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The Phoenix Exultant Ep. 05: The Welcome

Posted April 17, 2024 By John C Wright

From THE PHOENIX EXULTANT, vol. II of my debut trilogy. 

In the far future, where men are as gods, living lives of perfect peace and prosperity, Phaethon of Rhadamanthus discovers all memory of his lifework has been hidden from him. For he is the engineer of the sole starship his civilization has ever produced: the mighty, majestic, and immense Phoenix Exultant. She is a ship to conquer the stars.

But such ambition is outlawed in utopia. Phaethon is a pariah, exiled mentally and physically, denuded of possessions, and cast down among outcasts. His life is sought by sinister agents of the Silent Oecumene: an apocalyptic menace none but he dares see. For in a world where mind or memory can be edited at will, what is truth?

Episode 05:  The Welcome

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Foundations of Dune & Not a Hero

Posted April 14, 2024 By John C Wright

A man not named Little Platoon offers the most fascinating, in depth analysis of Frank Herbert’s DUNE and its relation to Asimov’s FOUNDATION, I have ever heard. To me it is utterly eye-opening.

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The Phoenix Exultant Ep. 04: A Composition of One

Posted April 10, 2024 By John C Wright

From THE PHOENIX EXULTANT, vol. II of my debut trilogy. 

In the far future, where men are as gods, living lives of perfect peace and prosperity, Phaethon of Rhadamanthus discovers all memory of his lifework has been hidden from him. For he is the engineer of the sole starship his civilization has ever produced: the mighty, majestic, and immense Phoenix Exultant. She is a ship to conquer the stars.

But such ambition is outlawed in utopia. Phaethon is a pariah, exiled mentally and physically, denuded of possessions, and cast down among outcasts. His life is sought by sinister agents of the Silent Oecumene: an apocalyptic menace none but he dares see. For in a world where mind or memory can be edited at will, what is truth?

Episode 04: A Composition of One

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Books I Could Not Put Down

Posted April 7, 2024 By John C Wright

I wrote a curmudgeonly post on books I could not finish, and it is only fair I write a non-curmudgeonly post on what books are the opposite, that is, books I could not not-finish.

This is a harder question for me to answer. My reading tastes were developed in my youth, when I had an abundance of time to read: so my practice was to read certain books five or ten times over and over again.

But asking what books I could not put down is different from asking which ones I read and re-read, and which are enshrined in my memory in a fane of gold.

So let me answer the question backwards. Instead of saying which books I loved (and anyone familiar with the field can tell from whom I am stealing my ideas and themes) let me list only the books I loved despite their obvious flaws.

I am not going to mention Jack Vance or Gene Wolfe or C.S. Lewis or Ursula K LeGuin or any other author that I can read with undiminished pleasure as an adult whom I first loved as a twelve-year-old.

I am not going to talk about books I could not put down because they hypnotized me, as did VOYAGE TO ARCTURUS, or books I could not put down because I was sure I would never read anything remotely like it again, like THE WORM OROBOROS.

I am only talking about page-turners. These are books which, if I had the taste and good sense of a man of letters, I would be ashamed to like, but, like Belle being attracted to the Beast, I am still swept off my feet despite that my Beau eats venison raw.

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Books I Could Not Finish

Posted April 6, 2024 By John C Wright

Readers who do not want to read a curmudgeon (me) being curmudgeonly, please go away. This is not a review or a philosophical analysis. No attempt at balance or fairness has been made: the following consists of merely a description of negative reactions.

These are some books I just could not finish.

I am only going to list books that I thought I would like and that I really, really wanted to like, and that I could not finish.

Please note that these reasons are all questions of personal taste and preference, not something the author could have guessed beforehand and written to avoid. Books of this quality do not have flaws; they merely do not reach all audiences. This is a case where the book reached toward me, but my palms were sweaty, and the grip failed to hold.

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From the Vault: Interview with Nerd HQ

Posted April 5, 2024 By John C Wright

Join me for a stroll down memory lane: not a long stroll, merely to AD 2019, when yours truly was interviewed by NerdHQ regarding the Sad Puppies kerfuffle touching the Hugo Awards of a year or so prior. I reprint to amuse any readers who might not have seen it at the time, and as an sober reminder of how little things have changed since. 

Q: What do you think is the primary artistic/cultural difference between the pro-Sad Puppies and anti-Sad Puppies camps?  What is the primary political/ideological difference between the two groups?

JCW: The two camps are divided by a very clear and deep difference, which is neither artistic nor cultural. It has some political aspects, but the difference is more fundamental than any disagreement over laws and policies. There are ideological excuses given for motives, but the true motives run deeper, to the very core of the soul, and ideology is only a surface feature.

The divide is a religious war.

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The Phoenix Exultant Ep. 03 Phaethon Zero of Nothing

Posted April 3, 2024 By John C Wright

From THE PHOENIX EXULTANT, vol. II of my debut trilogy. 

In the far future, where men are as gods, living lives of perfect peace and prosperity, Phaethon of Rhadamanthus discovers all memory of his lifework has been hidden from him. For he is the engineer of the sole starship his civilization has ever produced: the mighty, majestic, and immense Phoenix Exultant. She is a ship to conquer the stars.

But such ambition is outlawed in utopia. Phaethon is a pariah, exiled mentally and physically, denuded of possessions, and cast down among outcasts. His life is sought by sinister agents of the Silent Oecumene: an apocalyptic menace none but he dares see. For in a world where mind or memory can be edited at will, what is truth?

