The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice (Review)

This book is quite excellent I would give it 9/10

I started this book right after Interview With A Vampire and found it such a smooth transition.  I really enjoyed the way in the first book Louis was the hero and Lestat the villain.  It all seemed so simple and easy this way.  Lestat writes the second book and everything known within the first book blows apart.  This brings the reader into a difficult dilemma.  Does Louis stay the Hero of the chronicles or was he completely wrong with his thoughts on Lestat.

The writing is strong as in all of her books.  She develops the characters well enough to make them believable.  I truly felt that I could sit down and talk with all the characters.  Everything about them were described remarkably well.  This is what drivers The Vampire Chronicles the ability for readers to relate to the vampires.  They are the outcasts.  They are in society, but not of society.  They belong nowhere and never fit in even with each other.

The story behind this book is very large.  I think this is the largest book she wrote and is the first time when the history of vampires is revealed.  This book takes the history back to the times of early Egypt before periods.  Something like seven thousand years ago and the development of vampires was a demon who was able to take the body of a human.  The very old vampires I found truly delightful and believable.  

If for example one was to live for thousands and thousands of years what would they be like.  Since humans have no possible way of knowing this it makes it somewhat difficult to know if Rice is accurate.  Admittedly I was somewhat skeptical if a being this old would take itself out of the would and stand still as stone for centuries. For me it would be impossible to understand a loss of interest in the ever growing knowledge and action of the world.

After thinking a while it came clear that this would be bound to happen.  One with even the most dedicated and studious mind who year after year read and participated in all the cultural and artistic events would learn very little actually mattered.  If someone was apart from humans and understood everything which humans thought impressive was only impressive to the select species they would grow bored. Every generation has a couple of brilliant minds who tend to impact the population more than others, but in the scheme of the world and especially the universe how important is it that Newton discovered gravity or the Mona Lisa was painted.

Everything we find important has no value.  Every discovery or new idea does little, but make the human existence more bearable. The fact is every discovery which has inspired human growth especially medical or architectural has allowed our species to spread across the earth destroying everything in our path.  Even the most devout environmentalist if they take part within society has crushing impacts on the earth and the other species.  This is simply a fact we choose as a society to ignore and perhaps with enough lifetimes and enough destruction may address in the future.

That is what I would suspect a creature living for thousands of years to think of us.  Would they continue to want a place in the world after learning our true nature. I think probably not.  This entire post though is of course like all the rest my thoughts and like the majority of thoughts are most likely completely wrong or at least quite off.  I recommend this book and the series to any reader who enjoys philosophical thought or thinking of morality and religion.     

Analysis of Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Anne Rice has been and will continue to be my absolute favorite writer of all time.  She is the reason I have begun writing novels and is the only writer besides Edgar Allen Poe I find myself reading over and over again.  Interview with the Vampire is Anne Rice's first book in The Vampire Chronicles.  This is not my favorite book of hers, but is still one of the best novels that I have read.

I think the biggest factor which separates this novel from others is the delivery of the story.  It is actually quite hard to explain since there are a couple of narrators.  Louis is the vampire being interviewed, but there is a boy who is recording the interview and plays a crucial role to the dialog within the novel.  Rice is forced to play a story out through characters telling the story.  Throughout the book she will switch back and forth from the main story to the dialogue between the boy and Louis.

The main plot centers around the history of Louis.  He is the shining star within this book and everything is seen through his eyes.  He begins his tale from the 1800's in New Orleans well before he was turned into a vampire by Lestat.  Rice really goes in depth when creating this character Louis.  From the very beginning I found myself in his corner.  He is one of the few vampires who actually has a distaste of taking human life and sees it as immoral even after hundreds of years.  Louis is also ridiculed by Lestat for spending time reading and learning rather than killing and partying.

I would guess that Rice had a special connection with Louis.  Writers have a fascination with reading and learning.  The way in which they improve their craft is by reading and therefore usually pick up quite a romantic depiction of literature.  After Lestat turns Louis into a vampire after many years Lestat decides to increase their little group by adding a small child.  The only reason he turns the child is so Louis will not leave him.  Louis being the moral and emotional of the two decides to stay with Lestat helping him financially and being his companion because of the child vampire.

The story continues to develop with Louis continuing to grow and Lestat staying the same.  A time comes when the child grows and decides to kill Lestat.  Both the child and Louis have no idea what they are doing since Lestat did not explain how to kill a vampire and muck the entire plan up.  I found especially in these parts that the author does an amazing job at describing the scene.  Her depictions are extremely gruesome, but leave plenty to the imagination.

From what I took out of the text the writing delivers in metaphor a fight between individuality and conformity.  The child is certain she wants all the restrictions lifted and is the main pursuer of freedom from Lestat.  Louis on the other hand was quite comfortable with the life the three of them shared and was willing to give up nearly everything in the attempt to keep everything the same.  When the child makes the move to kill Lestat, Louis is placed on a crossroad and even though it is extremely difficult to throw off the burdens and embrace major change he struggles greatly.

If you are a reader who enjoys wonderful descriptions, in depth characters, and overall great writing this is the book for you.

My Novel Death Has Fallen is Published

Just letting you guys know that my novel is now on Amazon for sale.  I would love to hear any comments if you read the book.  This book is only for kindle if you don't own one check the sidebar for a link.

Review of Bad Billy by Jimmy Pudge

Rating: 6/10

Value: Free for Kindle

Readers: I recommend only those over 18 because of content.

When I picked this book up I found the beginning interesting.  It starts off setting the scene in the deep south with backwards people.  An Uncle finds a brother and sister in bed whom when confronted see nothing wrong with the idea of incest.  The sister has a child who was severely deformed.  She decided to keep the child, but lock him down in the basement.  While in the basement for years Billy turns from a child to monster unable to perform the most basic tasks.  Since he was in the basement his family would feed him human and animal corpses which changed him drastically so he would seek flesh.

The plot and story itself is solid.  I found it very interesting, but the writing seemed lacking.  This is an extremely violent book which I usually enjoy, but the writer lacks the ability to hide certain points to let the reader come to their own conclusions.  He lays out every gory scene with the details of exactly what happened, how it happened, and exactly where the story is going.  The reason people read books is to use their imagination.  They want the writer to place them in a position to develop scenes, characters, and even aspects of the plot for themselves.  

