M.C. O'Neill's Blog, page 3

Write Like your Parents are Dead.

Back in graduate school, I had quite the struggle with the concept of content. Art can be anything in these post-modernist times. During my crits, I was never given the golf-claps like some of my colleagues would enjoy. Frankly, I’m quite glad I got my ass kicked. It only managed to develop me and by the time my thesis show was up on the walls, I had secured record-breaking attendance for the gallery and graduated second in my program. Nice!

One thing that got me out of my shell was advice from a professor of mine who said, “Paint like your parents are dead.” Whaaa?

Eventually, I got the message. Don’t hold back. Be dangerous. Disclose. Be naked. You simply cannot push envelopes while nestled in your comfort zone.

Yesterday, I had written a piece of Bizarro flash fiction intended for James Roy Daley’s Books of the Dead Press. It turned out to be too long for the site’s guidelines, but I still had a blast busting it out, and now, I want to continue on with future installments of it! Let me just say, the thing is out there. It’s mean. Read it here.

Whether you manaballers like it or not is neither here nor there, but I did feel a great sense of relief having written a tale off the trail of my beaten path. Sure, I may have lost Tweeps over this ditty, but I had also received some props.

Point is, art applies to writing. Writing is an art in and of itself. Reject your fears and hang-ups and inhibitions and battle them with your unfettered imaginations. And never apologize.

Write like your parents are dead.

 

Flash Fiction – Bojingle’s Java Bean Trading Company (Second Interview).

I wanted to submit this story to James Roy Daley’s Books of the Dead Press Flash Fiction Review, but it’s too long for that venue. I’ll link this back to him anyway. Here’s my aborted submission due to lack of brevity, but you all might like it. Warning: It’s Bizarro and not typical of my prose and not YA.

Bojingle’s Java Bean Trading Company (Second Interview)

Wild eyebrows. The regional manager tapping away across the desk from me had some really wild eyebrows. Like, there was something special about this guy. He probably had a distinct blood type that makes one a regional manager from birth. I wished at that moment that I had hemo-vision and I could see his awesome blood trucking through miles of veins and arteries behind his skin. There was true gold in there and I felt a pang of terror and I hated myself for a split second.

It was one of those offices constructed only for him; only for use on certain occasions like interviews. I knew that if I got hired here that I’d never see this man again unless there was a mass shooting or a horrible embezzlement. Closing my eyes, I imagined some crazy kid shooting the shit out of the coffee shop while I am on my shift. Like that insane guy in that Uwe Boll movie.

I like Uwe Boll. Nobody likes him, but he hates Michael Bay and I hate Michael Bay because he can’t make a burly movie. Watching one of Michael Bay’s films is like going on a date with a really hot girl and not having a hope for getting any. I feel a connection with that. An Uwe-connection! I want to join a tribe where Uwe Boll is the chief. He and I could go on a vision quest to Hollywood to slay Michael Bay and then I would become a man. A real one.

The regional manager stops being busy on his terminal and turns to me. He turns to me in grand style with his golden blood. Motherfucker. This guy is a real man – I can feel it!

RM: “Okay, Mr. [NAME REDACTED], it looks like the store’s manager was really impressed with your first go-around with us. I see that you have all the educational requirements and personal interests we are looking for. Nice…

Yes, I agreed in my mind. That is nice. His voice is nice (of course). Really mellow and stuff. Mine can’t match it, I’m sad to say.

RM: “So, let’s hear what you have to tell us. What’s up with you, buddy?”

I’m a buddy. FUCK YES! I’m a buddy and this is good.

ME: “I’m… You know, looking for work in this sector and stuff…”

That was good. That was tight. It would suffice and I think he’d follow me on Twitter and shit. I’m a buddy!

RM: “Yep. We like to see that. That’s good.”

YES! I think. This is good. I knew it. I kind of hate him; I want to kill him, but I knew this already. Coffee-pumping!

ME: “Good to know.” (I mean that with sincerity).

RM: “Look, I’m not going to pull punches here. I want to really know you. What can you do for Bojingle’s?”

ME: “I’m always on time and I’m a hard worker,” I recite by rote. A classic clincher.

RM: “Sure, sure. But… what is special about you? What is unique?”

