Archive for December, 2011

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Christmastide

Posted December 30, 2011 By John C Wright
Some say that ever ‘gainst that season comes
Wherein our Saviour’s birth is celebrated,
The bird of dawning singeth all night long:
And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad;
The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,
No fairy takes, no witch has power to charm,
So hallow’d and gracious is the time. –Hamlet 

I thought today, Dec 30, the Feast of the Holy Family, halfway through Christmastide, would be an apt time to reflect on it, and to urge my fellow traditionalists to continue the Christly and Christian work of Keeping the Feast and Partyin’ On! Let us pause for unsolemn reflection on these solemnities.

We all know the Twelve Days of Christmas from a famous nonsense song about a lady whose true love gives her 184 birds of various types, not to mention 12 fruit trees, 40 golden rings, 106 persons of the various professions either musical or milkmaidenly, and 32 members of the aristocracy variously cavorting.

If you have ever wondered how the lady in the song feeds all the leaping lords and dancing ladies, pipers, drummers, and milkmaids now living in her parlor, the answer is that she feeds them the 22 turtledoves, 30 French hens, 36 colly birds, and 42 swans, not to mention the nice supply of eggs from the geese, milk from the cows and pairs from the pair trees.

You may have heard that the lyrics contain a secret meaning, referring to Catholic doctrines or rites forbidden by Oliver Cromwell. This is true. The secret meaning is that the Walrus is St. Paul, and if you listen to a record of the carol backward, it says “Cromwell under his wig is bald.” All this is well known.

What is not as well known is that traditionally, these are twelve days of feasts which start on Christmas Day and run through to Epiphany on January 6th, which is the festival variously of the Adoration of the Magi and the Presentation in the Temple. (Really hard core Christmasteers extend Christmastide 40 days, ending on Candlemas February 2).

Before Christmas, during the season of Advent, while everyone else is shopping and partying, we who keep the traditions fast, pray, do penance, and make ourselves miserable. It makes the holiday much brighter by contrast.

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Praise for COUNT TO A TRILLION! (plus a Helpful Hint on How to ID the Bad Guys)

Posted December 29, 2011 By John C Wright

Douglas Cobb on his website of the same name has posted a kind review of my latest novel. You can read the whole thing here: http://douglascobb.wordpress.com/2011/12/29/count-to-a-trillion-by-john-c-wright-review/

By ‘read the whole thing’ I mean the whole review, not the whole novel. For the novel, you have to go here:  http://www.sff.net/people/john-c-wright/Book_Count_to_a_Trillion.htm

But allow me to quote a flattering paragraph or two. It is one of the simple and innocent pleasures being a writer (or mountebank, clown, politician, or other pastime afflicted with the enduring vice of vanity) affords to one.

Another simple pleasure, somewhat less innocent than the first, is self-absorbed bellyaching in undignified fashion about the alleged cruelty of critics, and to this pleasure I shall turn in a moment.

John C Wright’s Nebula Award Nominated SF novel, Orphans of Chaos, blew me away with the imagination behind it and Wright’s ability to craft an excellent novel. Now, his just-released Hard SF novel, Count to A Trillion, I am prophesizing right now, will also be nominated, and could very possibly win the award. Yes, it’s that good, despite some controversy it’s already engendered among some members of the reviewing community.

What’s so great about it? How about: Everything.

High praise indeed. I assume this means he likes the cover art as well as the story. Mr Cobb also makes this comment:

How has Wright’s novel become as controversial as it has, within mere days of when the brick & Mortar stores began selling it, on December 20th? My surmise is that a few reviewers mistakenly have taken certain beliefs of Wright’s characters to be his, such as the supremacy of Darwinian theories. I’d say, even if they also might happen to be Wright’s beliefs, what does it really matter, as in the context of the novel, they are the beliefs of the characters, and Menelaus is determined to thwart these theories, as opposed to giving in to them.

He concludes:

I highly recommend Count To A Trillion to anyone who is a fan of MilSF, and science fiction in general. It’s a promising start to the series, with a cliffhanger that will make you long to read the rest of the trilogy. Check it out today!

My comment:

There are some reviews I have not read, so I am not quite sure to which reviewer Mr Cobb refers.