The other issue I had a problem with was the ending.  Through the entire story Pudge sticks with a real life situation without supernatural or paranormal instance.  In the ending he throws out a turn which did not fit at all.  I would explain more about this, but I prefer not to give endings away.

Review of The Giver by Lois Lowry

Rating: 10/10

Value: It is around $5.00 for both paperback as well as the kindle version.  I highly recommend getting this book in the paperback version for your personal library.

Readers: I believe someone with at least a middle school reading level would not struggle with this book.  The writing is simple and is intended for young adults. 

Summary: The Giver is a book about the evolution of society with a communistic government and social system.  The society brought forth in Lowry’s book is one in which everything for everyone is decided for.  The elders pick the peoples job’s, mate’s, and children.  The community supplies the food, medical necessities, and everything else required to live.  The goal of this society was to stomp out any differences and individuality creating what the book refers to as “Sameness”.  The main character is a boy named Jonas who for the first half of this book lives in this world attempting to follow the thousands of rules imposed.  When he is twelve he gets the job of The Receiver.  The job entails receiving all past experiences, emotions, and memories which the community has decided to no longer deal with.   

Positive:  There is so much going for this book.  First and most importantly is how Lowry develops a successful communism.  On the outside the society seems extremely happy and even perfect.  If everyone follows the rules then it eliminates all negative experience.  Lowry does a brilliant job creating this world in which it would seem to be a pleasure to live in, but then through depth of character shows the reader that losing all individuality and ability to choose would be impossible to bear. This is a very short book, but the length of the book matters little as Lowry packs in a story with everything explained.  In many cases this may seem like an extreme world and one never dreamed up before, but if you look at many different governments around the world it has been attempted multiple times.  I believe that Lowry does a wonderful job showing both the lure and flaw of this system of societal structure.

Negative:  It has been a very long time since I was unable to put a book down.  I read every day and usually over 20k words.  This book I was unable to put down and I place it in my highest esteem.  There is absolutely nothing about this book I would change it is one of the best books I have ever read.

Characters: The depth of character was simple yet extremely deep.  There are only seven characters within the book which hold crucial supports to the storyline.  Jonas of course is done amazingly well.  He is someone easy to identify with and understand.  The Giver who is his boss is another character I found just done perfectly.  These two people within the society have all of the thoughts of the society for hundreds upon hundreds of years.  This could have been the biggest flaw of the book giving characters such intense knowledge.  The author did it in a way in which I believed these two characters had all the generations of knowledge.  The most difficult thing to do as an author is create something which you are not.  There is no one with knowledge of the ages, but Lowry really stepped up to the plate creating these two and making us as readers believe they hold all this within.

Writing:  Like I said earlier the writing is extremely simplistic.  You will not find any difficult to read prose within the book.  That being said it is difficult to wrap your mind around the society the author creates here.  Even the use of simple language does not diminish the amount of wisdom the author stuffs into so few pages.

Quote: “It's the choosing that's important, isn't it?” Lois Lowry

Final Thought: This book is of course categorized as fiction, but I think it blows most philosophical literature out of the water.  Just because this world does not exist does not mean it won’t.  Time and time again to reach an easier life people have given up everything.  Even here in our United States we give up our privacy and choice for increased safety.  I really felt that Lowry in this book brought forth the consequences of such weakness.

Review of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Rating: 9/10

Value: Free at the library, around a dollar on the kindle, and a couple dollars for a paperback.
Readers:  Talented writer in the 1800’s requires those who have a good grasp of reading.  The language is not overly complicated allowing someone with a 10th or 11th grade reading level to be able to enjoy the text.

Summary:  The book itself is quite small.  The story hovers around the love of Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale.  These two made love and Hester became pregnant.  Because of the times and highly intolerant religious leaders the punishment for adultery was extremely harsh.  Hester was married to a man when she had the child with her lover.  She is sentenced to a lifetime of having the scarlet letter on her breast which is a red A which she had to have at all times on her shirt.  This of course forces Hester to live as an outcast.  Dimmesdale who was her pastor at the time does not admit to being the father of Hester’s child therefore forcing Hester to suffer the punishment alone.

Positive: The characters in this book are believable.  You walk every day with Hester and feel the pain of the punishment which she feels.  Since the characters are enjoyable you also get to enjoy the life changing alterations which Hester and the other characters go through in the book.  From the very beginning you feel sorry for the protagonist.  She will suffer in the first chapter more than the majority of people in their lifetime.  Not only is she forced to suffer social humiliation, but her new born child is forced to suffer as well.  The antagonist which is Hester’s husband also goes through a massive change.  You will first see him as a victim of Hester, but as you see how easily hate and vengeance can occupy someone’s entire being the pity for him fades and loathing is filled in its place.  Overall this book is a masterpiece of 1800’s society in America.  I found it interesting that Hawthorne’s grandfather was a magistrate on the Witchcraft trials in Salem.

Negative:  There is very little wrong in this book.  From start to finish you are sucked in.  The main issue I had with this book is the length.  The book is just over 200 pages and for such an in depth story could have filled many more pages which would have been wonderful.  The ending in particular could have been expanded greatly.

Writing:  Hawthorne’s writing should be looked to when an author is attempting to find their voice.  He paints wonderful pictures and has such a grasp of the human mind you will be left in awe.  One thing I find that authors do is over complicate their writing intending on forcing the reader to slow.  Hawthorne did not do this once.  With his writing you won’t get lost or have no idea what had happened.

Quote: “No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.” Nathaniel Hawthorne

Final Thought:  The majority of these old books I read simply because the authors are praised by our literary society and I want to see for myself what they bring to the table.  Most of the time the writing is good, but not nearly as good as people have made them out to be.  I found Nathaniel Hawthorne to be one of the most interesting authors I have ever experienced.  He lived in such an interesting period in America’s history and gives the reader such insight to the times.  If you have not read this book then I recommend getting out there and buying it for your collection.

My Novel Update:  I must say that I am very excited.  I have just finished proofreading my novel and I am now in the editing phase.  I will of course let you know on this blog when my book goes on amazon for sale.  Right now I am thinking of only charging $0.99.  It is a full novel pushing well over 50k words.

Review of The Former Hero by Jeffery Allen Mays

You can pick up the book here on Amazon:

Rating: 7.5/10

Value: Around $4.00 for kindle and $15.00 for paperback

Readers: I would recommend this book to those who have a higher reading level.  To get the most out of the book you would need a 12th grade reading level.  The genre is a mix between crime drama and psychological drama.