I can shit monkeys, I think. I can lay baboons out of my asshole and they can pick up the slack during a hot breakfast rush while all the cokehead, corporate fucks like you need to get up and go!  FIGHT! FUCK! All the women in the shop will be amazed as I turd baboon-baristas out of my butt. They’ll love it and you would too. They might want to fuck me more than you in that moment.

ME (muffled, inaudible): “I wrestled a kangaroo when I was five.”

RM: “See, [NAME REDACTED], that’s what I’m talking about! That’s what-the-fuck I’m talking about! But we need to see balls at Bojingle’s. Have you got ‘em?”

Balls. I have balls.

ME: “Yes, I have balls.”

RM: “What about your package?”

Package. It’s a word that defies definition and I get scared. It implies “stuff.”

ME: “Packages are good.”

RM (embarrassed, but not really): “I mean your junk. Your cock and balls, dude. We at Bojingle’s know what sells and we need anacondas to keep the ladies coming back. No trouser-mice allowed. So, stand up and show me what you got!”

Cocks and coffee. It’s a solid philosophy, I agree, and a good business acumen. As the early-evening sun sprays across the white wall behind him, I see a faux-façade of an inverted pentagram emerge from it. Within the star’s strokes, a graphic of a goat’s head is nestled. That’s metal. So fucking metal here.

I imagine Vince Neil stopping by the shop while I’m on shift and he tells me that I’m “fucking metal” as I make a hot macchiato for him. It’s the ultimate. I can’t wait for the third and fourth interviews, I think as I stand up and unzip.

I Won the “Very Inspiring Blogger Award!”

Fellow writer on the Easter Bunny Apocalypse flash fiction project, David Eccles was kind enough to award me The Very Inspiring Blogger Award. Seriously, I’m quite flattered! Many thanks to you, David.

You can check out David’s wonderful blog on writing right here: http://vikingbeard.wordpress.com/

Anyway, as I receive this award, I must pay it forward, so let me roll my eyes back into my mind and think about whose blogs inspire me. Hmm…

Oh wait! First, there are some rules. To keep in the form of this chain, please follow these guidelines:

Display the award logo on your blog.
State SEVEN facts about yourself.
Link back to the person who had already nominated you.
Nominate FIFTEEN other bloggers who deserve this award.
Notify each of the bloggers of your nomination.

Seven facts about M.C. O’Neill. Well, they’re more like factoids, but you’ll get the gist.

When I was five, I was punched in the eye by a kangaroo in Indiana. No one ever believes me that this happened, but it is the truth. Like the truth, it really hurt!
My father worked on rockets and nuclear weapons for the U.S. Army as a JAG.
Three, three… I forgot what three is.
I have recently developed lower back problems and must now get a cane. This sucks because I’m not even forty yet.
A few years back, I used to ink comic books.
I am of Rh- blood type and naturally immune to chicken pox.
I used to create fake mailers featuring absurd adverts and slip them into magazines.

The fifteen bloggers who richly deserve this award are featured here in no particular order:

Lada Ray. Leader of the all-new YA Revolution and author of the amazing Earth Shifter series. None of my lists would be complete without her! http://ladaray.wordpress.com/
1 Earth Unite. Curated by Madeline Walsh, this survey of spirituality is more valuable than most books out there on the topic! Check out her entry on the Sufi Path. http://1earthunite.wordpress.com/
Three, three… I forgot who three is.
Seer Pathways. Lisa Frideborg’s wonderful site about angelic tarot studies (among other types of decks). Uplifting and definitely inspiring! http://seerpathways.com/
The Legend Begins. Author Wendi Potocki’s thoughts and analyses on the horror genre. Really insightful stuff I’d never considered. http://legendofthingsonsticks.wordpress.com/
Middle Chamber FX. Curated by Knight Templar Freemason and insider Frater X. ‘Nuff said. http://middlechamberfx.wordpress.com/tag/frater-x/
Ksenia Anske. Author of The Siren Suicides and Glorious Leader of the Easter Bunny Apocalypse . Great information on writing. Definitely one for the YA Revolution, but damn, girl, you gotta finish this! http://www.kseniaanske.com/
Katherine Vucicevic. Aussie Sci-fi writer who actually badges me! Really great wisdom on how to write. Love the site, but I’m still trying to find her novel O’Tura ! I wanna read it!!! http://sci-fi-novel-otura.blogspot.com.au/
Dionne Lister. Another amazing Aussie who is the author of Shadows of the Realm . It’s about dragons! DRAGONS! Wellspring of info on self-publishing. http://dionnelisterwriter.wordpress.com/
David Van Dyke. Love this author’s blog. Great advice on writing. Case in point: BE ENTERTAINING! And always wear a gasmask… http://davidvandyke.wordpress.com/
Books of the Dead Press. Brainchild of the goriest horror author out there – James Roy Daley. Really, need I say more? http://www.booksofthedeadpress.com/
JJ Collins. A fountain of information on book reviews and writing in general. Love the blog! http://jjcollinsauthor.com/
James Riklef’s Tarot Blog. A surgical analysis of tarot. Card-by-card. Great stuff! http://jamesricklef.wordpress.com/
Paulette Mahurin. Author of The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap . Read the book. Read the blog. Just do it! She may know more than all of us combined! http://thepersecutionofmildreddunlap.wordpress.com/
Andersen Prunty. Author of The Fuckness and one of my favorite writers possibly EVER! The blog has lots of cool info on writing and book production. http://www.andersenprunty.com/