Let me therefore speak only hypothetically. If there is a single reviewer who possesses the facility of mental contortion to read a book in which the hero in the first chapter takes a solemn vow to oppose the remorseless doctrine of eugenics most often mislabeled Darwinism, and from that, to deduce that the author is a fan of Darwinism, should turn in his credentials as a book reviewer, and take a job more in keeping with his limited reading comprehension skills, such as ditch-digger, burger flipper, or television news anchor.
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Pornolitical Correctness

Posted December 27, 2011 By John C Wright

The feast day of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist may not be the best day to speak of the various False Prophets who serve the Beast and worship him, least our happiness of the Christmas Season be jarred, but it might serve as a day to speak of Political Correctness, which is much the same thing. Surely Political Correctness is not a more fantastical beast, many headed and freakishly ugly, as the dragon the Whore of Babylon rides, or other prodigies and abominations seen by Saint John in his wild vision.

The core of Political Correctness is to substitute dramatic words, phrases and thoughts, for true ones. The words are selected based on their usefulness to the Party, not their truth value. They are like advertising jingles, or the cries of cheerleaders urging the fans.

The Party of which I speak is not the Democrat Party. It is the party of hate. It is the party of Nihilism.

Hatred gives zest and meaning to an otherwise empty mind; it establishes camaraderie for the lonely, making them feel part of something great; it provides drive to sluggards; it adorns the unrighteous with a luster of moral superiority; it gives the craven bravery.

Nihilism is a philosophy which releases those who believe it from the labor of logical philosophy or the burden of believing anything. It wins all arguments by a preemptive surrender of the mind to the abyss. If there is no truth, there is no argument.

To serve these purposes does not require a real threat from a real enemy, someone who might retaliate. A make-believe enemy will do as well.

Should you, faithful Christian or Jew, be true to your faith, rest assured a heaping of the hatred of the Politically Correct will be heaped upon at some point, sooner or later.

The people who talk this way do not hate you, despite that they say they do, any more than a schoolboy looking at a centerfold loves her. She is merely a convenient image to excite his passions. Exciting the passions is the goal. The lust exists for its own sake.

So also here. The hatred exists for its own sake, because of the momentary pleasure it excites. Political Correctness is to hatred as pornography is to lust.

If you are a bad Christian, as I am, filled with all manner of folly, and faults, and sins, you will often wonder why, out of all your real faults which could be criticized, the Politically Correct only select either trivial faults, or nonexistent ones. There are two reasons:

First, paradoxical as it sounds, this is because a false accusation is easier to make than a true one. A true accusation has to make reference to boring things like facts and logic. A false accusation can be sculpted to excite the maximum of hate for the least mental effort, and approach the realm of pure emotion, unfettered by reality. It also can fit a lazy stereotype.

Second, Political Correctness calls good evil and call evil good. To be accused of a real sin would ricochet onto the accuser on one in his party, since he might be guilty of the same. Instead, the accusation confines itself to purely ritual matters, such as whether the accused use an insensitive name rather than the ritually pure name for a thing, or genuflected at the ritually pious sentiments with sufficient show of zeal.

No honest man, deep down, can ever really understand the devotees of Political Correctness, because they want to be hypocrites.The shock and surprise at their utter shamelessness never fades.

They want to put on an outward show of ritualized self-righteousness, not only because it is easy, but because to those who believe as an absolute truth that there is no absolute truth, nothing other than the shallow approach to life, concern for meaningless surface features, is all that is philosophically possible for them.

The Playboy model who posed for the camera surely is puzzled, if not disgusted, by any fan mail expressing deep devotion toward her. She knows the schoolboys only saw the shallowest possible presentation of her, an airbrushed mirage, a glamor of lights and make-up and make-believe. She is more likely to find a shallower compliment more flattering, because she knows the lustful boys are only drawn to an image.

So here again. When men revile you with cast despiteful words and slanders, it is not you they hate. Frankly, neither you nor I are that important. It is the image of God in you they hate,  my dear faithful Christian, my dear observant Jew: the image of authority, the image of purity; of divinity; the image of truth and beauty and love.

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The Little Dark Ages to Come

Posted December 24, 2011 By John C Wright

There is a Little Dark Ages posited in my book, COUNT TO A TRILLION, which sparked some discussion in the comments concerning the degree of loss of technical know how and the feasibility of recovering from a collapse, partial or total, of civilization.

I said

“As in the real Dark Ages in history, my yarn assumes that a collapse of economic and political unity does not involve necessarily any loss of technical know-how.”

A reader with the name of Deiseach asks:

I would mildly demur here; was there not some loss of “technical know-how”, at least in certain outlying areas, between the end of Roman occupation/final collapse of the Empire and the re-vitalised culture of the Middle Ages?

