Early reviews glowing in their praise for Man Booker Prize winner’s literary masterpiece

Posted: October 19, 2013 in Books in general, Morcan Books & Films
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Eleanor Catton

Eleanor Catton celebrates

The early reviews are in for 2013 Man Booker Prize winner Eleanor Catton’s historical novel, The Luminaries. Unsurprisingly, reviewers are glowing in their praise for what many critics call “a literary masterpiece”.

On Amazon, one reviewer said: “Catton’s novel is delightfully intricate, with plot, characters and timelines woven into a complex pattern.” (Seven reviewers made similar comments).

Another reviewer said:  “To write such a complex and masterful work so confidently blows my mind.” (Four reviewers made similar comments).

And another said: “Really pleased I persevered, this is a very well written book, great story line and well constructed characters.” (Three reviewers made similar comments).

The Luminaries – “masterful”

The storyline:

It is 1866, and Walter Moody has come to make his fortune upon the West Coast goldfields. On the night of his arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men, who have met in secret to discuss a series of unsolved crimes. A wealthy man has vanished, a whore has tried to end her life, and an enormous sum of money has been discovered in the home of a luckless drunk. Moody is soon drawn into the mystery: a network of fates and fortunes that is as complex and exquisitely patterned as the night sky.

The author:

Eleanor Catton

At 28, Kiwi author Eleanor Catton is the youngest ever Man Booker Prize winner. Born in Canada and raised in New Zealand, her debut novel The Rehearsal won the Adam Prize and was Best First Book of Fiction at the 2009 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Internationally, it was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Dylan Thomas Prize, and longlisted for the Orange Prize, and won the 2009 Betty Trask Award. It has been published in 17 territories and 12 languages.

Eleanor Catton holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she also held an adjunct professorship, and an MA in creative writing from the International Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University of Wellington. She lives in Auckland.

Notwithstanding many rave reviews The Luminaries has attracted, the most “popular” review on Amazon at the time of writing was this (unabridged) 3-star review posted by Top 500 reviewer Mary Lins:

A Commitment – Not For Everyone

Gushing reviews are easy to write, (so are pans), but what to say when you know that a book is well written, innovatively and creatively structured, and is destined to be loved by many, but it just didn’t appeal to you? “The Luminaries” by Eleanor Catton, is such a book. Short-listed for the Booker Prize, this novel, that weighs in at over 800 pages, takes a bit of a commitment to get into and, once invested, it must “grab” you to continue. I got half-way through and then had to have a “talk with myself” about continuing. It just isn’t my kind of novel and continuing was going to take too much of my precious reading time. Yet, I was far enough in to see that its innovative style of folding back in on itself will appeal to many readers. It’s like a complicated pastry; the plot is kneaded and folded to produce the confection intended. This is not a novel for readers who like their plots to be linear.

Catton’s writing style is beautifully lush and vividly descriptive. Her descriptions of the myriad characters are wonderfully rendered both in the descriptions of their physical selves and of their inner selves. Catton also creates a unique and interesting setting of a New Zealand gold mining town in the mid-nineteenth century.

I’m posting this candidly honest review to help other readers ascertain if they are the type of reader who will enjoy this unique novel, or not.

 

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‘The Ninth Orphan’ conspiracy thriller enters Amazon’s bestseller list

Posted: October 8, 2013 in The Ninth Orphan, The Orphan Trilogy
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Our conspiracy thriller The Ninth Orphan (The Orphan Trilogy, #1) has entered Amazon’s bestseller list in the popular Conspiracy category for kindle ebooks. This follows yesterday’s announcement that our historical adventure romance, Fiji: A Novel, has also entered Amazon’s bestseller list.

In book one in The Orphan Trilogy, Nine – the ninth-born orphan – grows up to become an assassin for a highly secretive organization. When he tries to break free and live a normal life, he is hunted by his mentor and father figure, and by a female orphan he spent his childhood with. On the run, the mysterious man’s life becomes entwined with his beautiful French-African hostage and a shocking past riddled with the darkest of conspiracies is revealed.

But can the ninth-born orphan ever get off the grid? To find out you’ll need to go on a tumultuous journey around the globe to such far-flung locations as China, France, the Philippines, Andorra, America, England, Germany and French Polynesia. The frenetic cat-and-mouse chase moves from airports to train stations and hidden torture prisons, taking the reader on a shocking, nail-biting ride into the world’s closet of skeletons that goes beyond conspiracy theories to painful reality.

Fast-paced, totally fresh and original, filled with deep and complex characters, The Ninth Orphan is a controversial, high-octane thriller with an edge. Merging fact with fiction, it illuminates shadow organizations rumored to actually exist in our world. The novel explores a plethora of conspiracies involving real organizations like the CIA, MI6, and the UN, and public figures such as President Obama as well as the Clinton, Marcos and Bush families.