So there you have it. These are folks I think you really need to follow.

Look, don’t feel obligated to partake in this, just feel warmed in the knowledge that you guys have made a difference in someone’s life. Namely, MINE!

Have a good day!

M.C. O’Neill on The Silver Bullet Sunday!

Folks, I am on fire this month! It’s time for M.C. O’Neill to conquer Europe!

I’ve been following the Silver Bullet for a while now, ever since I had first seen him on my old pal’s site, The Vinny Eastwood Show!

It’s no surprise – I have much in common with Silver and he provides the viewers with a great and entertaining show. Well, one day earlier this month, the Silver Bullet himself invited me as a special guest to his show! I was so honored! I was featured on Silver Bullet Sunday!

Of course, my series, The Ancients and the Angels, was a topic of focus, but we had to take a journey down the rabbit hole and delve into the secret world of what is really happening behind the scenes of daily life. Thankfully, we didn’t find any rats down there.

Anything and everything from the fiat currency of the Federal Reserve, fake gold cut with tungsten, and even our supposed moon landing were up for game! We even talk here about graffiti art and street art as a method of political awareness.

Yes, we even focused on Vaughn Bode.

But don’t take my word for it, Watch the show right here! It’s in two parts, so just follow the links and PLAY!

PART ONE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V29i5r9ww20

PART TWO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vsBrj3545Y

You can find the Silver Bullet Posse at Mystery Management.

http://www.facebook.com/SilverBulletPosse

And the Mystery Management channel which features all of his videos and shows!

http://www.youtube.com/user/MysteryManagement?feature=watch

I also want to give a special shout-out to my talented photographer Indigo Moran of Enchanted Waters Photography whose photos of me were featured on the show. Thanks a lot, Indigo!

Indigo Moran of Enchanted Waters Photography

Happy Saint Paddy’s Day, everyone!

 

 

 

The Can’t's, Shan’t's and Mustn’t's of Writing

Read the title to this blog entry. I have a hard time not heeding them, yet the anarchist in me automatically wants to be defiant.

Back in Art School, the professors said never to use black. What did I do? Bought a shit-ton of Mars Black paint. Couldn’t help myself! True, after a while, I learned that mixing your own black does indeed make for a better, richer painting, but I had to bite of the Forbidden Fruit.

All across Twitter, I see warnings, shibboleths, firm advice and critique of style. When I strip these articles down to their bare essentials, I can only read matters-of-taste, pet peeves, and anal-retentive obsessions owned by that particular author.

Yes, some of these peccadilloes they pray you avoid can indeed be trite. For instance, describing your protagonist through a mirror scene. Shoot, my novel has a whopping count of three mirror scenes! Don’t give a fuck.

I impart the wisdom that you, the writer, do take these opinions (and they’re only opinions) to heart for about three minutes before you transgress, but frankly, I say use them if you want. But use them intelligently. Make fun of it! Subvert them! Hell, invert them! There is nothing like meta-referencing bad writing in your book as it makes for fine irony and ultimately, comedy.

Writers are artists. Be artful if you want to delve into the realm of the hackneyed.