My answer: That is why I said “not necessarily.”

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Future Eve, or, Christmas and Science Fiction

Posted December 23, 2011 By John C Wright

As befits the last day of Advent, I was meditating on the difference between secular and sacred visions of the future.

The Sacred:

It is often forgotten these days that the season of Advent is a time of fasting and penance akin to Lent, and the Twelve Days of Christmas, remembered now only as the lyrics to a nonsense song about Colly Birds and Leaping Lords, which begin at Christmas, and run through to Epiphany, are the days of festival and feast.

As with most things, our modern world gets it backward. We, or rather, our commercial institutions, celebrate a nondenominational Winter holiday which begins after Halloween, runs roughshod over Thanksgiving, peaks on Black Friday, and ends on the stroke of midnight December 25th. At exactly 12:01 the radio stations stop playing “Santa Baby” and “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” and return to their regular schedule of sappy love songs and swaggering rap music. The Returning Season begins, and shopper/citizens are advised to keep the receipts of gifts they wish to return for store credit.

As far as I know, not a single store celebrates the Feast of Stephen (Dec 26th, the time traditionally for giving food to the poor, as in the carol Good King Wenceslas) or the Feast of St. John the Evangelist (Dec. 27th) or the Feast of the Holy Innocents (Dec. 28th). I don’t think I have ever seen a single hot dog stand or shoe shop decorated with the images of infants slaughtered by King Herod—which, come to think of it, may not help sales.  

There was also a traditional “Feast of Fools” held on January 1st, which we moderns still celebrate by getting blind drunk on New Year’s Eve and trying to operate motor vehicles. Or maybe I am confusing that with the “Feast of Asses.” The antics climax at Epiphany, January 6th, which commemorates the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the wedding feast at Cannae  which the Earthly Ministry of the Savior began.

The tradition holds advent as a time of longing, of songs sung begging Emmanuel to appear, and the Twelve Days as the riproaring celebration of his appearance. Of modern commercial songs, “I just can’t wait for Christmas” actually captures the anticipation better than most.

Advent is a season not just for remembering and sharing the hopeful waiting of, for example, Simeon, who was prophesied not to see death until he saw the comfort of Israel, the first Advent, but also to remind ourselves to watch and wait for the second Advent, which shall come at a time no one knows, not even the angels, not even the Son.

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Reviewer Dispraise for COUNT TO A TRILLION

Posted December 22, 2011 By John C Wright

This review, from Graham Storrs,  was not so generous as others:

(This review first appeared in the New York Review of Books.)

Over a hundred years from now, after a series of devastating biological wars, North America is struggling to hang on to even third-world status.

A young mathematical prodigy called Menelaus Montrose grows up in what used to be Texas. He works at a variety of menial and sometimes dangerous jobs. While acting as a paid duellist for a firm of lawyers, he is recruited by a man who might just save the world. A spaceship is being built to cross the 50 light years to another star, to harvest the antimatter discovered there and to read the runes on an ancient, orbiting monument left by a Galaxy-spanning super-race.

But Montrose is as reckless and foolish as he is mathematically gifted, and he is barely out of Earth’s orbit before he injects himself with an untested concoction that will amplify his intelligence well beyond human levels. The next thing he knows, he is back on Earth, 150 years later, and everything has changed.

Count to a Trillion is essentially a utopian sci-fi novel about a future society created by adventurer-scientists who brought stability and order to a world fractured and failing after almost destroying itself. Yet like most utopias, this version of global peace and world government is held together by duct tape and wishful thinking, as Montrose slowly discovers.

One of the great pleasures of reading utopian sci-fi is that one sees the author play with wild and exciting possibilities, to present futures we might one day have to live, and to juxtapose a vision of a future society with our own less-than-perfect present. That is one of the reasons why Count to a Trillion was so disappointing.

Beyond a description of how the new world order was forced upon the Earth, and some tidbits about the politics and social stratification of this future society, we learn very little about how this world works. With strong echoes of H. G. Wells’ classic, The Sleeper Awakes, Montrose wakes to discover he is in a society distorted and stultified by the power of the ruling elite – of which he is now a member. But it is not the economic systems of the new Earth that cause Montrose to reject this world, nor its educational, medical, or child welfare programs. Bizarrely, what bothers our Texan hero—disgusts him, even—is the fact that ordinary people are not allowed to roam the streets armed.

