For the past decade I have
published my thoughts on the many weird books I read. In that time, RXTT’s Book Journey has grown in
ways I never imagined, reaching readers worldwide. The blog arose because of my love of the old,
weird, out of print, and reference books, and my wife’s desire that I share my
thoughts on them with the world at large, as I always do with her. She is my inspiration.
If I believe in anything, it is the
power of the wisdom, stories, and information contained within humanity’s
writings. The ancients assured us that
language and written words were powerful tools.
“In the beginning was the word,” and all. Our thoughts may or may not shape the world
around us. The mystics still debate. However, our spoken and written words most
definitely DO shape the world around us.
I am not the man I am, and this world we share is not the world it is,
without the words handed down through the thickness of time.
An example, nearly one hundred
years ago, a man named Vonnegut witnessed the fickle whim of man’s inhumanity
to man. Decades later, after many
stories and books, he wrote a novel called Slaughterhouse Five, or The
Children’s Crusade. In it, using the
constructs and themes of science fiction (time travel, aliens, dimensional
travel, lunatic fringe, etc.), Vonnegut vomited out his vitriol, pure and
choleric, upon the vast, unchanging, and overwhelming stupidity of man, the
stupidity that would allow for war, slaughter, pain, and terror to be the tools
used to bring “peace.” He told the rest
of us what many tried to, but none had done in words which both a bright
thirteen-year-old, and a deeply wise octogenarian would understand. It is the saddest and funniest book I have
ever read. It changed who I am deeply,
altering everything I have ever done, and every interaction I have ever
had. If that is not power, then nothing
is. That is just one book. One among thousands published in my country
that year alone. It is said that most of
the words written by man have been lost.
The works humanity is aware of existing are nearly infinite. Thinking about the vast oceans of lost works
is like mental torture to a book lover like me.
It is a mindboggling thought as I
desire to know as much as possible, to understand as much as possible, at least
about what interests me. Because of this
desire, I also flatly understand the impossibility of my dream. I stare bluntly ahead, facing my own wall of
ignorance, the mountain of books and wisdom and teachings lost to time, but
specifically to me. I think this is
something all book lovers face sooner or later.
It is because I love books that I
wanted to create RXTT’s Book Journey. Each
new book is a new world to explore, or a new idea to ponder, and I have
travelled deep and wide, reading what interested me, when it interested
me. I appreciate a well-written, insightful
review, whether it be of a film, book, or kitchen appliance. It is a pure communication of ideas. The feedback I receive from the authors
themselves, sometimes concerning a decades-old book of theirs, is precious to
me. Corresponding with, and hearing
sincere appreciation, from giants such as Freeman Dyson and Alan Moore was a
never-imagined dream come true. Meeting
and reading brand-new works from young writers is an equal thrill, and I have
been very fortunate in that regard as well.
Writing a novel is another story.
While not many of the books I read
are fiction, I love the power of a well-crafted story to illuminate, entertain,
and enlighten its reader. Most life-long
readers dream of writing their own novel, and many try. I joined them. I wrote daily. My story grew. The world I created filled up, the story
flowed like a glacial stream, slow but steadily building, and I managed to
complete it. IN CRED is my first
novel. I wrote it mindfully, wanting to
present a self-contained world, a story entertaining and intelligible, to any
clever reader willing to explore the mindways.
The tens of thousands of readers I have worldwide showed me that there
are many like me, many who want deep dives into old texts, who are curious to
know what the source materials are like.
Readers whose favorite reading experience is not the self-satisfaction
of a driving plot, or the florid oscillation of word and language, but the
quintessential feeling of having one’s mind BLOWN AWAY by a new idea. I want my readers to experience that as often
as possible, and I wrote IN CRED with you in mind.
Once finished, I had to share it
with someone. The magic and power of
words truly spark up when they are shared.
I handed IN CRED to my wife. I
shared it with some close friends. I
reached out to a couple of authors I call friends and asked them for their
opinion. Their feedback and appreciation
mean everything to me. It took some
internal literary courage, but I worked diligently to make IN CRED available to
readers.
It is available on Amazon, in
Kindle eBook, glossy paperback, or hard cover versions. (I used my B.F.A. in
Studio Art and drew the cover artwork also.)
IN CRED’s dedication page may speak
of my wife and parents, but IN CRED would not exist without the readers of
RXTT’s Book Journey. I so greatly
appreciate that you are out there, wherever you may be in this beautiful world
of ours. I hope my reviews have
enlightened and informed you in the same way that the books I love have
enlightened and informed me.
If you love science fiction that
explores intimate segments of what it means to be human, you will enjoy IN
CRED. If you seek speculative fiction
with big ideas told in intimate ways, you will love IN CRED. If you enjoy original characters and
settings, and a clever story whose progress is constantly surprising, you will
love IN CRED. If you appreciate
literature that is honestly edifying without being sentimentally trite, IN CRED
is for you. If you enjoy stories where daily
experiences go batshit crazy, and regular people are forced to deal with it,
you will enjoy IN CRED.
This is just the beginning. The spigot has been opened. Further stories are in the works, and I am
very excited about it. If RXTT’s Book
Journey was an initial stab at sharing my thoughts with the world, IN CRED is a
mighty cannonade. I would love for you,
my fellow readers, to dive into IN CRED and let me know your thoughts! Stories are magic, and I have just begun the show.
Sincerely Yours,
RXTT
