The Drummond Diaries, Sept '72: Right vs. Wrong - In a society that has lost its values, "wrong" is no longer a concept but simply an expedient. By inference, "right" also has no place on any sort of value scale and cannot oppose "wrong" on any moral or ethical grounds; it is either no longer recognized, or is measured against some other standard. If it is no longer recognized, then to speak of "doing what's right," even if intended to prevent furthering a perceived wrong, is simply a functional myth, or maybe a functional expedient. And the problem with expedients is that they are not immovable baselines; they are conditioned by circumstance and politics. Nazi Germany was proof enough of that. 

So where does that leave a society that has lost its values? In a valueless society, is an act simply an act, devoid of meaning, like a stone in the woods falling on a colony of ants and killing them? Is economic expediency the only metric left? Or how about utilitarianism? "What is useful is right." Does anyone but me see the lightless tunnel at the end of that policy?

Therein lies the danger for a society that no longer has any values, or that doesn't recognize itself any more.

The Drummond Diaries - 9/23/72: Liberal vs Conservative - If one's opinion reflects that of a conservative, we call him a conservative; if that of a liberal, we call him a liberal. But notice the effect: thinking in terms of binomial, linear, and opposing ideas is in effect admitting an inability to understand one's position in its entirety. Issues and attitudes are never so monochrome; they are tangled by the long, spiral web of personal and societal history. But when one's thinking is simplified the issue is made "clear." We don't notice that it is also denigrated and defeated before it is ever comes into focus. Thusly does each side fulfill the expectations of the other while remaining oblivious to the underlying reasons.

Writer's Digest Review of "The Ropewalk"

This is an ambitious and inspiring book, written by a philosopher-poet. The writer is clearly interested in the line between rational and irrational, primal and urban, male and female. It reminds me of Henry James at times and of William Faulkner at times, as well as Lewis Thomas and Sir Thomas Browne. There are sentences in here that are absolute poetry. The mysterious child, Sonya, certainly alludes to The Turn of the Screw, as well as Rousseau’s wild child. I am also impressed by the uncertainty of the narrator, and at times thought that the narrator might be that interesting fictional device, the unreliable narrator. The novel shows amazing potential.

Judge, Writers Digest Self Published Book Awards

The Ropewalk - a brief history of a lost time. The next book will be a prequel with different characters dovetailing with Egan Drummond. Onward and upward.

A brief excerpt to get the feel of the story...

To pique your interest, you can get a feel for the tempo of the style by going here:
http://indaindex.com/the-ropewalk-by-john-knauf/#comments

The Cannibal Bowl (ref.: "The Ropewalk")

Think the cannibal bowl doesn't really exist? Check out a pic of me standing near it.

The perfect seasonal read

What is a Ropewalk and why is Egan living in one? Find the answer in this award-winning thriller that addresses your most pressing issue: What do I read next?