And that is symptomatic of one of the most jarring aspects of the book. It’s true that the hero comes from an impoverished, post-apocalyptic Texan home, but when he reaches maturity and he is an established mathematical genius, educated, an elite member of an interstellar space mission, and has his IQ boosted off the scale to become the first transhuman, it is peculiar that he still talks like a caricature of John Wayne in a low-budget Western.

This makes the hero seem a little comical, like Yoda, who can master the Force, but who can’t master English sentence construction. In fact, Menelaus Montrose is a bit of a fool, with almost no endearing qualities. To cap it all, when he falls for the heroine, he behaves like a sexist throwback, with endless cracks about “wearing the trousers” and spanking his “girl,” and all sympathy for him is lost.

Which is a shame. This is a book that had the potential to be so much more. It is solid, hard science fiction, brimming over with great ideas. Yet it falls into the trap of being overburdened with exposition (much of which is pure techno-babble); and the first part of the novel in particular feels slow and tedious as various characters fill the hero in on what he missed while he was asleep.

Much of the writing is very reminiscent of Golden Age sci-fi writer A. E. van Vogt, not only in its style but also in the use of supposed semantic and mathematical frameworks (mostly derived from alien writings) to understand human and alien behavior.

And then the story stops, quite abruptly, in the middle of an action scene. You may enjoy books that end on a cliffhanger with nothing resolved and every important character on the very edge of triumph or defeat—in which case, you’ll love Count to a Trillion.

But for many people, reaching the end of a novel to find you are left hanging is extremely frustrating. The intent may be to persuade the reader to buy the next book in the series (although none is promised) but in this case, the fate of this particular hero might be a matter of indifference to most readers.

My comment: I will diffidently utter one wee correction, even if it is a breach of writer-reviewer etiquette to do so.

There is indeed a scene where my hero notices that that the underlings and peons are not allowed to carry arms, and are required to bow to their overlords. The reader must decide for himself if the hero’s disgust with with their peonage, or with their disarmament, or both. At this point in the plot, the hero is also aware that the world rulers are planning the extinction of the human race. So it is not quite accurate to say that his discontent with the social order is based solely on disgust with the disarmament of the servile classes, even though (since he is from a post-collapse future akin to a frontier past, and he is a professional duelist) the hero’s attitude toward firearms cannot be the same as we expect from the current, gentle, modern day. Science fiction postulates change, either for good or ill.

The reviewer’s other criticisms, I will not contradict. Whether the character is meant to be taken seriously in his macho Texas posturing, is something the reader must decide for himself, and that goes double if ya’ll are Yankees.

What is funny about the language is I thought it was clear from the second chapter that Montrose can speak polished language if he wishes, but does not wish: this is taken without change from Richard Seaton, the superscientist from E.E. Doc Smith’s SKYLARK OF SPACE, who was also a bit of a hillbilly, despite his scientific genius. Of course, I find Seaton’s way of speaking egregious, so I dare not gainsay the criticism here.

That said, I compliment the reviewer for penning a clearer explanation of the plot than most reviews, who usually get a detail or two wrong. Mr Graham has a clearer eye than some readers who liked the book more.

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Reviewer Praise for COUNT TO A TRILLION

Posted December 21, 2011 By John C Wright

I assume I am allowed to boast in moderation. Here is a rather kind review from the drolly-named Self Awareness:

With wit, charm and a wicked intelligence, John C. Wright’s ninth novel kicks off a series set in both the near and far future of Earth. Polymath Menelaus Montrose rises beyond his poor religious upbringing by becoming an astronaut, winging his way along with thousands of others to a far flung asteroid on a dual mission to gather a highly sought after energy source there and to study its mysterious Monolith. Menelaus injects intelligence-enhancing smart drugs as soon as the mining and science ship leaves orbit, giving him a terrifying intellect but also causing a nearly incurable madness. The other mission staffers lock him away in suspended animation, allowing the novel to take a great leap into its second act, set hundreds of years later, after the landing party from the mission has returned to Earth, becoming masters of all they see, providing free energy to a hungry and grateful humanity. Menelaus rebels, of course, and begins a physical, mental and perhaps spiritual journey to use his intelligence to better humankind.

This is a novel of huge ideas, super-intelligent beings, transcendent mathematics and a Texan who becomes a stubborn champion of humanity.

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Meanwhile, over at John Scalzi’s BIG IDEA

Posted December 20, 2011 By John C Wright

I hawk my latest wares. The book comes out this very day.