Summary:  The book starts with a drug addicted mother frantically searching for her missing child.  This is where the author shines light on the interesting environment he has created.  The city is one filled completely with corruption.  The mother can’t call the police because they have been bought by a rich man who bought his way into being mayor.  The only way she knows to help herself is to find the child herself.  As the story develops the author brings in more characters and focuses on developing people into black and white heroes and villains.  There is a huge amount of story within these pages.  Each character both good and bad the author will spend time with.  He develops them all quite well, but with all this it is difficult to keep a grasp on the world being developed.

Positive:  There are two points that I felt were done very well in this book.  The first is the world Mays creates.  This is a world that is completely different from what the majority of us have experienced.  It was difficult for me to understand a world that could be bought and sold.  I have read about this type of corruption in history books, but to read a novel which has it developed so completely was extremely enjoyable.  It felt as though I was living in a different time with completely different circumstances.  The second factor of the book I enjoyed is different types of writing.  Each time the author jumps from character to character the style of writing changes completely.  There are even changes from prose to poetry which in a novel is extremely rare, but Mays pulls it off very well.

Negative: The book was well done and I enjoyed it, but found some down sides while reading.  The number one problem I had was the grammar and spelling errors in writing.  These were simple mistakes and I was able to immediately fix the error in my mind, but the frequency of errors were a bit disconcerting.  The other problem I had was the length of the book.  This is a very large book and though it has excellent action in places there are many pages which feel like they drag while nothing of importance is happening.  Mays will develop aspects of character, environment, or plot that really don’t play enough into the story to need such description.
 
Characters:  The characters within the book were definitely the strong point of the book.  I found the theories of heroism and villainy were outstanding.  The world created fitted the extremism of the analogies for good and bad.  You are able to see the true good and evil in the writing with the constant battle between both.  By the end Mays wraps the whole thing up nicely leaving the reader understanding the entirety of the book.
Writing:  Though Mays is a very good writer like I said previously the book was not edited well.  Looking past these mistakes is difficult, but if you are able to do so the writing is smooth.  The descriptions are done in a way that places the reader in the environment Mays creates.

Analysis of "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman

I got this poem from Poem Hunter.  They have a nice layout and offer a video reading.  You can pick a book full of Whitman's poetry from Amazon.

O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.


O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills; 
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.


My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won; 
Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
But I, with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Walt Whitman

Personally I have not read much of Whitman's work preferring Poe and other poets who place imagery and metaphor much more enjoyable then poem structure and rhyme. Whitman writes this poem with incredible detail and description.  The man's voice in the poem was a sailor and he speaks about a successful voyage, but the death of the captain.  

One of the best aspects of this poem is the hidden message.  Being successful in what your doing will usually take precedent, but in reality means little if you lose yourself along the way.  Whitman puts this message forth as the speaker talks about the crowd.  The line that really brings this forth is "For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the shores a-crowding."  This line to me conveys the success of the mission then in a later verse he says "My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still; My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;" The captain can't enjoy the victory since he didn't live through the trip.

Another part of the poem that really brings the power of Whitman's description out is the imagery of death.  Such sayings as "It is some dream that on the deck, You've fallen cold and dead." and "My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will".  He brings the death of the captain to the forefront of the readers mind.  He displays the difference between the mood on the shore wonderfully.

Overall this poem is very enjoyable and has made me reconsider my thoughts of poets who place importance on poem structure.  The words used are incredibly powerful and really allow the reader to walk in the place of the speaker.

Why I Write about Literature

I find a real connection when reading and writing.  Once a piece is published and I pick that book, story, or poem up the mask is off.  I get to sit inside an author's head without a filter.  The ideas within the book are no longer private thoughts.

Another thing I enjoy is the lifting of deceit.  When I talk to someone face to face it is rare I receive their thought in its entirety.  There are several reasons for this the main being the filter and thought processing.  When in conversation the person will be deciding how to communicate their thoughts to you.  This is done within seconds before the speech and usually severely lacks the completeness and details of the thought.  Thought processing also takes much more time than what is usually socially acceptable in a conversation.

Writing removes all of these restrictions from communication.  The author has more than enough time to decide what they will say, how they will say it, and the exact wording they will use to convey their thought to the reader.  Thought processing is another unrestricted process the writer can utilize.  They can take that generalized thought or idea they want to convey and begin adding.  Every book starts simply with a person wanting to write their thoughts, ideas, or stories down.  In a book is where you will find these three things complete and the closest to perfect the author can get.

First Impression of The Former Hero by Jeffrey Mays

The Former Hero relies heavily on the plot and writing to bring the reader through the book.  I have found a few things I really enjoy and a few things which I believe detract from the work.  I found the beginning of the book was captivating.  Mays really throws it down and sucks the reader in allowing them to be in the shoes of a parent with their child kidnapped.  Fear, anger, and confusion seeps from Moria.  The biggest plus to the beginning is it feels real.

As I began digging deeper into the novel I began running into issues.  Mays creates this town where corruption is running rampant through all levels of administration throughout the city.  Moria calls the police over and over, but they don't respond.  After a terrorist attack everything falls apart.  Now this in itself I have no issue with, but where I find the loss is the fact the society has not collapsed.  We have seen what happens in cities when structure can not be implemented.  This woman Moria is able to travel about through the city without problems yet there is no law enforcement. 

Besides this little piece that doesn't sit well with my logic I have found the book very emotional and enjoyable.  Mays takes a big risk by switching from character to character.  I think this really pays off and keeps the plot rocketing forward.  So far I have enjoyed reading this book even with the small flaws I have found within the plot.  I understand as a writer creating the perfect pretend world is nearly impossible if it is not a world that you have lived in and experienced.  You must think of every possible detail and make sure nothing over laps.  You must also make this world believable to someone who has never experienced such a place.  

Just a little update with my novel Death's Fallen.  I have completed the book and I am no proof reading.  I am unable to afford a professional editor so it will still be some weeks before the release.

Review of Cup of Gold by John Steinbeck

Rating: 8.5/10

Readers: Minimum should be 10th grade reading level.  One must remember that Steinbeck wrote in the early 1900’s which makes it difficult for those with a lower reading level.  Great book for those who are trying to read difficult material.

Summary: The book centers around the character Henry Morgan.  After doing a bit of research I found that the alcoholic drink Captain Morgan was named after this pirate.  The main focus is Henry Morgan sacking Panama and lusting after a woman who was believed to be the most beautiful in all the world.  This was Steinbeck’s first novel published long before of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath.  This book was written to loosely follow history making it a mix of fiction and history.

