X By R.W Taylor *spoiler alert*
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Aubrey_Archard
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X By R.W Taylor *spoiler alert*
All right, to start off, I have to admit something...for the most part, most books tend not to interest me simply because there's so much to read out there, lol. With that said, when I do find a book that deeply interests me (which is sort of rare), its always one with a very interesting message. Usually, such a book is spiritual, or science oriented.
The reason why I feel compelled to write this review is because I recently found a book which to me is a rarity - an erotica (yes, an erotica) that somehow manages to be an erotica and yet still satisfy my requirement of having a very interesting message.
The reason why I've found such books to be so rare is that most erotic literature is simply about the sex, which is not bad in and of itself. But the book I'm reviewing does a real cool thing. It connects deep philosophy to the sexual impulse.
To paraphrase from the book: "There are two forces of nature, spanning from life to death, which bind up a man. And I, bearing my difference, catch a glimpse of them, the wheels within wheels, those infinity complex things which form the function of our lives...the need to reproduce, and the certainty of dying."
A bit more rambling:
The back story to my discovery of the book is simple. I found it while perusing tomes and tomes of internet material. When I saw the cover, something drew me in...so thumbs up on the cover.
The Review Itself:
The book X by R.W. Taylor starts off in the first-person for a character who does not have a known name. The character's life is seen through a different lens than those around him. The character describes in his journal his experiences at his local community college - experiences which at first seem to be leading to a rather simple story premise.
Quickly, however, the story takes a deeper turn as the author frequents a number of philosophic musings, which are thrown into the mix of the story. At first, they seem simply like the musings of a college student, but even still they are rather intriguing: The main character's musing ranges from thoughts on extra-terrestrials to what it means to seduce a mate through the biological impulse. The philosophic musings also coincide with strange paranormal phenomena occurring around a mountain known as Slender's Peak...which is causing people from his town to disappear. These disappearances, and his own personal experiences, only work to take the main character sink deeper into his muse, into "his madness."
As time passes and the story grows, a love interest named Chelsea in introduced, which is when much of what the main character has been saying and thinking about begins to unfold. He loves her, but he's walled off by something he refers to as his "difference." In order to figure out what is happening to him, he starts a group at his college called the Observers in order to see if they can solve the mysteries that are unfolding - namely, "the voice on day 7", the "lights on the mountain, where the cold force lingers," and the disappearances.
As the story progresses further, the main character meets new allies, and his mind begins to awaken to strange and unusual perceptions. He begins to "see" more of the reality around him, "the wheels upon wheels", etc. These passages are beautifully intriguing and really challenge the reader's perception of life, IMO.
The main characters' name, which is Sven, is eventually learned. By this point in time, he has already cheated on his lover, Chelsea with a friend named Sharon, who is part of the Observers. But despite his escapades, he can't help but feel "his difference" pulling him toward the mountain. More people begin to disappear, and the allies Sven meets turn out to be far different than he could picture.
The story culminates to a breaking point when Chelsea catches Sven cheating on her with two woman - who are cousins of Sharon, Sven's other lover. Sven races out of Sharon's house in order to stop Chelsea but she refuses, and, driven by the madness he feels from the "wheels upon wheels" he races to the mountain to find Sharon (who has, he learns, gone up to the mountain).
At the mountain Sven finds a note that sends his mind spinning. It talks about things which he can barely understand. He feels his madness taking him. The perception of his new world is driving him insane.
Following this, some seven thousand words later (i estimate) the story concludes with him solving enough of the puzzle to be ready to go to the mountain, "where death awaits." He, in the end, is taken in that thing which has been mentioned throughout the book - the blue light upon the mountain.
End note:
All right, what is above is a super brief explanation of the book. There's so much more I could say, but i'm kind of ADD, lol. For instance, the author ties in the U.S. Military, which is a presence throughout the book. There are numerous scenes involving the build up of the story. There is another primary character named Dodgeman, who plays a very significant role, and there's more. You can find the story at Smashwords by typing X into the search function and by turning off the adult filter. That's how I stumbled across it. Neat thing is, the book is free so its worth a reading in my opinion. I definitely rate it five stars.