Oh, and for God’s Sake! Good literature is not Queen’s Diction! I’d rather watch earthworms screw than read such light bulb-polishing tripe!

Here’s the lynchpin to any novel, and author David Van Dyke blogged it best: BE ENTERTAINING!

You can read about it here: http://davidvandyke.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/the-first-rule-of-write-club-is-be-entertaining/

Have a good day, folks and keep writing as you like it!

NB: As to the title of my blog, I have scoured Google and the Illinois Blue Book for the rule of writing plural contractions. Could not find it. So, I went with the rule of If’s, and’s or but’s, hence the two apostrophes.

What REAL Celestials are saying about…CELESTIALS!

Yes folks, it is only a couple of weeks away until my grand release of Book Two of The Ancients and the Angels series! But word on the wire is that real celestial entities are taking their jabs and stabs at Book One: Celestials! You can find it here!

So, without further ado, let’s see what these spiritual celebs had to say about my Magnum Opus!

“C’mon! Elves? Are you fucking kidding Me?“ – God.

“My wife’s in the book, but what about me? It’s all about ME!“ – Buddha.

“At least M.C. remembered to give us Aussies some ink in this one.“- Galeroo.

“M.C. did a pretty tight rendition of me, but, in reality, I have far more than six wings.” – Archangel Gabriel.

“10010101010111010001010111101010.“ – METATRON.

“That ass of a writer, M.C. O’Neill wrote the children’s story I had always wanted to pen! It isn’t fair!“ – Aleister Crowley.

“DERP!“ – Bunyip.

“Why am I not in this? Oh, that’s right! I don’t give a shit!“ – Cassiel.

“I haven’t read it yet, but I really hope M.C. didn’t depict me as a fatass.“ – Glasya Labolas.

“M.C. penned me as this cantankerous cat lady. I’ll have you know, I am in a very happy and healthy relationship!“ – Bastet.

“Yo, M.C.! Thanks for dedicating an entire portion of your book to me. You should follow me on Twitter, dude!“ – Lucifer.

“Cookies!“ – The Baphomet.

“Eh, who’s ‘Sammian?‘” – Azazel.

“Elves are awesome!“ – Jesus.

“Jesus, are you smoking weed again?“ – The Virgin Mary.

Well, there you have it – the words from the Beyond! Get Celestials today and be sure to pick up a copy of its sequel, Archons in a couple of weeks! Hot off the presses!

The Ancients and the Angels on the Jeff Daugherty Show!

I’ve been following the Jeff Daugherty Show for a while now and, I must say, one particular transmission I just tuned in to was the most surreal I’ve ever enjoyed – and I was the guest! HAHAHA!

Topics ranged from elves, Atlantis, the Pope, Orgone motors, pantheism, Theosophy, Sun Tzu, Gandhi, the meta-mechanics of spirituality, and, of course, giant goldfish. BIG ones.

All within one half hour!

Just listen to it here!

Gods, I’m a weird dude. But that’s what you get with yours truly.

Jeff is a brave man. His podcast, NCKabbalah has featured an array of open-minded, spiritual reviews ranging from Theistic Satanism (no fooling), Scientology, atheism, and Catholicism. And everything in between.

I’m not going to talk about any of that stuff here. You’ll just have to tune in to the show and make your own decisions.

Sure, I got to plug my YA saga The Ancients and the Angels, but that really wasn’t the crux of this amazing evening. I was privileged to chat with a new friend in ways I just don’t get to in my day-to-day life.

My half hour with Jeff was a bit confessional. I felt like I was in Catholic school again divulging my sins – to an audience 93,000 people! What a rush!

As I have been editing my sequel – The Ancients and the Angels: Archons – I’ve had to cunctate this review of my experience that evening for a couple of days. But this just makes me realize how far things have come along for my writing in my first year as a published novelist! Just the week prior, I was the featured guest on the Vinny Eastwood Show!

As you listen to our podcast, Jeff hits on some amazing insights involving harmony for our world. We, as a species, need to unify our efforts as well as spiritual energies without forgetting to celebrate our differences and divergences. In my opinion, the world needs it now more than ever, and it’s not just a physical need, but a spiritual one.

Yes, we can solve today’s problems on their surfaces, but without examining our spiritual health and galvanizing it through our awareness, those issues will just return again one day. Maybe tomorrow? Cycles can repeat quickly once their extinction has been reset to zero.

