothing happens. The most boring story I have read since Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, where again nothing happens. Both are a total waste of time.
Travels With Charley, by Ernest Hemingway (no). Not as much of a disappointment as Huckleberry Finn, but still reads like he just wanted to make some extra money. (My mistake: it was written by John Steinbeck, not Hemingway. Their style is similar and they were both alcoholics, so the mistake was easy. I’m still reading it.)
Empire of the Ants, by Bernard Werber. Rather a tall tale but entertaining and imaginative.
The Lost Centuries, by John Bagot Glubb. Fluent in modern and medieval Arabic, Sir Glubb formerly commanded the Arab Legion of Jordan.
Imperium, by F. P. Yockey. Yockey was “suicided” while under arrest by the FBI in 1960.
Progenie, by Mack Little. A well-written vampire novel.
The Heart of Orthodox Mystery, by William Bush. A convert to Orthodox Christianity. That life is not for me, but it’s a pleasure to see that a life of devotion to faith and mysticism can still happen.
Mussolini’s Intellectuals, by A. James Gregor. A widely neglected aspect of Fascism.
I am also reading an assortment of not-too-difficult stories in Standard Literary Arabic.