Tag: book review

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The Nine Laws: Part Eight

In this (very lengthy) discussion of Ivan Throne’s The Nine Laws, we’ve covered a lot of ground. You can read my review of the book here, and the rest of the parts are here:

Today we’re going to cover the Eighth law: Preposterousness. We’re going to examine the following applications from a context of Biblical Christianity:

Narcissism: You are the center of your universe.
Machiavellianism: There is no true reality.
Psychopathy: Absence of ego in absurdity.

Ivan’s comments are in bold italics. I respond to each one below.

Firstly, let’s define some things. “Does the world revolve around me?”

When you hear “You’re the center of your own universe!” it’s generally intended as an insult, or as an observation of someone’s self-centeredness. This is the classic definition of Narcissism: everything is about you.

But if I may, let me redirect your understanding of this, as a possible alternative.

What if when I say “I am the center of my universe,” I mean “I am the central gathering point for information that shapes my reality”?

Let me explain. If we believe (wrongly) that we’re in control of everything, then saying we’re the center of our universe means our actions shape our reality.

But if you understand that our reality is shaped by God for us to conditionally experience (and may not match what other people experience) then you realize that, yes, God has shaped and revealed our reality specifically for each of us. We cannot rely on other people’s interpretations of what we’ve experienced to explain what God’s intentions are. God does not reveal our reality to someone else for them to explain to us. That’s not how God works; that’s how cults are formed.

More aptly put: we are not the center of the universe, we are at the center of our experiences in the reality that God is revealing to us. We are responsible for our reaction to it. We are not the cause of it.

Everything is Ridiculous. Continue reading “The Nine Laws: Part Eight”

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Book Review: The Nine Laws

Once in a while, you run across something that’s so magnificently and bluntly honest that you just have to stop and look at it again, as if to say “what?”

Reading Ivan Throne‘s The Nine Laws is like that. It’s not something you can skim in an afternoon while delicately sipping on a latte. It’s both eloquently written, and brutally realistic. But at the core, is it something worth reading, or is it just poetic drivel and fluff?

Each section begins with a story directly from Throne’s life, and embodies some facet of the Nine Laws. They are powerfully moving stories in their own right, but as examples of the way the Dark World works, they’re more than that. The Laws are defined, and then the last section explains each one. The reader is given thought exercises to get them to understand where they are in relation to the Dark World, and then take action based on that realization.

I decided, in light of wanting to be honest, to dig into the philosophy of the book itself and see if it held water when juxtaposed with a Christian’s worldview. I will warn you: this wasn’t easy, or simple. It is a complex philosophy, and even a single misstep could transform the entire thing into a conflagration of failure. If all the Nine Laws rely on each other, and even one of them is false, then the whole tower comes toppling down. I am still working through it, but needless to say, there’s a lot of truth there.

I can’t even begin to delve into the meaning of the whole book in a mere thousand words, so there’s a good possibility this will take more than one post. But I would rather do the book justice than stamp a gold seal on it and lead someone astray. My readers deserve it, and I’m sure Mr. Throne wouldn’t have it any other way.

So, without further ado, here are the Nine Laws: Continue reading “Book Review: The Nine Laws”

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Book Review: Ted Dekker’s “Circle” Series

I just finished reading through The Complete Circle Series (Black, Red, White, and Green) by Ted Dekker. Known for his faith-based fiction, Dekker has a large following for his fantasy/fiction approach to retelling spiritual battles. I picked up the Nook version of it and immediately dove in to the Circle (little inside joke, there!)

About the Book: I hadn’t read any of Dekker’s other works, so I was anxious to get started. I’d heard several good reviews of his writing, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. For those who haven’t heard of this series, the four books are cyclical, which means you can start on any book and still get the whole story. In this collection, Dekker includes an alternate original ending to Green in case you wanted to start with that book. This set starts with Black, and we begin with the main character, Thomas Hunter, running from mafia thugs and eventually getting clipped by a bullet that knocks him unconscious. When he awakes, he realizes he is either dreaming, or he has been transported to an entirely different reality. From there, he struggles to piece together remnants of his memory, but every time he sleeps in one world, he awakes in the other. Before long, events in one begin to affect the other, and Thomas discovers the worlds are more connected than he could ever have imagined. Continue reading “Book Review: Ted Dekker’s “Circle” Series”

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Book Review: Stalking The Story

I picked up a copy of the e-book Stalking The Story the other day after reading through “Everything You Need To Write Great Essays You Can Learn From Watching Movies” (we were looking at it as curriculum for our homeschooled high-schooler!) . I was impressed with the author’s style, and after reading a bit about him, I understood why… needless to say, it’s catchy, and I like catchy.

Anyway, since I’ve been having a bit of trouble hammering out the actual story for a few of my ongoing projects, I decided I needed some help with the plot. Stalking The Story looked like it would be just the ticket. (Plus, I’m a big fan of the detective show Monk and the foreword is by one of the show’s producers!)

The book basically gives you step-by-step guides to outline the major points of a story, under the assumption that finding the story is a mystery, and you’re the detective. Every good detective looks for clues, interviews people of interest, documents anything relevant, etc. and hopefully by the end, you can solve the mystery and find your missing story.

The Breakdown: I really like Jay Douglas’ style. It’s informal, slightly tongue-in-cheek, and very easy to read. There’s plenty of references to fictional detectives and their methods, and even worksheets for hammering out the details of your characters and how they fit into the plot. It’s a virtual “Plot EMT” and just going through the chapters can very quickly make you realize that your plot is dead, and needs reviving.

Does it work? Well, yes. If you have a corkboard full of scene snippets, colorful characters, cool ideas, but no story, then this book is exactly what you need. It will guide you through pulling the pieces together and drawing out an actual story from nothing more than your characters’ idiosyncrasies.

The Lowdown: If you’re looking for a miracle, well, this book won’t write your story for you. However, I used it, and it opened up a lot of possibilities for story sources (right there in my own character’s head!) that I hadn’t thought of. Brainstorming, writing it down, thinking it through, and then putting the pieces back together is what happens.

I recommend this book for people with writer’s block. It helps you think outside the box, and look for clues to a story where you couldn’t see one before.

Check it out!