THOUGHTS AFTER SURGERY
By Alex Ness
June 29, 2021
COMMENTS
Yesterday I had surgery. I've had lots of health issues over the last decade and a half, but I am grateful for my doctors, my insurance, my wife and son's love and care for me, (that of my cat companions), as well as my wonderful cousins. Thanks also to Rich Chapell, Steve Olle, Marie Cloutier, James Whitlock, Kim Cormack and Diedra Drake for direct support of my work.
I was asked via an urgent email what happened to me that I've recommended works recently that were "Adult" in nature. That question is easy. Both series in question, Diedra Drake's Cursed Elves and Kim Cormack's Children of the Ankh feature beings who are somehow immortal. The books all consider an idea as part of their story, that over time someone being an immortal would develop a quick and easy outlook or attitude towards pairing due to everything else being so momentary and temporal, and being that is I think an apt assumption and makes perfect sense to me, it isn't something that bothered me. I've mentioned, more than once, enjoying Anne Rice's works and they explored a girl turned vampire at 12 years old who would become hundreds of years old in spirit, due to the immortality. The idea that a physical being stays permanent but the spirit ages or grows mature is powerful when considering such themes.
Yes, in these books people do a lot of boinking, and frankly, that happens a lot in actual existence too, but for, I'd argue, different reasons and considerations. I see the works as expressing a valid area of expression and exploration. It isn't, like some might think, including the emailer, that these are normal humans. And just how often do you read works where people are moral perfectionists? I'd suggest not often.
BOOKS TO CONSIDER WHERE SETTING MATTERS
I've interviewed and reviewed the works of Alan Dean Foster. He is a friend, and he writes work that moves me deeply. When I'd recently had an Interview Week, with many authors, I asked often about the role of locale in their works. Not all felt as strongly as others, but I can tell you, any work by Alan Dean Foster has locale as part of the story, interwoven in every aspect of that story. I think that is why it works so powerfully for me.
Whether a living intelligent forest, an ocean planet with sentient whales, an ice planet with species adapted to the cold and environment, he creates powerfully good stories, with thoughtful concepts, ADF is among my five favorite all time authors. The books offered today take place in semi arid regions of the American Southwest and California. There is in each of these stories a feeling of heat, oppressively dry air, and a glaring angry sun. That the humans work and act within this world, you get the feeling in each case of overcoming the environment in order to simply survive and endure.
Mad Amos I've spoken about here, and it is among my all time favorite books. It is a collection of mythic and legendary events and people in places I've visited in my life. Who knew dragons might exist in the Southwest?
Jed the Dead is a very funny work that features a Weekend at Bernie's style adventure, with the advantage of being funny throughout, thoughtful, differently intelligent, and with surprises about life and death that were unconsidered by me before reading this. How many comedies do that?
Pale Rider is an adaptation of a Clint Eastwood film, but, having seen the movie, I recommend reading the book first. It is well done in both, but ADF actually fleshes out much of the parts you need fleshed out, and his ability to create a narrative voice about a nameless character who represents the Death rider from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is amazingly well done. Sadly I lent my copy out to someone who also borrowed 100 copies of gaming magazines (all of my Shadis and some Dragon) and who then skipped town. So while there might be more to say, I can't remember all of it. I'd like the book back Chris, please?
So remember kids, trust in the name ADF, it promises good reading!
PRIDE MONTH: MORE AMAZING JEFFREY CATHERINE JONES
I received a dozen emails asking for more pics by Jeffrey Catherine Jones. So here you go, click to make them bigger. I have about a dozen of the books shown below. They are on Robert E. Howard and Fritz Leiber works, so, it is a perfect combination of creative people for me.
First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com.
I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll
follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post
box, although I regret that. It was a crushing defeat to no longer
have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product
it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my
home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will
always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email,
I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so
you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.
My Poetry Blog AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
My Published Work AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
My Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess
Lovecraft Styled Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis and other Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com
I have an email list for my poetry blog. If you are interested please send me an email asking to join the list. I have 3 new poems appearing daily. When or if I have new books, the first people to know will be on the list, and I offer deals there for new products. Send an email to Alexanderness63@gmail.com to join the list. I promise never to sell the list or share it.
LASTLY
“The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white.
Neither need you do anything but be yourself.”
Lao Tzu
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