Hope this message was clear enough and sparked your interest in what i'd consider a real masterful book.
The reason why I feel compelled to write this review is because I recently found a book which to me is a rarity - an erotica (yes, an erotica) that somehow manages to be an erotica and yet still satisfy my requirement of having a very interesting message.
The reason why I've found such books to be so rare is that most erotic literature is simply about the sex, which is not bad in and of itself. But the book I'm reviewing does a real cool thing. It connects deep philosophy to the sexual impulse.
To paraphrase from the book: "There are two forces of nature, spanning from life to death, which bind up a man. And I, bearing my difference, catch a glimpse of them, the wheels within wheels, those infinity complex things which form the function of our lives...the need to reproduce, and the certainty of dying."
A bit more rambling:
The back story to my discovery of the book is simple. I found it while perusing tomes and tomes of internet material. When I saw the cover, something drew me in...so thumbs up on the cover.
The Review Itself:
The book X by R.W. Taylor starts off in the first-person for a character who does not have a known name. The character's life is seen through a different lens than those around him. The character describes in his journal his experiences at his local community college - experiences which at first seem to be leading to a rather simple story premise.
Quickly, however, the story takes a deeper turn as the author frequents a number of philosophic musings, which are thrown into the mix of the story. At first, they seem simply like the musings of a college student, but even still they are rather intriguing: The main character's musing ranges from thoughts on extra-terrestrials to what it means to seduce a mate through the biological impulse. The philosophic musings also coincide with strange paranormal phenomena occurring around a mountain known as Slender's Peak...which is causing people from his town to disappear. These disappearances, and his own personal experiences, only work to take the main character sink deeper into his muse, into "his madness."
As time passes and the story grows, a love interest named Chelsea in introduced, which is when much of what the main character has been saying and thinking about begins to unfold. He loves her, but he's walled off by something he refers to as his "difference." In order to figure out what is happening to him, he starts a group at his college called the Observers in order to see if they can solve the mysteries that are unfolding - namely, "the voice on day 7", the "lights on the mountain, where the cold force lingers," and the disappearances.
As the story progresses further, the main character meets new allies, and his mind begins to awaken to strange and unusual perceptions. He begins to "see" more of the reality around him, "the wheels upon wheels", etc. These passages are beautifully intriguing and really challenge the reader's perception of life, IMO.
The main characters' name, which is Sven, is eventually learned. By this point in time, he has already cheated on his lover, Chelsea with a friend named Sharon, who is part of the Observers. But despite his escapades, he can't help but feel "his difference" pulling him toward the mountain. More people begin to disappear, and the allies Sven meets turn out to be far different than he could picture.
The story culminates to a breaking point when Chelsea catches Sven cheating on her with two woman - who are cousins of Sharon, Sven's other lover. Sven races out of Sharon's house in order to stop Chelsea but she refuses, and, driven by the madness he feels from the "wheels upon wheels" he races to the mountain to find Sharon (who has, he learns, gone up to the mountain).
At the mountain Sven finds a note that sends his mind spinning. It talks about things which he can barely understand. He feels his madness taking him. The perception of his new world is driving him insane.
Following this, some seven thousand words later (i estimate) the story concludes with him solving enough of the puzzle to be ready to go to the mountain, "where death awaits." He, in the end, is taken in that thing which has been mentioned throughout the book - the blue light upon the mountain.
End note:
All right, what is above is a super brief explanation of the book. There's so much more I could say, but i'm kind of ADD, lol. For instance, the author ties in the U.S. Military, which is a presence throughout the book. There are numerous scenes involving the build up of the story. There is another primary character named Dodgeman, who plays a very significant role, and there's more. You can find the story at Smashwords by typing X into the search function and by turning off the adult filter. That's how I stumbled across it. Neat thing is, the book is free so its worth a reading in my opinion. I definitely rate it five stars.
Hope this message was clear enough and sparked your interest in what i'd consider a real masterful book.