Tackling genetic selection, mind control and secret societies, The Ninth Orphan exposes a global agenda designed to keep the power in the hands of a select few. The novel’s antagonists are members of a shadow government acting above and beyond the likes of the White House, the FBI, the Pentagon and the NSA. Could something like this ever take place? Or, is it already taking place right now?

This unique and unpredictable thriller also has a poignant, romantic sub-plot. The story contains the kind of intimate character portraits usually associated with psychological novels.

Buckle up for a wild trip full of death-defying action, cloak and dagger intrigue, unexpected role reversals and surprise endings.

Here’s what reviewers have to say about The Ninth Orphan:

★★★★★    “Nail biter to the end.” -My Scribe World
★★★★★    “One hell of a great story.” -Random Writings Book Reviews
★★★★        “If you’re keen on spy stories, international espionage or conspiracy theories, give this fast-paced book a try!” -Coffee2Words Reviews
★★★★★    “I was drawn into the world of espionage, assassins and DNA alterations.”
-Lynelle Clark (author of ‘A Pirate’s Wife’)
★★★★★    “Intense suspense that will keep you up at night turning pages.” -Phoenix Book Review
★★★★        “A slick spy thriller.” -Two Ends of the Pen
★★★★★    “A major must read!” -A Bit Of Everything Reviews
★★★★★    “Action packed – intense – gripping – edge of the seat.” -Review of Books For You

★★★★★    “For any spy thriller fan The Ninth Orphan is not to be missed!” -Vickie McKeehan (author of ‘The Evil Trilogy’)  

                 

If you want to see what readers and critics like about The Ninth Orphan, visit it at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056I4FKC

 

Happy reading! –Lance & James

 

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‘Fiji: A Novel’ enters Amazon’s bestseller list

Posted: October 7, 2013 in Fiji: A Novel
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Our historical adventure-romance Fiji has entered Amazon’s bestseller list in the Australian & Oceanian section of the popular Historical Fiction category for kindle ebooks.

Fiji a bestseller

The novel is no stranger to Amazon’s bestseller ranks, having entered them previously. In fact, the paperback version is currently firmly entrenched in Amazon’s Australian & South Pacific section of its Travel category.

Fiji’s popularity with travelers is no surprise to James and I, the authors. As writers and travelers, we know from experience how valuable an understanding of a destination is before visiting it. Familiarizing yourself with a country’s history, geography, people and customs makes any visit that much more enjoyable – especially for first-time visitors.

Here’s some comments about Fiji from fellow travelers to the archipelago:

  • “Fiji: A Novel should be compulsory reading for visitors to Fiji.”
  • ‘Fiji: A Novel is a must for travelers to the Friendly Isles.”

           

And here’s a sample of reviewer comments:

  • “A perfect combination of romance and action.” –The Kindle Book Review.
  • “A gripping and graphic story of historic Fiji.” –Great Historicals.
  • “I give it 5 stars because that’s the maximum allowed.” –RandomWritingsBookReviews, Suva.
  • “An intense story that will have you turning the pages long into the night.” –Author Susan Heim.

      

The story:

Fiji is a spellbinding novel of adventure, cultural misunderstandings, religious conflict and sexual tension set in one of the most exotic and isolated places on earth.

As the pharaohs of ancient Egypt build their mighty pyramids, and Chinese civilization evolves under the Shang Dynasty, adventurous seafarers from South East Asia begin to settle the far-flung islands of the South Pacific. The exotic archipelago of Fiji is one of the last island groups to be discovered and will remain hidden from the outside world for many centuries to come.

By the mid-1800’s, Fiji has become a melting pot of cannibals, warring native tribes, sailors, traders, prostitutes, escaped convicts and all manner of foreign undesirables. It’s in this hostile environment an innocent young Englishwoman and a worldly American adventurer find themselves.

Susannah Drake, a missionary, questions her calling to spread God’s Word as she’s torn between her spiritual and sexual selves. As her forbidden desires intensify, she turns to the scriptures and prayer to quash the sinful thoughts – without success.

Nathan Johnson arrives to trade muskets to the Fijians and immediately finds himself at odds with Susannah. She despises him for introducing the white man’s weapons to the very people she is trying to convert and he pities her for her naivety. Despite their differences, there’s an undeniable chemistry between them.

When their lives are suddenly endangered by marauding cannibals, Susannah and Nathan are forced to rely on each other for their very survival.

                            

If Fiji sounds like you, view it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057YCZM0/

 

Happy reading! –Lance & James

 

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It’s ROCKY vs RAGING BULL in GRUDGE MATCH – out soon!