I found the story quite enjoyable.  I have always enjoyed pirate literature and found this to be a very exciting novel.  You live the life of Henry Morgan and it is clear Steinbeck is a masterful story teller.  Follow Morgan as he grows up in a simple village.  He dreams and desires a life on the sea and the first chance he gets he find a spot on a ship and is sold as a slave.  From servitude he is able to work himself up and once free is able to get a ship and begin attempting to sack the cities of Spain.

Positive:  The thing I enjoyed most about this book was the writing.  Steinbeck takes a story which does not carry much excitement.  The book has a very historical feel, but with the description and the emotion Steinbeck uses he takes history and breathes fire into it.  I found even when the book hit a spot with little action the writing of Steinbeck is able to carry you through.

Negative:  The biggest problem with this book was the lack of stability within the story.  I am not sure if Steinbeck did this on purpose or not, but when Morgan would remember something in his childhood it would not be what he wrote earlier in the book.  The story is a bit slow as well.  Even with his writing this book was difficult to stay interested in.

Writing: The writing is some of the best I have read.  I was really surprised to learn that this was Steinbeck’s first work.

Quote: “Why, to speak truthfully, Robert, I have taken it into my mind several times – but always there were to many things to think about.  I could not take the time to die. If I did, I might not be able to think ever again.” -Merlin

Final Thought: This book is an essential read.  After reading this novel I hit the library once again to pick up The Grapes of Wrath.  Steinbeck is an amazing story teller who reaches into the depths of humanity.

Next Up: I am reading a couple books right now.  On kindle I have The Former Hero by Jeffrey Mays and like I said earlier I will be reading The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

Review of Dance With The Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon

This was a very decent Dark Hunter novel I would give it 8/10

I would first like to point out everything I disliked with this novel.  My only other experience reading this author was Devil May Cry.  It was a book a little further along in the series.  Devil May Cry blew this book away with action.  I found Dance With The Devil extremely slow.  The majority of the book is Zarek and Astrid in a cabin both wanting to have sex, but scared to act.  With the universe Kenyon has created I feel in both books I have read of hers the romantic parts tend to hurt the story rather than help.  The action she does create is solid and she has created one of the best mythological universes I have read, but when half the book is filled with sex rather than expanding the created universe the novels suffer. 

The absolute best thing about this book was the depth she gave Zarek.  In no other book that I have read has the author gave a character so much history and personality.  The man was a roman slave during his mortality.  The torture is amazingly vibrant and frequently I found myself becoming outraged at the poor treatment of this man.  She allows you to walk in Zarek's footsteps forcing the treatment he suffers to poor out through the pages into the reader.  This feat is extremely difficult to pull off.  Most authors are quite pleased when they create a character that the reader feels something for.  Kenyon does this and more with her writing.  The only other time I was this shaken up while reading about torture was when I read Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl and he described his time in a concentration camp.

The story is extremely small.  Very little is solved and action is at a minimum.  The majority of the story like I said earlier is Zarek and Astrid the two main characters stuck in a cabin.  Kenyon really took a risk by doing this and I think she made it work.  There is enough action to stay interested.  The book is separated by a few chapters of characters then one chapter of action.  The character depth reaches deep enough to allow for a slow paced story line.

Another piece of this book I enjoyed is the mythology.  Kenyon does an amazing job bringing greek gods to life.  The two main gods who are the focus in the series are Artemis and Acheron.  Kenyon does a good job keeping true to the mythology considering this is a fiction novel.  She makes sure to introduce Apollo as brother to Artemis and has the gods show respect to Zeus who is always throwing parties.  There may be some things that are not 100% accurate, but overall I find it close enough to be believable.

Even with the romantic aspect of this book I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys supernatural or mythological books.

Thanks for reading the review.  Next up I am going back to classic and reviewing Cup of Gold by John Steinbeck.

I would like to say I had no idea that this book was so pricey.  The novel is only 187 pages and is between $7.00-$15.00.  I personally picked it up for free at the library so I recommend trying to get it there unless you got the money to spend on books.

Review of Red Rain by R.L. Stine

Overall I would give this book 7/10

R.L. Stine was by farm my favorite author as a child.  I read every goosebumps and even now I think back to how scared I was while reading those old books.  When I picked this one up I had extremely high expectations and was very disappointed.  As I read through the book it was easy to see Stine's career had been geared to children.  The writing was very simplistic.  My guess is this work would be considered to be in the 8th or 9th grade reading level.  

Getting past the simple writing I found the story enjoyable.  The two demon children were very well developed and had mannerisms which felt real.  I absolutely loved when they said "Don't you know?" after every comment.  Something this small may not seem like character development, but it really added to the life of the children.  The grownups were decent, but not nearly as developed as the children.  I really didn't like the fact they were both writers.  I felt an author writing about two authors was lacking creativity.  

The story line was very impressive in the beginning.  He jumps about midway through the book and gives the first chapter.  Then he drops back in chapter 2 starting from the beginning.  This gives you a reason for reading since the beginning is really slow.  I wouldn't be this harsh on a less famous author, but like I said previously I was expecting this novel to blow me away.  

There was another thing I enjoyed about this book.  Lea the mother of the family was a blogger.  Some of the chapters rather than being fiction writing were blog posts.  As a blogger myself I found this very interesting and enjoyable. 

The saving grace of this book was the ending.  I will not get into what happens, but I will say the ending in itself saved this book from a much lower rating.  Personally with my experience in literature I have found it easy to guess the end, but this book blew me away.

The next review will be Dance With The Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon:

How to Successfully Publish Your Book

If you have spent a couple of years or months writing a fascinating book and it’s finally ready for the world to read, you must first be well-informed about the publishing industry before making any moves, as it is a very difficult business to get into. Only a certain number of books are published every year (there are some publishing companies that only print 30 titles a year). There is a lot of competition; therefore, you must play your cards right for the sake of your one-of-a-kind book.

Before you begin your publishing journey, you must make sure that your book's word count meets the requirements of most publishers so that you can avoid getting rejected right away. If your book is an adult novel, approximately 80,000 or more words are the ideal word count that you should aim for. On the other hand, if your book is about sci-fi or fantasy, you should aim somewhere between 100,000-115,000 words.