With that in consideration, you can only begin this journey by creating yourself. That’s New Covenant Kabbalah’s creedo and I must say I agree with it.

Every type of change is like a death for the human mind and spirit. Change of career, change of location, change in how one views their system and how to go about dealing with that new-found knowledge. No matter if it’s a positive change, we grieve for a bit in the memory of what was (even if it was bad for us) and begin to grow once we’ve accepted it. In some ways, I feel like I’ve been finally able to accept my new role in my own life.

Tune in to the New Jeff Daugherty Show, Monday-Thursday at 10 p.m. on BlogtalkRadio! He’s a great guy with great guests and you can always find something new to learn. I never come away from an episode empty.

The Ancients and the Angels on the Vinny Eastwood Show!

Vinny Eastwood is one of those pioneer podcasters that really breaks the mold for conspiracy theory reportage. Transmitting from his command center in, as he calls it, “beautiful Fukushima-irradiated Auckland, New Zealand,” Mr. Eastwood works day and night to bring his viewers truth and awareness.

Yours truly was fortunate enough to secure a guest spot on this amazing show and here I discussed many interesting topics with this audacious Kiwi. Good times were had and you can see it right here!

http://www.guerillamedia.co.nz/content/18-february-2013-ancients-and-aliens-mark-oneil-max-mogren-ski-bum-truth

Direct Video Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCX805MYfuU

My first book, The Ancients and the Angels: Celestials, features several key conspiracies that parallel what is happening to this very day, but on an ancient earth ruled by elves. This book has it all: compromised governments, spiritual warfare, occult conspiracy and child sacrifice. A ruse perpetrated by low-frequency entities, social panic, disinformation, martial law and a criticism of Rapture theory.

You can find this great book here on Kindle and trade paperback!

Aside from plugging my novel, Vinny and I examined the nature of conspiracy theories and what it is like for a person to become aware to the fact that much of what you have been told your entire life may be not as advertised and how to deal with it once that pitcher of cold truth has been splashed in your face. Another great topic we touched upon is the predictive programming prevalent in the media aimed toward the youth of today’s generation, and namely, in YA literature.

As for the truth, I have developed a four-level scale of conspiracy veracity. How well-documented or proven is what you learn all over the internet and other dark corners of the globe? Click the pic below for a higher resolution.

Also featured is what’s in store for M.C. in the future. In March, I’ll be releasing the thrilling sequel to The Ancients and the Angels: Celestials entitled The Ancients and the Angels: Archons! In this grand addition to the series, the drama continues and even more conspiracy abounds as this saga delves into the realm of horror.  Mass mind control and demonic possession. A bio-engineered depopulation agenda featuring chimeric bio-technologies and ancient chemtrails. Not to forget, the TRUTH behind crop circles – and it ain’t UFO’s…

I always give props where props are due, and great new friends and talents such as Lada Ray, author of The Earth Shifter series, Jeff Daugherty of NCK & Friends podcast, and author Maria DeVivo of The Coal Elf  were mentioned on this transmission.

Click the vid to see the author of this great series in hi-def glory on the Vinny Eastwood Show! It’s the lighter side of genocide! Be sure to donate to the show and grab a copy of my book at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com!

So, become a fan!

Follow Vinny’s amazing site here!

Follow Vinny’s Youtube Channel – MR NEWS!

Find my official Goodreads author page here!

Find me on Shelfari!

Follow me on Twitter!

Wake up! Time to die. The Hunger Games.

Didn’t want to do it, but having just completed the Hunger Games Trilogy, I feel compelled to impart my take on it.

Many in the conspiracy circles have decried this series as anything from predictive programming to the satanic masturbation of dead children. Red magick gone wrong.

Here, I will not give you a definitive answer as to if this omnibus is either, but there are some defenses and suppositions that I would like to examine to these allegations.

Plenty of readers of these books have criticized it as Battle Royale West. And it is. Indubitably. Both works focus on a government-sponsored arcade of child sacrifice. Bloodrite sacrifice. Even President Snow stinks of the red stuff and may even imbibe it. The public loves this spectacle (as do you) and cannot tear their eyes from the screen as teens and preteens eviscerate the shit out of each other (and they do).