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2011/12/20/the-big-idea-john-c-wright/

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Prayer Request

Posted December 20, 2011 By John C Wright

Since this is Advent, and all my good Protestant friends and bad Catholic friends are spending extra time in prayer as the days grow darker, I thought I would pass this along from the friend of mine, an ex-witch now practicing Catholic named Mrs Furby.

We are asking everyone to say a prayer for “Darkhorse” 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and their families They are fighting it out in Afghanistan & they have lost 9 marines in 4 days.

Pass it along and Semper Fi.

This is what SCOPES.COM says about this particular chain letter:

The U.S. 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (Darkhorse) suffered heavy personnel losses in Afghanistan between October 2010 and its return to Camp Pendleton in April 2011. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, thirteen members of the battalion were killed in the Oct./Nov. timeframe:

An infantryman from Camp Pendleton’s 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment was killed in action in Afghanistan, the Pentagon announced [on 8 November 2010].

Lance Cpl. Randy R. Braggs, 21, of Sierra Vista, Ariz., died Nov. 6 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, the Department of Defense said.

Braggs was the 13th member of 3/5 killed since the battalion moved into the Sangin area of northeastern Helmand province in October, including four felled in a single bomb attack on their mine-resistant all terrain vehicle.

Two other Marines were fatally shot at a patrol base last week in Sangin, the Marines said. Initial reports indicate they were attacked by a rogue Afghan soldier who then fled, according to U.S. and NATO officials in Afghanistan. An investigation into the incident is continuing.

As noted in an Associated Press account, the area of Afghanistan in which the 3/5 operated is regarded as a particularly key (and violent) area of that country:

U.S. Marines who recently inherited this lush river valley in southern Helmand province from British forces have tossed aside their predecessor’s playbook in favor of a more aggressive strategy to tame one of the most violent places in Afghanistan.

U.S. commanders say success is critical in Sangin district — where British forces suffered nearly one-third of their deaths in the war — because it is the last remaining sanctuary in Helmand where the Taliban can freely process the opium and heroin that largely fund the insurgency.

The district also serves as a key crossroads to funnel drugs, weapons and fighters throughout Helmand and into neighboring Kandahar province, the spiritual heartland of the Taliban and the most important battleground for coalition forces. The U.S.-led coalition hopes its offensive in the south will kill or capture key Taliban commanders, rout militants from their strongholds and break the insurgency’s back. That will allow the coalition and the Afghans to improve government services, bring new development and a sense of security.

Another Associated Press report from November 2010 described the difficulty (and heavy casualties) the Marines were encountering during operations in that region of Afghanistan:

The Marines patrolling through the green fields and tall mud compounds of Helmand province’s Sangin district say they are literally in a race for their lives. They are trying to adjust their tactics to outwit Taliban fighters, who have killed more coalition troops here than in any other Afghan district this year.

“As a new unit coming in, you are at a distinct disadvantage because the Taliban have been fighting here for years, have established fighting positions and have laid the ground with a ton of IEDs,” said Lt. Col. Jason Morris, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. “You have to evolve quickly because you have no other choice.”

Many of the younger Marines also have had to cope for the first time with seeing their best friends die or suffer grievous wounds. Fifteen Marines have been killed and about 50 wounded since the battalion arrived in October [2010] — many by improvised explosive devices or IEDs.

Between 8 October 2010 and its April 2011 return home, the 3/5 lost 24 Marines while conducting Operation Enduring Freedom combat operations in Helmand province:

  • Sgt. Jason G. Amores, 29, of Lehigh Acres, Florida, died 20 January 2011
  • Cpl. Tevan L. Nguyen, 21, of Hutto, Texas, died 28 December 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. Kenneth A. Corzine, 23, of Bethalto, Illinois, died 24 December 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. Jose L. Maldonado, 21, of Mathis, Texas, died 17 December 2010.
  • Sgt. Jason D. Peto, 31, of Vancouver, Washington, died 7 December 2010.
  • Cpl. Derek A. Wyatt, 25, of Akron, Ohio, died 6 December 2010.
  • Pfc. Colton W. Rusk, 20, of Orange Grove, Texas, died 6 December 2010.
  • Sgt. Matthew T. Abbate, 26, of Honolulu, Hawaii, died 2 December 2010.
  • 1st Lt. William J. Donnelly IV, 27, of Picayune, Mississippi, died 25 November 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. James B. Stack, 20, of Arlington Heights, Ill, died 10 November 2010.
  • 2nd Lt. Robert M. Kelly, 29, of Tallahassee, Florida, died 9 November 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. Randy R. Braggs, 21, of Sierra Vista, Arizona, died 6 November 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. Brandon W. Pearson, 21, of Arvada, Colorado, died 4 November 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. Matthew J. Broehm, 22, of Flagstaff, Arizona, died 4 November 2010.
  • Sgt. Ian M. Tawney, 25, of Dallas, Oregon, died 16 October 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. James D. Boelk, 24, of Oceanside, California, died 15 October 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. Joseph C. Lopez, 26, of Rosamond, California, died 14 October 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. Alec E. Catherwood, 19, of Byron, Illinois, died 14 October 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. Irvin M. Ceniceros, 21, of Clarksville, Arkansas, died 14 October 2010.
  • Pfc. Victor A. Dew, 20, of Granite Bay, California, died 13 October 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. Joseph E. Rodewald, 21, of Albany, Oregon, died 13 October 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. Phillip D. Vinnedge, 19, of Saint Charles, Mo, died 13 October 2010.
  • Cpl. Justin J. Cain, 22, of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, died 13 October 2010.
  • Lance Cpl. John T. Sparks, 23, of Chicago, Illinois, died 8 October 2010.

Dark Horse Battalion was rotated back to the U.S. in April 2011. Its place in Afghanistan was taken by the 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment, also from Camp Pendleton.

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Section Eight

Posted December 19, 2011 By John C Wright

I need help. I have two neighbors who have been kicked out of their house. They have no place to stay, no income, no nothing. They have a certain amount of money from the government for housing called Section Eight.

If anyone reading these words in the Northern Virginia area, or DC, or Maryland knows the process to find my neighbors a place to stay, or a shelter, or anything, please tell me. They are desperate, as these vouchers expire in January.

If I have been a little curt with anyone recently, it is because this problem has been weighing on me for the last month and a half.

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Why PCniks should not debate serious topics, like Make-Believe

Posted December 19, 2011 By John C Wright

In a previous post, a post that generated an amount of controversy that surprises and disappoints me, I stated that anyone who does not sense that modernity is missing something has no heart for high fantasy.

The statement is not controversial at all: it is practically a tautology. People who feel no need for high fantasy are those for whom fantasy has no glamor. They are content, and need no escape or release form modern life.

Politically Correct types among those who have commented apparently feel free to assume that by the “something” I am talking about, and attacking, whatever it is about the modern world they most treasure, and so so they react as if their ox is being gored. This is foolishness.

If the “something” is a religious thing, only then is the statement about religion: if the “something” is a political institution, only then is the statement about politics. But so far, not one person, not one, has asked me what this “something” was to which I referred.

All that happens is PCniks have used the statement as a Rorschach inkblot to talk about whatever it is they think the statement remind them of. It takes the the folly to the next level, to wax indignant should anyone question whether or not such misreadings were legitimate. (The number of those who waxed indignant in this doubly foolish way, so far,  is two.)

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Awash With Christmas Gratitude: Our George Bailey Moment

Posted December 16, 2011 By John C Wright

These words from from my lovely and talented wife.

About a week ago, an incident here at the Wright Household led John to post a request for money on his blog. What happened next, is nothing short of a Christmas Miracle.

John did not quite get the facts correctly, so here is the real story, in its entirety.
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Casting Couch, Part Three, Casting Amelia

Posted December 15, 2011 By John C Wright

I had to share this photo, which a reader sent to me. Alas, I do not recall who sent it or when, but the young lady suggested her friend Lucia had the perfect look for Amelia Windrose. I tend to agree that this is a very good likeness for Phaethusa, the blond child of the Sun:

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Casting Couch, Part Deux: ORPHANS LEAGUE UNLIMITED

Posted December 14, 2011 By John C Wright

A reprint of another article from 2007, for those of you who have not seen it.

I realize I made a HUGE mistake in asking who should play the parts if ORPHANS OF CHAOS were ever made into a movie. Only the comments of my reader set me straight. I should have asked, who would play the parts if Bruce Timm were drawing the WB toon version!

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Play the Casting Couch Game

Posted December 14, 2011 By John C Wright

A reprint of an article from 2007, for those of you who have not seen it.

This is a question for anyone out there who read my book, ORPHANS OF CHAOS. If they made it into a movie, whom would you pick for the various roles?You are allowed to pick actors and actresses from when they are younger than they are, so that “Harrison Ford When He Was Young” is a perfectly legit choice.

I am not very good at this game, since no one seems quite to be what I imagined, but here below are some suggestions.

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