Middle grade books should be 20,000- 55,000 words, and upper middle grade books should be between 40,000-50,000 words. If your book is geared toward young adults, try to aim for 55,000-69,999 words. For picture books, about 500 to 600 words would be perfect. Western books must contain between 60,000-80,000 words. Memoirs should have a count of 80,000-89,999 words.

Once you have your book's word count on track, it is time for you to write a query letter in which you will try to convince a literary agent to take a chance on your work. If you don’t know how to write a good query letter, Google examples of query letters that have helped authors attain book deals so that you can have an idea of the kind of persuasion route you should take. You can also opt to purchase books that provide more insight on query letters, such as ‘The Writer’s Digest Guide to Query Letters.’

A literary agent will basically act on behalf of you when it comes to dealing with publishers. Most agents have years of experience in this arena, so they will work hard and make the correct calls to try to get you a book deal in a short period of time. To find credible agents that have a good track record, it would be a great idea if you could purchase the ‘2014 Writer’s Market.’ This book, which is constantly being updated, is one of the most trusted guides to finding the right literary agent and to getting published.

At the moment, approximately 80% of the books that the New York publishing houses have printed were referred by agents. For that matter, it is a great idea to find an agent, as they have inside contacts with specific editors and know what publisher or editor would most likely buy your particular kind of work. Agents are paid 15% of everything you are paid, so avoid sending your manuscript to agents who charge fees.

Read the submission guidelines of every agent who accepts your kind of genre and send your manuscript right away to them! If you are fortunate, you’ll get an agent and a book deal within a few weeks or months. If not, don’t be discouraged from rejection letters, as many successful authors, such as J.K. Rowling, received numerous of rejections letter before their masterpiece was finally accepted for publishing.

Go for it! Don't be scared about people's reactions to your book, as the only thing that matters here is that you believe in your work. Don't ever give-up. Keep trying and trying, even you get rejected 500 times, because sooner or later, your chance will come. 

First Impression of Red Rain by R.L. Stine

I picked this up being a huge fan of the goosebumps as a kid. When I was around ten these were what I would read till very late.  Picking up a R.L. Stine book written for adults I expected the same thrills I felt from years ago.  It may be because I just read Crime and Punishment, but this book uses extremely simple English.  That being said Stine still tells an amazing story.

The plot is on an island off the coast of the Eastern United States.  The main character Lea is a blogger (very relatable) who travels round looking for good places to write about.  One thing I really enjoy about Stine is his teaser.  That first chapter brings you into the depth of the book explaining why it is scary.  This sucks you in and you begin pounding out the chapters with interest.  

Five or so chapters in I found Stine had set the scene well giving life to the people on the island.  He also brings in support characters who reveal important parts of the story, but just with simple hints and jokes. I really like how he taunts the reader almost, but refuses to give any concrete information.  This writing style can be annoying since no actual story becomes revealed, but fits well in this story.  

Like I said earlier the writing is very basic making it easy to read quickly.  It seems like it will be a nice little novel once I complete it.  I am glad Stine stuck with the same style as his children's books it really takes me back.  Anyway look forward to the review on this one so far it has turned out to be a pretty decent book.

Review of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

This book I give 9/10 (For serious readers only)

It is hard to begin reviewing a book of such intellect and foresight.  I guess to begin I will discuss what lead to me dropping a point.  The only reason I gave this book 9 rather than 10 was the translation.  This book originally written in Russian I found translates poorly into English.  Also the metaphors are difficult to understand and the average sayings in the book make little sense.  When reading this remember that it was published in the late 1800's the same time as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  The setting represents the time period making it difficult for someone born a hundred years later and in a different continent to relate.

That being said I found Crime and Punishment absolutely enthralling.  The story is built upon the character called Raskolnikov.  He is your ordinary Russian with big ideas.  Throughout the story the author places the idea in his head that extraordinary people should not be held within the limits of law.  Some of the examples in the book were Newton and Napoleon.  For Newton he asks would it be morally wrong if Newton killed a man in discovering all his theories.  He also goes into the criminal aspects as well, but mainly sticks with the moral philosophy.

This is a really important aspect of the book.  The lead character feels he is allowed to kill and does.  Then as guilt sinks in and his mental faculties begin failing he begins coming to the conclusion he was not extraordinary and had no right to kill anyone. This is where the ideas in the book begin getting tangled.  The author does such a good job pointing out all the reasons why someone should be allowed to kill, but then incorporates the thoughts of morality and justice.  

To bring this thought process into the present I will lay out an example.  Let say a man who has figured out how to solve world hunger or how to harness an unlimited energy source must break the law while completing his task.  Yes it of course can be argued from both sides.  This is the argument Dostoyevsky brings to the table.  A man with this thought commits a crime then fights constantly with himself on the right or wrong of his action.

I also really enjoyed the characters.  The name Raskolnikov is not an easy name to remember, but I know for a fact if someone mentions that name five or ten years down the road I will remember Crime and Punishment.  The author does such an amazing job getting into the head of this man and letting the reader live through every action and thought he has.  The supporting characters are extremely memorable as well.  My favorite would be the anti-Raskolnikov named Porfiry.  Dostoyevsky brings the two men together who in their first encounter argue extremely intelligently over the idea described earlier. 

One thing that may seem lacking is the plot.  This book is a quarter million words which for a novel is very long.  If you are unable to get pulled in from the psychology of crime the author presents and are only reading for a fast paced action novel then you will be disappointed.  The novel stand firm on the presentation of ideas rather than story.  Looking through many novel lists and author lists this novel stands at the top and had been argued to be the best Russian novel ever written and in a few places argued that this is the greatest novel written of all time.  

For any true reader you need the hard cover book.  This is one of those books that deserves to be bought in print. 

7 Tips to Improve Your Writing

Great writing doesn’t happen by accident. Like any other art or trade, it requires lots of discipline, careful study, and a great deal of time. If you find yourself struggling every time you sit down at your laptop (or, if you’re more old fashioned, with a pencil and paper), you’re not alone. Every great writer struggles from time to time, but the ability to push through the rough spots usually helps you emerge better at your craft. Here are seven tips to help you improve your writing.

1. Do it Often

Think of writing like you’d think of running. You wouldn’t just wake up one morning and expect to run a marathon — you’d need to train and practice for a long time before you were able to go a long distance without difficulty. The same holds true for writing. You’ve got to write frequently — every day if you can. The more you do it, the more natural it feels, and the easier your thoughts will transfer to written (or typed) words. If you need inspiration or a prompt, there are many books and even more websites full of prompts for creative writers. Pick one and get going.

