Review of Figments of Persuasion Field Guide
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Review of Figments of Persuasion Field Guide
[Following is a volunteer review of "Figments of Persuasion Field Guide" by Nancy L Vallette.]
"One thing that is known around the world and everywhere in it. Humans try very hard to make themselves different. Individuals think of themselves as entirely unique. But, while appearance and customs may differ, underneath all hearts feel the same emotions." This is my favorite paragraph and statement from this weird, eye-opening, unique, and interesting book. Figments of Persuasion Field Guide by Nancy L. Vallette is a book that, in my opinion, I would call weird, psychic, but also extremely convincing. This is a book where the author, Nancy, drills into readers like me the existence of extraordinary forces that we humans, mostly adults, have grown to disbelieve. These are Figments—Figments of Persuasion—formed and brought to life from nothing more than our strong emotions and common experiences.
Children see these clearly, as the author says, but most of us grown-ups adopt disbelief, and hence, our lives have grown dull and mundane. This practice, the author claims, will prevent you from gaining magic in your life and from becoming someone others would love to spend time with. According to Nancy, these Figments have their origins on a place called the Second Chance Island. They are summoned when humans exhibit excess emotions or strong personal experiences, and sometimes they return to this island to blend their energy when in need of respite from humans. Some Figments are also formed outside of the island but keep a strong connection to it. This island is only known and found by those who are right to find it. Figments aren't afraid of humans and only sympathize that most humans refuse to see them. They love to have a lot of fun, and when in the vicinity of humans, their presence must be felt. This is a wonderful book with lots of ideas, and honestly, I haven't even mentioned one percent of what's in this strange yet wonderful and eye-opening book.
There are several likable features of this book, and one of them is that the author doesn’t disappoint when it comes to unveiling these Figments. There are the "Sentimentals," the "Addled," the "Smidgeons," the "Peeves," the "Shivers," and so much more. The "Addled" appealed to me the most because I tend to look for things a lot, and honestly, it’s much easier for me to blame these Figments now. After all, how can my watch, which I left on the table, not be there again when I return an hour later? Nancy describes these Figments more like magical beings formed by human emotions and experiences, and their appearance in a vicinity causes these emotions or common experiences to either be felt or repeated. Like the Glimmer Figment, they collect bits of ideas and inspirations that never came through and, most times, leave them for another human to pick up, leading to grand discoveries. It's not a lie that we've seen this in many scientific breakthroughs across the centuries. The Serendipity Figments, who, like fairies, create happy, good feelings near sidewalks, parks, or ice-cream trucks. The Retrospect Figments, who make you value heirlooms or even words your granddad used to say while he was alive. According to Nancy, these Figment creatures are real, and not believing in them doesn’t negate their existence. I think the Figments that made my heart beat the most were the Shiver Figments, mostly because of how I love. This book is definitely worth a read—something outside the conventional.
I also loved the drawings. Don Stephenson did an amazing job, and the illustrations completed the magical world feeling of the book. They gave me an imaginative picture of how these Figments, all around us as Nancy described, could look. The illustrations are really beautiful and enchanting, and I hope for more collaborations between him and Nancy Vallette. I also learned so many new words like "albatross," "smidgeons," "trites," "dervishes," "run amok," "addled," "cursory," and so many more. I liked how the author ended the book with the Figments that seem to cluster around most people—the Peeves—and the Lexicon followed as the proper conclusion. This was some book, and I don’t regret reading it one bit! Nancy is a very creative author—one who believes so much in miracles and magic, I am sure.
Concerning the professional editing status, the book contains very few minor errors, and they definitely don’t detract from smooth reading. With this, I can say the book is professionally edited.
I love interesting real-life stories, like diaries, magical non-fictional books, and unique (eccentric) books. This book blends magic with a thesis that it’s something present in the world we live in today, bringing magic into real life in a very unique way. This is a different book, and I will rate it 5 out of 5 stars because of all the reasons stated above in this review. I recommend this book to everyone, especially those who believe that the world we live in can be—and is—magical, only if we open our eyes to look at it properly.
