Saturday, August 24, 2013

Deep waters

  Indie author Amos Keppler's novel ShadowWalk is, among many great things a celebration of multiculturalism.
  What makes Amos Keppler's books unique compared to all others is the uncanny vision he brings to his work. I have read about half of his works by now, and even though the novels are vastly different from each other, they share that unique quality of being different.
  The visual power he brings to his stories is unquestionable. Others have related how they are able to easily visualize what they read in his books. I agree!
  But what the stories are about more than anything is the deep waters of humanity. You haven’t experienced truly deep in books until you read this one. At least I hadn't.
  The story is about Jill, a young woman, among other youths of all colors and many cultures on a quest to find herself and get a life, about her getting it, finding everything making life worth living. It is found under a rock, right before her eyes, and she grabs it, grabs its tail with both hands and holds on to it with all the considerable might she possesses.
  It’s about the dangers seekers find out there, on the freedom road.
  It’s about the mysteries of human existence and everything under the moon, actually. I would argue that it is about everything and contains everything, but that would not be completely accurate.
  It’s one hell of a book and you will find yourself immersed in it, deep below the surface of its waters, its fire lake.
  I wouldn't claim that each paragraph is a joy to read, but it feels that way. The prose is just as unique as the story itself.
  The boys and girls described in the book are teenagers, but this is a story for truly mature readers of all ages. It is a fantasy book. It is not a fantasy book. You will find no boxed in genre story here. You will find life in all its shades.

  No less.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Summer is over

  I like all seasons. They are change and encourage change, but in today’s oppressive society summer is clearly the best.
  It isn't because of the high temperatures, even though I love those, too. The foremost reason is the most obvious: I can more than anything be human. There is not work, not school, but weeks of relaxation, of embracing everything still great in life.
  I can say fuck it to all the trappings of society and that always feels good. Most people aren't able to even imagining a completely different life, but we are.
  We swim, swim a lot, we dive deep into the forest and the night, enjoying every single second of our life, celebrating it in all forms. We know it is temporary, even as we are very aware that it shouldn't be, shouldn't be that at all.
  School is shit, both in its foundation and execution. It’s just a place where you educate robots, mold people into slaves better suited to perform in the harsh existence as an adult. I want to quit school, but I hold it out, because the alternative: being without a higher education in today’s cutthroat society is even worse.
  True learning is nothing like this, this pale imitation of it. If anyone wanted to study anything it should be because they wanted to, not because they feel brutally compelled to do so.
  So, while I seek and enjoy every radical environment I can find in this tiny Scandinavian village of mine, I keep torturing myself with the words and actions of others.
  Summer is over.