2. Rewrite

Your first draft is never your best. Your second draft isn’t much better. Read, re-read, and carefully examine your drafts, using hard copies if you can to physically cross things out and write down comments. If you can, leave some time between writing and revising; you’ll have an easier time reading what’s actually there instead of what you want to be there.

3. Keep Reading

Read great writing — as much as you possibly can. Think of yourself as an apprentice learning a sacred craft. Look at the masters and see how they do it. Plot, sentence structure, character development, dialogue — you can learn a great deal about all of these things by reading great books on a regular basis.

4. Nouns and Verbs

Great writing typically means strong nouns and verbs rather than long strings of adjectives and adverbs. They’re often more specific and get right to the heart of what you’re trying to say. Remember: quality isn’t always quantity. If you find yourself using lots of adjectives and adverbs, see if you can replace your qualified noun or verb with a stronger, unqualified one. For example, you can run really super fast, or you can spring. You can eat a big whole lot, or you can gorge. For pithy writing with few adjectives and adverbs, try some short stories by Ernest Hemingway or Gertrude Stein.

5. Do it Properly

English is your tool, so it’s essential to use it properly. There are zero excuses for poor grammar, misspelled words, or improper usage. If you’re unsure of something, look it up. Lots of reading will help you learn how to use English properly, but if you want to go one step further, get a copy of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style and read a few pages each day. It’s a favorite reference book of many writers, and it explains the rules of the language in an easy to understand manner.

6. Intelligence and Honesty

Many beginning writers try to make their writing cute, trite glib, or flippant. Others go in the complete opposite direction and come across sounding pretentious. Any of these approaches is a mistake, however. Instead, show respect for your subject matter, and offer your true voice to your reader. Be smart, and be honest. It’s always the right thing to do.

7. Know and Learn

Regular reading will help you with this, but make a point to learn as much as you can. In our look-it-up society, there’s no good excuse for not having an answer, not knowing about a topic, or not doing your research. Trust your senses and be inquisitive. It’s a characteristic that will serve you well as you embark on your journey as a writer. 

My Zombie Novel over half complete

I know I have not been posting much and would like to explain why.  First off I just finished a summer semester finishing up my associates which has taken some time.  I also have begun writing a Zombie Horror Novel.  I picked zombie horror because it is my favorite genre of film and recently literature.  I started writing a week or two ago and it has just taken off.  The main plot is going to be centered around a quarry which a group of people built up to survive the apocalypse.

It is extremely difficult to write an original zombie horror since zombies are so flipping boring.  The same thing in every film.  Something caused the dead to rise and now they are eating people.  I try to stick with the basics of zombies best I can while leaping out on the creative edge to bring some of my personal preferences to the literature.  I have also been experimenting in short stories wanting to give something to my readers for free.

As of right now I am still working on Crime and Punishment.  It is a wonderful book though very difficult since the writer is Russian and there are many differences between English and Russian.  The style is different, language usage is very different, and the overall story is difficult because of the use of common knowledge in Russia which American's do not have.  Besides this though the book is by far one of the best I have read and as each page turns the author throws a twist.

I am also waiting to see how my marketing is going.  I have been checking position frequently and overall for such a new blog I am very happy with the results.  Anyway expect to see more reviews soon as I finish this novel and get it proofread.

Review of Affliction Z: Patient Zero by L.T. Ryan

I picked this book up free on kindle you can pick it up on amazon overall for the price I would give the book 8/10:

Taking a break from Crime and Punishment I decided to download a couple zombie horror books.  The main reason is I am writing a Zombie novel right now and wanted a bit of inspiration.  The free version can be found on kindle, if you do not own a kindle they have a printed version and if you would like a kindle I have a selection of the cheapest on the right side of this blog.

This is the first of L.T. Ryan's writing I have tried and found it quite pleasant.  The book has a story line very different from the average Zombie apocalypse.  The book begins as a special forces mission in Nigeria.  The characters don't know what their mission is, but quickly find Ryan's interpretation of a zombie.  A being that has an extremely high pain tolerance and the ability to move quicker than a normal human.  The description is very detailed and intense.  It is clear that Ryan has a deep knowledge of military with his descriptions.  

One of the best points of this book was the characters.  The two main characters Ryder and Turk have extremely deep personalities.  They feel very real and carry themselves with their individual characteristics throughout the entire book.  This allows much leeway in the plot line.  If the characters are this believable then the reader begins to care about them and is willing to overlook errors in thought or writing.  The entire seal team had good individual characters though I wish Ryan would have taken more time on some of the sub characters.

The story itself is pretty believable.  The story is not set too far outside of reality allowing the reader to believe what is going on.  Very few zombie plots allow the reader to believe in the possibility of the story happening in real life.  For the fear factor this is a crucial part in creating a horror and Ryan made this happen.  He describes the virus as one that we have encountered before and a doctor has mutated.  This of course has been done in real life and is usually prevalent in bio chemical warfare.

The main downfall of this book is the size.  At the end of the book Ryan considers this a novel, but only had around 20-30k words which forces the book on the border between short story and novella.  With such a short book the story could have expanded in so many areas the main one being descriptions of environment and actions taken by the main characters.  The story line was very solid, but I felt as though the book could have been made better if the author took the time to really bring the environment and events to life.  

Writing A Book Review 10 Tips

There are a few very important things to keep in mind when writing online whether blog post, article, book review, or whatever other content you may be writing.  The most important thing is there is no perfect system.  Each writers success is not the following of a specific format, but rather finding their creative voice.  Everything you write should look good and feel right to you.  The second is writers never become big online with their first attempt at writing.  To become liked or well known write constantly.  Now on to my book reviewing tips.

Tip 1: If you want a format use the old time honored one of introduction first, content second, and ending with the conclusion.

Tip 2: When writing a review be very careful of telling to much of the story.  Any book can have the main points put down in an article with those points told the book is ruined for whoever is reading the review.  Do not give away any information important to the story line.

Tip 3: Pros and Cons.  Something I really like doing with my book reports is first telling what I enjoyed about the story and second telling what I did not enjoy.  Make sure to give specifics.  Example for this would be rather than saying the characters were static say John the main antagonist showed no creativity, force, or thought in his actions.