Welcome to Panem, punk – where life is cheap!

Life isn’t just cheap, but death is glorified. Molochian ceremony is the order of the day. The age-old tale of virgin sacrifice (the sweetest of bloods).

We all know by now that this is a landscape in where a (hemo)globalist regime has cemented power after a struggle with District 13. District 13 lost…

In recompense, the people from each remaining district must give forth a neophyte tribute for sacrifice in The Hunger Games annually. Not only is resistance to this demain verboten, it is encouraged. The sheepish folk of each district hope for their chosen child to win so that they can increase their caloric intake for the year. He who controls the food controls the people and blah, blah, blah.

Right, then.  The Games are afoot. CRUSH! KILL! DESTROY!

In contrast, Battle Royale was written and filmed for the NC-17 crowd, and it was even banned in many countries at the time of its release (2000-ish). The gore and blood would make Monty Python jealous. Jets of the red stuff would spray like rain from each of the fallen’s necks like manna from hell. The proprietors of Neo-Fascist Japan in Battle Royale were stinky old men in military fatigues. Author Koushun Takami had rendered the bad guys as BAD and ugly. The protagonists of this tale pledged to fight the establishment in book one just for the love of their own humanity as well as the love of their fellow classmates. Not all recruited adhered to this philosophy, but these child-villains were drawn as stupid and greedy.  Some of the enforced contestants even committed suicide out of love for each other (and their own free will) as opposed to playing up to the sick carnival.

Not so with The Hunger Games. Here we see the despots as not just a military establishment, but a posh, lavish class of people who were designed to be an inspiration for the Great Unwashed. Lady Gaga with a gun. Katy Perry with a bullwhip, Taylor Swift with a flamethrower. No young man or woman in Panem could dream of being barred from this Prime District. Money, fame, endorsement and, most of all, food for his or her people was the prize. The manipulation of human tribalism at its worst. A cheap holiday in everyone’s misery.

Let’s examine the author. Yes, Suzanne resides in the forever-infamous Newtown, Connecticut (Jonestown U.S.A.) and carries the dreaded surname Collins. According to Fritz Springmeier, she is of one of the thirteen elite families of the Illuminati. She and I share the same Alma Mater of Indiana University (Represent!).  On videos, she has bragged about supping with the DuPont’s (another family of the thirteen).

So what? I went to college with a DuPont. The kid was a bit crazy, but he was a sweet guy.  His granddad invented nylon. Ms. Collins was a Nickelodeon employee and went on to write for Scholastic. An instant “in” to the publishing world. I cannot fault her for that. I too am guilty of some of her connections, but I do not in any way, shape or form defend a Globalist hegemony.

As the series unfolds, you, the reader are treated to an eruption of rebellion against President Snow and the Capitol dictatorship. Let’s see those underclasses destroy the vainglorious ideals of U.N. Agenda 21 realized (look it up, I’m not explaining it here). Lake Tahoe from sea to shining sea for the elite. And YOU are not invited, plebe.

Human life is not only a throwaway for the dictators, but for the masses as well. Our heroine, Katniss, struggles with her predatory instinct to kill out of necessity frequently throughout the trilogy. Even to her, human life is disposable if the situation calls for it. Yes, this is a war, but her main goal is not to take President Snow to justice, but to KILL him. Death has been conditioned here. Even her “friends” are a second’s length away from her thirsty arrows if they cannot get with the program.

Collins claims the basis of the story is reality TV spliced with Theseus and the Minotaur. But when checked against the transhumanist ideals of the global elite, The Hunger Games falls in lockstep. Bioengineering, eugenics, abject slavery of the underclasses, paradise after the Big Kill, and centralized, regionalized production of goods and resources.

This isn’t really predictive programming, as this is indeed happening right now, just not as in such bombastic overtures. Or so we may believe…

Although many have considered the third installment of the series, Mockingjay, to be the trilogy’s saving grace, I found it to be the most telling and disturbing. Enter President Snow’s enemy, President Coin. Coin presides over the remnants of District 13 and rules with a spartan, iron fist. Apparently, this is out of necessity, but we get the feeling something isn’t right with her either.

Mockingjay is, dare I say, Luciferian in that it features Monarch Programming (Peeta), personality replacement (think: Beyonce=Sasha Fierce/ Katniss=Mockingjay), mind control and, here, the death is no longer controlled in an arena, but focused in a rebellion.

