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Jacob's ladder
Jacob's Ladder
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John
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Apr 03, 2017 04:47PM
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What on earth is "bifurcation," or will that become clear eventually?Are there supposed to be two different sections headed "Interlude in the second echelon"?
Sorry I don't read Spanish; the translation is awkward in places.
The author is very receptive and communicative and I am sure would like to be involved in our discussion. I would like to know too if this book reads better in Spanish than it does in English. I bet the answer is yes.
As with the last book, the cover makes no sense to me. Looks like a straw man relaxing in a chair.
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Since you appear to have reached the Bifurcation part, you may have noticed that there are (at least) two levels in the situation: the level where things happen, and the level where the controllers live. The first level is reliving a part of history, those in the second want to introduce a "bifurcation", a split, a change in direction in that history.
Are there supposed to be two different sections headed "Interlude in the second echelon"?
They are not sections, but interludes between chapters, where people from the second level (or rung, or echelon) comment on what is happening on the first level. There is one between chapters 3 and 4, and another between chapters 8 and 9.
Sorry I don't read Spanish; the translation is awkward in places."
And Celia commented:
I would like to know too if this book reads better in Spanish than it does in English. I bet the answer is yes.
You are probably right. After all, Spanish is my mother tongue and English isn't. Take into account that I have written both versions: the original and the translation.
Regards,
Mod
The cover was not designed by me, but by an illustrator contracted by the publisher that originally published this book (that edition is now out of print). It represents a straw-man dressed in Napoleon Bonaparte's uniform. The reason will be evident at chapter 13.
Regards,
Mod
I am not sure I understand the question. The novel is a Catholic novel, because the author (that's me) is a Catholic author. The objective of the novel is not to expound on the doctrine of the Catholic Church, or to show perfectly commonplace Catholic people going to church on Sundays. The objective of the novel is to tell a story (in this case, a science-fiction story) in a believable way, even though the main idea behind the story is perfectly unbelievable (at least for now, probably forever), but that is what happens in most science fiction anyway. The novel is Catholic because the two main characters (Luis and Lydia) think and try to act as a Catholic would in their place, but they never say, anywhere in the novel, that they are Catholic. The readers must come to that conclusion on their own.
Mod
Continuing with the previous comment, please look at this quote in Goodreads, and replace the word "Christian" by "Catholic:"
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6731...
Manuel wrote: "Manuel wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Is Jacob's Ladder Catholic? I know this is a Catholic book club, but I couldn't find any mention of faith in the Goodreads summary. I was just curious..."Continuing w..."
I absolutely agree. Thank you Manuel
Manuel wrote: "Manuel wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Is Jacob's Ladder Catholic? I know this is a Catholic book club, but I couldn't find any mention of faith in the Goodreads summary. I was just curious..."Continuing w..."
I would let that two tags appeared, on this way more people will be able to read this novel. A lot of my friends that they are catholics have this tag Val Bianco, A.K. Frailey, and Fr.James Martin. G.K. Chesterton, and Louis de Wohl apear as a christian writers. Do not close gates my friend *advice*.
I have copied of the list of my friend Val Bianco and his novel "Sons of Cain".Christian Fiction 5 users
Thriller 5 users
Fiction 4 users
Christianity > Catholic 3 users
Thriller > Mystery Thriller 2 users
Adult Fiction 2 users
Science Fiction Fantasy 2 users
It is the evidence that a novel can be Christian and cstholic at the same time, with my advice the novel will atract more readers.
Mod
Catholic is a subset of Christian, therefore every Catholic is a Christian...
Manuel wrote: "Fonch wrote: "a novel can be Christian and Catholic at the same time..."Catholic is a subset of Christian, therefore every Catholic is a Christian..."
I reply in my letter :-).
Mod
I was just curious."
I would add to Manuel's answer, if I may, that I see Jacob's ladder as an allegory expounding Aquinas's second proof for the existence of God. Can't get more Catholic than that. :-)
John wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Is Jacob's Ladder Catholic? I know this is a Catholic book club, but I couldn't find any mention of faith in the Goodreads summary. I was just curious."
I would add to Manuel's ans..."
It is a very interesting question indeed in one of the paragraphs Alfonseca spoke about Boethius the philosopher who wrote Consolatione Philosophae. I am sure that Alfonseca is an Scholastic.
Mod
Yes, in the sense that every level in the ladder needs a cause (the preceding level), and the line of causes cannot be infinite. In some sense it could also be the fifth proof, as every level is ordered and that order requires a designer.
Mod
To some extent, but I am certainly not a thirteenth century Scholastic. On the other hand, as you know very well, Boethius was not an Scholastic.
Manuel wrote: "Fonch wrote: "Alfonseca spoke about Boethius the philosopher who wrote Consolatione Philosophae. I am sure that Alfonseca is an Scholastic."To some extent, but I am certainly not a thirteenth cen..."
Yes i know he was a philosopher of the 6th century, a chancellor of the goth king Theodoric. There is some doubts about his belief, one says that he was pagan, and other christian. He was a friend of Casiodorus. Boethius influenced in the thinking of the medieval age. Do you accept Bacon as Scholastic? *joke*.
Mod
As I am not a philosopher nor a historian, my opinion about this is uninteresting, but the Wikipedia seems to believe that he was. At least, he appears in this page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categor...
Manuel wrote: "Fonch wrote: "Do you accept [Roger] Bacon as Scholastic?"As I am not a philosopher nor a historian, my opinion about this is uninteresting, but the Wikipedia seems to believe that he was. At leas..."
My dear friend i consider you as a Roger Bacon, with qualities of Saint Thomas Aquinas :-).