Tip 4: Figure out what a good story means to you.  Book reviews and in fact all literature have their quality in the perspective of the reader.  This means what you think is a terrible book someone else will think is brilliant.  Figure out your thoughts of what makes a good story.

Tip 5: Read everything and finish everything you read.  This is absolutely one of the most important aspects of writing successful reviews.  The more well read you are the better chance you stand of understanding what types of literature are well done and what types are poorly done.

Tip 6: Don't limit your writing to book reviews.  The best writers are those who write and write and write.  Practice writing prose, poetry, and researched reports.  Reading and writing go hand in hand so after you read a few books attempt to write like the authors.

Tip 7: Get ready to be hated.  Like I said previously everyone has their own idea of what is good literature and bad.  When readers strongly disagree with your thoughts they will usually let you know and not all people are able to articulate their displeasure in and intelligent fashion.

Tip 8: Read multiple review sites.  It is good to see the different ways in which you can review material.  One of my favorite types of reviews to read are the reviews on Amazon.  People get absolutely nothing for reviewing work they do it out of pure enjoyment.  There are many sites which will help you get some ideas of what criteria and presentations you can use.

Tip 9: When you figure out a format stick to it.  This is not a concrete rule, but if you find a format that your readers enjoy and you feel allows for the best review stick to it.  Be careful of straying to far from a working format.

Tip 10:  The absolutely most important factor to success is believing your words, thoughts, and actions are worthwhile.  Being successful at anything never comes with out effort and persistence.  There are a million ways to fail at what you do and only one to succeed.  You must try over and over never giving up.

First Impressions of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

This is the kindle version for $2.68.  If you do not want the Kindle version go to the page scroll down to the format section and pick the type you would like.  They have paperback, hardcover, and Audio formats all at very low prices.

After reading over a hundred pages the best word to describe this book is intense.  The main character is Raskolnikov a crazy individual with dark thoughts of murder.  The author plays this story out in a small town in Russia.  I found it quite difficult to keep track of where they were since the names were shown as A___ or F___.  I am not sure why the names appear this way, but this makes it very difficult to immerse yourself within the plot environment.  The writing style is also something which an average English reader may struggle with.  The writing is not bad of course just very different from English literature.

I think that Dostevsky has an amazing ability to develop characters.  The murderer in his story is extremely easy to relate to.  He creates this character to show how little difference a criminal has to the non criminals within society.  With Raskolnikov he is able to care deeply about people especially his family though shows some signs of being narcissistic.  The motives the author uses is very understandable.  The man picked his victim out of hate for the individual rather than some psychotic reason.

The plot is thick with a nice mix of action and emotion.  The author plays the story out so smoothly.  The literature has a very poetic feel and artistic use of words.  The best example that I could give of a relatable author within the English writing community would be Poe.  Dostoevsky just like Poe has the amazing ability to rip open societies hidden characteristics. After reading you have an understanding of why criminals commit crime. Their motivations differ only slightly from ours and the thought process is very minutely.  You walk in a killers shoes and you are able to relate.

Overall this book is definitely worth reading.  There is a reason that it is on most top hundred books and is considered the greatest book to come from Russia.  I believe it is truly one of the greatest books I have read and therefore I plan on reading it much more slowly than other taking my time to immerse myself in the beautiful writing.  The book is extremely cheap on both kindle and mass market paperback though I recommend getting the book in hardcover like I did.  Leaving this book out of the collection of any reader would be a travesty.  

A Theory of Human Motivation by Abraham Maslow (Review)

You can find the book being reviewed on Amazon for $0.99.  This is the kindle version, but if you do not have a kindle amazon has a free computer app which allows you to read kindle books on your computer.

Why we do what we do has been a question from our beginning.  This book covers what Maslow believes to be the main motivations of human behavior.  This is not a book, but a paper.  In your kindle it will be around 100 pages quite small, but packed full of good information.  This is perfect for those wondering what gives them drive and why at times their motivations change.  The theories presented in this paper are put forward very clearly and in a way which is easy to understand.

The writing is at a college level so this is not for those new to reading.  I found it not as difficult as many psychology books I have read, but still somewhat advanced.  I feel that anyone who has passed high school and has read regularly will probably not struggle much with this paper.

Over all I would give the book 7/10.  The translation and editing shows a few mistakes which should have been caught before publishing.  If this was a free version of the book I would have been much more lenient, but since they are charging a dollar I expect the book without any mistakes.  Another issue I had with  this piece is the length.  The ideas discussed in this paper deserve much more time and consideration they are in fact human motivation and therefore cover a great deal.

I did really like the way Maslow left himself wiggle room.  After reading the works of Freud who would not even consider his theories as off Maslow allowed for error.  He discussed in detail that there are many contributing factors for human motivation and his theories are only the groundwork for a more extensive research.  As with most books of academic field the writing is quite bland relying completely on the subject matter for interest.  This is a book you read for the information rather than a book read for the enjoyment of reading.

I do highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in philosophy or psychology.  This book will bring you into the field slowly not overwhelming you will ideas or jargon.

In the future:
Right now I am in the middle of reading Crime and Punishment which you can pick up for a dollar here.  Also I may be writing some short stories which I will be selling here on my blog.

The Perfect Book

A book is the perception of a series of events through a writers eyes.  This being the case a perfect book can only be found through the eyes of a reader who can find no fault with the book they are reading. I personally have only had this experience a few times in my life and when I am reading through a book that I consider perfect there is no feeling in the world that is greater.

To me the perfect book must have a sensational story.  The story line I feel is the most important part of the book.  The events playing must first be understandable to the reader.  This factor alone will release many potential books because the reader must either be able to perceive the events the author puts forth or must have already experienced the events within the story line.  There are of course exceptions for authors who have the ability to take a story or event never perceived or experienced by a reader and bring forth the idea with such description and explanation the reader may live the experience through the writers words.

If the story is understandable it must next be interesting.  Again here we lose many books because everyone has a different definition of interesting.  Some simply have no interest in fiction and only find topics such as history, english, and other technical topics interesting.  There is also those who only enjoy topics of specific genres interesting such as horror, fantasy, mystery, and romance.  For me I thoroughly enjoy horror, mythology, philosophy, psychology, and other related topics.  Again there are exceptions to this rule and stories that transcend a specific genre finding interested readers across the board.