Yes, war is war, and humanity will never rid itself of it. Per evolutionary psychology, we are nasty, omnivorous predators. Get over it.  Due to the first person, present tense P.O.V. we get Katniss’s take on the situation and nothing but. As our ego into this tale has lived the life of a Liberian child soldier, for lack of a better comparison; the girl is a freakin’ sociopath.  She’ll kill you for being in her way (and she does this multiple times).

This is what raises my right brow. Katniss kills a woman after breaking into her home and feels really nothing about it. Later, she kills anyone in her way during a gas attack. Shoot, even the Baader-Meinhof Gang didn’t stoop this low!

Mockingjay relishes in massacres and megadeaths. Collins illustrates the proposed mass-suffocation of a bunker fortress, details the turkey-shoot of civilians (including the graphic riddling of a baby girl), and most morbidly, a masturbatory account of the daisy-cutter bombing of a crowd of children. And all this is perpetrated by the “GOOD GUYS!”

WTF???

All right, that’s fine and well. We’ve read plenty of discourse on this in many reviews, but one of the most telling factors of this book isn’t the book itself, but the hyper-advertised hype and even the enforced reading of it.  In many public schools, your children HAVE to read it. This to me is suspect. In my opinion, when the mainstream establishment champions anything from McDonald combo meals to fucking Stafford loans, it can’t be good for you.

Cue the laugh track. All in all, I loved these books. No, seriously, it is a cornucopia of conspiracy and a soup-to-nuts catalog of what we very well may see in the future as per current socio-political trends. Is it a warning? Does this illustrate what we have coming to us as Suzanne Collins and her honeyed buddies cackle like a coven of pennangalan?  This is still inconclusive to me, but a bit alarming.

If a society like this does come to fruit, please, just take me out behind your favorite municipal building and put a bullet in my head. I don’t want to live in Panem.

Review – The Coal Elf

As I write tales exclusively about elves, I was searching around and had stumbled upon a book called The Coal Elf and just had to get it. As you can see by the cover’s illustration, one may think this is a classic take on The Lord of the Rings/ Elder Scrolls-variety of lanky, lean beauty. Majestic beings who stand a good foot taller than humanity.

I was wrong.  Let me explain.

Collapse! The lungs malfunction!

After a few swipes of the Kindle, I realized that I was reading about SANTA’s elves! I can’t believe how I didn’t put two and two together (bad kids get coal = coal elf).

This story focuses on wee Ember Skye. The elfmaid is from an upper-middle class, soft-skill family from the North Pole.  The Skyes do honeyed work such as songwriting, fashion design, graphic design – stuff you’d expect to see guys named Bertram doing on Michigan Avenue. From birth to age ten, this is the only life Ember knows and it’s sweet.

Upon her tenth birthday, all elves are put into an apprenticeship for their Lifejob. As the moniker indicates, you are chosen to do this job forever.

Maybe it was a clerical error, maybe it was dumb luck, but Ember is assigned to the Mines to dig coal for naughty kids until the day she drops dead. Being from softer gentry, no one in the Skye family can figure out why she was chosen for such work, but once your number is drawn, there’s no going back; debate is verboten. Ember is to stay in these mines and never see daylight again. The only notion of day or night is the rush of bats leaving the caves for the evening.

As expected, this book does have hot cocoa, candy canes and lollipops, but the elven society is a sugar-coated hell and author Maria DeVivo pulls no punches. These beings live under Santa Claus’s jackboot.

By the time Ember is sixteen, she has been dredging the Mines for six years and has begun coughing blood and lung-bugs. One day, Santa allows her to enjoy a forty-eight hour weekend pass to revisit her old life. From here, things get worse.

Central themes to this novel involve the examination of the nature of systems and their architecture of checks and balances. Tyranny is also examined, but this book questions why a society runs the way that it must, despite the heavy hand.

Solipsism is reviewed here as well. What is reality? Who is running the show and is it all a lie? Through the mechanics of negative reinforcement and conditioning of behavior, here, systemic flow is maintained.

This story is not a plea for egalitarian sunshine, like so many fantasy/sci-fi novels, but a consideration of what happens when you get what you wish for.

Five stars.