Review – Numenon

Numenon – A Collision of Native American Mysticism and Corporate America

Rating: 5 of 5, TMBOA Recommended

Author: Sandy Nathan
Available: Paperback

Leading Numenon, the largest and most powerful corporation on the Earth, Will Duane carries a secret.  Haunted for years by the memory of his demanding and verbally abusive father, Will compensates by driving for ever greater success at all costs.  Ethics, faithfulness, relationships, all take a back seat to his overriding lust for power.  But the success he achieves leaves him empty.  Forever stalked by a dark presence creating a pall over everything in his life, Will finds solace by retreating within himself by physically punishing his body through excessive exercise.  Nearing exhaustion, something special happens.  A heightened state of awareness occurs through a glowing column of light beginning at the base of his spine.  Will achieves what mystics call – Kundalini – here he is safe; here is where he finds peace; here is where he finds answers.

From his lean-to in remote New Mexico, a Native American shaman-known by many names but by his followers as “grandfather”-senses the gathering of evil.  It will be at the annual gathering of his spirit warriors, simply called “the meeting”,  where this darkness will descend and collide with grandfather’s spiritual forces and the corporate power of Numenon.

In Numenon, national award winning author Sandy Nathan takes the reader through the parallel journeys of two very different worlds – that of corporate deals and greed juxtaposed with that of Native American Indians on the reservation.  Alternating between these two realities, Nathan explores each of the characters histories – their lives, choices, and experiences which have led them to the present conditions.  Nearing the spiritually charged ground where the meeting is to occur, each of the characters feel the intensity of what they are about to experience and each must choose their path forward.

This is the first book in the Bloodsong series by Nathan.  Those expecting a tidy closure to all of the plot’s elements will instead find a continuously building pressure cooker leading to a climatic meeting of forces to be resolved in future volumes.  This is a very enjoyable read and those interested in mysticism and Native American Culture will thoroughly enjoy Numenon.

Watch the Numenon Trailer Here!

Review – No Irish Need Apply

No Irish Need Apply – A Gripping Story of Prejudice

Rating: 4 of 5
Author: Edward C Patterson
Available: Paperback, Kindle

Louis Lonnegan had always known he was different from the other boys in school.  He didn’t much care for sports, and he didn’t much care for girls, at least not romantically.  Obvious to everyone, with the exception of his widowed Irish Catholic mother, Louis was frequently ostracized by his schoolmates, occasionally made fun of, and from time to time physically assaulted because of who he was.
Kevin Borden was also the son of a widowed Irish Catholic mother, but he was quite different from Louis in many ways but not all.  Kevin, an attractive athlete had the attention of many of the high school girls and as a result was also the envy of many of the boys.  Paired together with Louis to be study partners, Kevin connects with Louis in ways he hadn’t previously.  He begins to question his own orientation and even though he finds himself drawn to Louis, he refuses to think of himself as “gay”.  But he discovers the feelings he has are real and aren’t to be denied.  Hiding the truth from their parents and schoolmates, Kevin and Louis must choose to continue leading a lie or forever open the door about who they are to the world and the consequences be damned.

In No Irish Need Apply, Edward C. Patterson parallels the persecution and prejudice of Irish Immigrants in our nation’s history to the plight suffered by gays in society.  Integrating the familial and social pressures to conform along with the subtle and sometimes not so subtle persecution of gays, Patterson offers hope to those finding themselves and their place in the world.

A brave, thoughtful, and moving novel, Patterson dedicates his work to the Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) organization.