If the book has not been eliminated by the previous two factors the next thing to look at is the characters.  After reading many books I have found this is where the majority of authors struggle.  This is where understanding of the human experience comes into play.  The character must fit into societies conception of an individual.  The reader must be able to relate and understand the character.  The actions and words of the character must seem real and bring forth a dynamic personality.  For a book to be good the reader must feel something for the characters he is reading.  Usually the stronger the emotion the characters bring forth the better the book.  The feelings do not need to be happy and in fact I have found some of the best books provoke sadness, hate, and fear.

When a book can take these three things and place them in a book with quality technical writing it has the makings of a perfect book.  

The Darkest Tool by Gerald Barnes (Review)

This is absolutely one of the best books I have read in quite some time I give it 10/10.

When I started this book I had no idea what would unravel.  It begins like so many mystery and horror books that I have read in the past, but as the plot begins to unfold the story begins bouncing between Jonathan and Arioch.  Jonathan is a normal guy who struggles with a deep darkness that he feels within himself.  Arioch is a demon and one who is very close to lucifer.  Lucifer is Jonathans father and Arioch has the job of watching over him and attempting to bring the darkness out.

The story line is split between these two, their interactions with each other, and their worlds separate.  In most cases when an author attempts to run multiple plot lines it ends up being extremely jumbled and difficult to follow.  This is not the case, Barnes seems to have a good grip on running multiple parallel plot lines.  Not once did I feel lost or like I missed an important part of the story.  The plot is somewhat slow in the first fifty or so pages, but once the normal world meets with the spiritual world the plot rages forth with unrelenting excitement. 

I felt like the writing was not exceptionally high making it good for all readers.  Unlike the majority of books I have picked up on the Kindle this one had only one mistake which was easily overlooked the rest of the book was flawless.  I felt the characters were extremely vibrant and allowed the reader to feel empathy quite quickly. 

The ending is what really blew me away.  It was an ending that one could not see coming no matter how adept or well read. The ending took an exceptional story and made it perfect.  

First Impression of "The Darkest Tool" by Gerald Barnes

Half way through this book and I wanted to give you guys my thoughts and let you purchase is if you want before the full review comes out.

The book is three dollars and only available on the kindle which you can find a link to on the side of this blog if you do not own one yet.  I highly recommend you purchase one for the simple fact that they have enough free books for the kindle to pay for it ten times over.

As of right now I am sitting about 40% the book itself is I would estimated 100k words so certainly long enough to tell a good story.  The writing is a bit simplistic lacking poetic feeling, but the content and characters pull the weight.  I find the writer very easy to read and the sub plots fascinating. The plot moves pretty quickly from the beginning, but really takes off once he switches from Jons story to Arioch.  

The main plot has the protagonist Jon who suffers from terrible nightmares.  There is around fifty pages of him growing up with hallucinations of a man who in his nightmares kills him over and over.  This makes the plot somewhat confusing until they begin to tell the story of Arioch.  Arioch is a fallen angel now demon.  The story breaks away from Jon and what he is doing and jumps into mythology/religon.  

I have found that Barnes has a very interesting take on the Christian religon.  He tells the story of the war in heaven through the eyes of the angel Arioch who has the utmost love and respect for Lucifer.  Barnes spends quite a bit of time on Arioch and his story giving the book itself so much character.  So far I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend picking it up. 

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe (Analysis)

Please read for free Here

There is a reason I will not review Poe and it is because he is by far the best writer I have ever read so everything reviewed would be 10/10.  In this piece Poe places the reader inside the head of an insane murderer.  It is beautiful how accurately he reveals insanity through an insane persons eyes.  The murderer is unable to even remotely consider his thoughts or actions out of the norm.  I personally have worked with the mentally ill for most of my career and have spent many hours attempting to bring someone who is in a phychosis back into reality.

The nervousness as well is done in a way that is very believable.  The repetition of ideas through speech is something that a nervous person struggles with when there thoughts refuse to slow even for a second.  They will think of many different instances which re-enforce the point they are attempting to make.

Besides the accuracy with mental disorders I feel Poe really strikes at the heart of humanity with this piece.  The Murderer does not actually want to murder, but feels an immense anger towards one part of his victims being.  There is nothing else to the victim besides that one piece which makes any possibility of remedying the situation hopeless.  The anger towards the victim is so unrealistic yet powerful.  This reminds me of reading about millions dying simply because they disagree religiously.

The constant beating of the heart both through life and death becomes a symbol of unrelenting grief.  In no part of the story is the murderer ever regretful of killing the "eye" so to speak, but the beating of the heart destroys him from the inside out.  He checks over and over therefore attempting to see if his victim did succumb to the murder.  This is also how he knew his victim died as the bed lay atop him the heart slowly ceased to beat.

As the murderer is focused from the eye to the heart he is unable to think.  In the final scene the murderer sits in place with the police thinking that they will be unable to find any remnant of his victim.  Out of nowhere he begins hearing the heart beat from a dead heart.   To me this symbolizes immense grief at destroying everything besides the eye.  His anger towards the eye was taken out not on the eye, but the entire body of the old man and because of remorse the deed he committed now haunts him in the form of a dead beating heart.


Understand that I could and probably am completely wrong.  There is absolutely no person alive that can get inside and understand Poe and his writing.  So much symbolism, metaphor, and allegory throughout all of his pieces leading to thousands upon thousands of completely different comprehensions of the pieces.  This is why I love literature there is no write or wrong only what you see and feel when you read a piece.  Expect plenty more of Poe and other great writers and poets.

The Fly and Thought Action Feeling (Poems written by myself)

The Fly

From America to Japan,
The wings slice identical air.
I have perception,
But no perspective.

I live,
But can not hope.
I see,
But can not understand.

I am important,
yet unable.


Thought Action Feeling

Thoughts, action, feeling bounce upon the wall,
seeking the ear or soul of another.

The wind blows through the room,
Nothing but myself interfering.

Knowledge to give, no one to receive,
Yet without other there is only peace.

Seeing the world die and reborn,
Feeling growth through constant suffering.

The life is over changed forever,
Though, action, feeling now received and adored.

These two feeble attempts at poetic prose is how I see the world and decide on revealing it to a reader.  I completely hate using rhymes in any sort of pattern, but rather use symbolism and metaphor heavily within and display my prose in an artful expression.  My favorite poets include Poe, Dante, and Dickinson.  I find no reason to adhere to any poetic rule for I do not write for critics, but for self. Hopefully you enjoy.  If any wish take your time to try and seek the meaning within.  It is not easily seen, but if you leave a guess in the comments I will tell you if you are correct or not.