Episode 03: Phaethon Zero of Nothing

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The Phoenix Exultant Ep. 02 Scaramouche, Columbine, Pierrot

Posted March 27, 2024 By John C Wright

From THE PHOENIX EXULTANT, my debut trilogy. 

In the far future, where men are as gods, living lives of perfect peace and prosperity, Phaethon of Rhadamanthus discovers all memory of his lifework has been hidden from him. For he is the engineer of the sole starship his civilization has ever produced: the mighty, majestic, and immense Phoenix Exultant. She is a ship to conquer the stars.

But such ambition is outlawed in utopia. Phaethon is a pariah, exiled mentally and physically, denuded of possessions, and cast down among outcasts. His life is sought by sinister agents of the Silent Oecumene: an apocalyptic menace none but he dares see. For in a world where mind or memory can be edited at will, what is truth?

Episode 02: Scaramouche, Columbine, Pierrot

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The Phoenix Exultant Ep. 01 World Gone Blind

Posted March 20, 2024 By John C Wright

From THE PHOENIX EXULTANT, my debut trilogy. 

In the far future, where men are as gods, living lives of perfect peace and prosperity, Phaethon of Rhadamanthus discovers all memory of his lifework has been hidden from him. For he is the engineer of the sole starship his civilization has ever produced: the mighty, majestic, and immense Phoenix Exultant. She is a ship to conquer the stars.

But such ambition is outlawed in utopia. Phaethon is a pariah, exiled mentally and physically, denuded of possessions, and cast down among outcasts. His life is sought by sinister agents of the Silent Oecumene: an apocalyptic menace none but he dares see. For in a world where mind or memory can be edited at will, what is truth?

Episode 01: World Gone Blind

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The Golden Age Ep. 47 Downfall of Phaeton

Posted March 13, 2024 By John C Wright

Excerpts from THE GOLDEN AGE, my debut novel from 2001. 

In the far future, where humans have become as gods, living lives of perfect peace and prosperity, Phaethon of Rhadamanthus House discovers centuries of his memory are lost. Like his namesake, has flown too high, and must be cast down: for he has committed the one act the Golden Age forbids, to have ambitions higher than utopia can contain. Now his quest is to find himself.

Episode 47: Downfall of Phaeton

This is the Final Episode in THE GOLDEN AGE.
The tale of the Phaethon of Rhadamanth continues in THE PHOENIX EXULTANT

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The Golden Age Ep. 46 The Descent

Posted March 6, 2024 By John C Wright

Excerpts from THE GOLDEN AGE, my debut novel from 2001. 

In the far future, where humans have become as gods, living lives of perfect peace and prosperity, Phaethon of Rhadamanthus House discovers centuries of his memory are lost. Like his namesake, has flown too high, and must be cast down: for he has committed the one act the Golden Age forbids, to have ambitions higher than utopia can contain. Now his quest is to find himself.

Episode 46: The Descent

Here is the penultimate entry for this volume.
Next week is the last.
Do the readers wish me to continue this weekly publication of my novel in bite-sized bits?

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The Golden Age Ep. 45 False Memories

Posted February 28, 2024 By John C Wright

Excerpts from THE GOLDEN AGE, my debut novel from 2001. 

In the far future, where humans have become as gods, living lives of perfect peace and prosperity, Phaethon of Rhadamanthus House discovers centuries of his memory are lost. Like his namesake, has flown too high, and must be cast down: for he has committed the one act the Golden Age forbids, to have ambitions higher than utopia can contain. Now his quest is to find himself.

Episode 45: False Memories

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The Golden Age Ep. 44 Shadow of Scaramouche

Posted February 22, 2024 By John C Wright

Excerpts from THE GOLDEN AGE, my debut novel from 2001. 

In the far future, where humans have become as gods, living lives of perfect peace and prosperity, Phaethon of Rhadamanthus House discovers centuries of his memory are lost. Like his namesake, has flown too high, and must be cast down: for he has committed the one act the Golden Age forbids, to have ambitions higher than utopia can contain. Now his quest is to find himself.

Episode 44: Shadow of Scaramouche

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The Golden Age Ep. 42 The Ghost of Diomedes

Posted February 7, 2024 By John C Wright

Excerpts from THE GOLDEN AGE, my debut novel from 2001. 

In the far future, where humans have become as gods, living lives of perfect peace and prosperity, Phaethon of Rhadamanthus House discovers centuries of his memory are lost. Like his namesake, has flown too high, and must be cast down: for he has committed the one act the Golden Age forbids, to have ambitions higher than utopia can contain. Now his quest is to find himself.

Episode 42: The Ghost of Diomedes

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Faith and Works in a Science Fictional Universe

Posted February 6, 2024 By John C Wright

From  2014, but perhaps of current interest:

I have been asked to write a brief essay about how my faith informs my work, and what is the general relation of Catholicism to Science Fiction.

Unfortunately, I cannot.

This is not because I have no opinions on the topic, but rather because they cannot be told briefly.

I must give something of my background story to explain how I came by my answers, in order to give the answers fully. I beg the indulgence of the patient reader:

Few men have ever hated as much as Christ as I have, before turning to love him. Before I was a Catholic, I was an atheist, and not an atheist who kept his opinions to himself, but, rather, a vituperative, proselytizing, aggressive, evangelist of atheism, who sought at every opportunity to spread the Bad News that God Was Dead and Christians were Fools.

But there was one area sacrosanct from my proselytizing effort. I did not use my science fiction stories to preach nor promote my worldview.

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