******
Figments of Persuasion Field Guide
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
"One thing that is known around the world and everywhere in it. Humans try very hard to make themselves different. Individuals think of themselves as entirely unique. But, while appearance and customs may differ, underneath all hearts feel the same emotions." This is my favorite paragraph and statement from this weird, eye-opening, unique, and interesting book. Figments of Persuasion Field Guide by Nancy L. Vallette is a book that, in my opinion, I would call weird, psychic, but also extremely convincing. This is a book where the author, Nancy, drills into readers like me the existence of extraordinary forces that we humans, mostly adults, have grown to disbelieve. These are Figments—Figments of Persuasion—formed and brought to life from nothing more than our strong emotions and common experiences.
Children see these clearly, as the author says, but most of us grown-ups adopt disbelief, and hence, our lives have grown dull and mundane. This practice, the author claims, will prevent you from gaining magic in your life and from becoming someone others would love to spend time with. According to Nancy, these Figments have their origins on a place called the Second Chance Island. They are summoned when humans exhibit excess emotions or strong personal experiences, and sometimes they return to this island to blend their energy when in need of respite from humans. Some Figments are also formed outside of the island but keep a strong connection to it. This island is only known and found by those who are right to find it. Figments aren't afraid of humans and only sympathize that most humans refuse to see them. They love to have a lot of fun, and when in the vicinity of humans, their presence must be felt. This is a wonderful book with lots of ideas, and honestly, I haven't even mentioned one percent of what's in this strange yet wonderful and eye-opening book.
There are several likable features of this book, and one of them is that the author doesn’t disappoint when it comes to unveiling these Figments. There are the "Sentimentals," the "Addled," the "Smidgeons," the "Peeves," the "Shivers," and so much more. The "Addled" appealed to me the most because I tend to look for things a lot, and honestly, it’s much easier for me to blame these Figments now. After all, how can my watch, which I left on the table, not be there again when I return an hour later? Nancy describes these Figments more like magical beings formed by human emotions and experiences, and their appearance in a vicinity causes these emotions or common experiences to either be felt or repeated. Like the Glimmer Figment, they collect bits of ideas and inspirations that never came through and, most times, leave them for another human to pick up, leading to grand discoveries. It's not a lie that we've seen this in many scientific breakthroughs across the centuries. The Serendipity Figments, who, like fairies, create happy, good feelings near sidewalks, parks, or ice-cream trucks. The Retrospect Figments, who make you value heirlooms or even words your granddad used to say while he was alive. According to Nancy, these Figment creatures are real, and not believing in them doesn’t negate their existence. I think the Figments that made my heart beat the most were the Shiver Figments, mostly because of how I love. This book is definitely worth a read—something outside the conventional.
I also loved the drawings. Don Stephenson did an amazing job, and the illustrations completed the magical world feeling of the book. They gave me an imaginative picture of how these Figments, all around us as Nancy described, could look. The illustrations are really beautiful and enchanting, and I hope for more collaborations between him and Nancy Vallette. I also learned so many new words like "albatross," "smidgeons," "trites," "dervishes," "run amok," "addled," "cursory," and so many more. I liked how the author ended the book with the Figments that seem to cluster around most people—the Peeves—and the Lexicon followed as the proper conclusion. This was some book, and I don’t regret reading it one bit! Nancy is a very creative author—one who believes so much in miracles and magic, I am sure.
Concerning the professional editing status, the book contains very few minor errors, and they definitely don’t detract from smooth reading. With this, I can say the book is professionally edited.
I love interesting real-life stories, like diaries, magical non-fictional books, and unique (eccentric) books. This book blends magic with a thesis that it’s something present in the world we live in today, bringing magic into real life in a very unique way. This is a different book, and I will rate it 5 out of 5 stars because of all the reasons stated above in this review. I recommend this book to everyone, especially those who believe that the world we live in can be—and is—magical, only if we open our eyes to look at it properly.
******
Figments of Persuasion Field Guide
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
"There is nothing impossible to him who will try." Alexander the Great
Latest Review: Just Die by E Alan Fleischauer