Posted: September 17, 2013 in Morcan films
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De Niro (left) and Stallone put the gloves back on in ‘Grudge Match.’
Warner Bros’ GRUDGE MATCH, starring Stallone and De Niro as a pair of aging boxing rivals coaxed out of retirement, looks like a real hoot if the trailer’s anything to go by.
Also starring Kevin Hart, Kim Basinger and Alan Arkin, the Peter Segal helmed GRUDGE MATCH will hit theatres on December 25 – a timely Christmas present for all those ROCKY fans.
This comedy drama’s storyline revolves around retired boxers Billy “The Kid” McDonnen (De Niro) and Henry “Razor” Sharp (Stallone), lifelong bitter rivals who are coaxed out of retirement and into the ring for one final grudge match 30 years after their last title fight.
ROCKY vs RAGING BULL one industry commentator called it. Whatever…I predict it will be a hit.
The GRUDGE MATCH trailer is good for a laugh…           http://www.youtube.com/watchv=GQa2NxevFao
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Gapers Block interviews the co-author of ‘The Orphan Trilogy’

Posted: September 13, 2013 in The Ninth Orphan, The Orphan Factory, The Orphan Trilogy, The Orphan Uprising
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The following interview with James Morcan, co-author of our conspiracy thriller series, The Orphan Trilogy (The Ninth Orphan / The Orphan Factory / The Orphan Uprising) appeared in today’s edition of the prestigious Chicago web publication Gapers Block. You’ll see its interest in the trilogy stems from the fact that Chicago – and, indeed, Illinois – features prominently throughout.

 

GAPERS ★★★★ BLOCK

TODAY Thursday, September 12

 

The Orphan Trilogy’s Chicago connection

By Kathryn Pulkrabek

 

Good spies aren’t born; they’re made. Such is the case for the genetically altered spies in The Orphan Trilogy, a series of international conspiracy thrillers by New Zealand authors James Morcan and Lance Morcan.

Orphan_Trilogy.jpg

Chicago is featured prominently as the site of the Pedemont Orphanage, where 23 orphans acquire the skills to become stealthy, cold-blooded killers. James Morcan was happy to shed some light on how the city’s famed work ethic influenced the decision to begin the story here,  and to discuss whether we’ll see any Pedemont Orphanage alums skulking around Chicago corners in the near future…

Image of James Morcan
Trilogy co-author James

Q: The books of The Orphan Trilogy take place in a variety of exotic locales… Why did you choose Chicago, a city with blue-collar roots in America’s heartland, as the site of the Pedemont Orphanage, the place where it all began?

Even though the orphans in our series were genetically engineered by an extremely wealthy organization, their masters want them to develop “everyman” qualities in order for them to eventually be able to integrate with wherever they go. Being a working-class city, Chicago seemed like the ideal location as soon as we started writing the trilogy.

It’s also a city where the history is evident and the ghosts of earlier generations can be felt almost everywhere — generations who built the city brick by brick and through blood, sweat and tears. It’s not Los Angeles or Las Vegas or Miami. In fact, it’s the antithesis of those cities in many ways. Chicago always struck me as a more traditional American city where hard work is respected more than anything else. The folks I have met from Chicago and Illinois in general seem to me to be people who aim to do things well and with integrity. And those are precisely the values that the head of the Pedemont Orphanage, Tommy Kentbridge, wants to instil in the orphans for them to become the ultimate spies.

Q: What’s your relationship to Chicago? What kind of research did you conduct to create a snapshot of Chicago in the 1970s?

I visited Chicago on my travels not long after leaving high school in the late 1990s. I remember arriving via Amtrak at Chicago’s Union Station at about three a.m. and waiting in the Loop for the sun to rise. I remember seeing the city slowly awaken and then swarms of people arriving for a new day’s work. This experience remained vivid in my mind for some reason, and it inspired a sequence in The Orphan Factory (book two in the series) where Nine, our lead character, is running through the city center at dawn. Being a New Zealander, so much of America was foreign to me at first, but Chicago instantly felt familiar and friendly.

We did have to do quite a bit of research to ensure that late 1970s Chicago, which is when the trilogy starts, was portrayed accurately. We discovered the city has changed a lot with certain communities being quite different between then and now, or in some cases are no longer recognizable.

Q: The Orphan Trilogy shows us that institutions are not necessarily to be trusted, while Number Nine’s individualism is the key to his freedom. Which institutions, organizations and events in particular inspired this view, and who are some individuals you admire for pursuing freedom at any cost?

A combination of things inspired The Orphan Trilogy. Certain events like the bailout of corporations ahead of regular citizens during the global financial crisis and the invasion of vulnerable mineral-rich countries post-9/11, certainly influenced our writing. In recent times, more and more citizens seem to be sensing there must be authorities within governments that are not “for the people,” but actually against the people. More than anything else, we believe that’s why our series is proving to be popular and is establishing a loyal fan base of readers worldwide.

Nine does indeed have that spark of individualism which manifests as rebellion against his masters. Yet he also represents every person who desires justice and freedom. Individuals who we admire and who influenced our themes in the series include Nelson Mandela, Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Julian Assange and Mahatma Gandhi.

Q: The trilogy’s first novel, The Ninth Orphan, is being developed as a feature film. Any chance that you will shoot on location in Chicago? Which actor would you like to see cast as Number Nine?

The Ninth Orphan film adaptation will be shot partly in Chicago and Illinois. Other locations will include Paris, Beijing, London and Manila. We have the perfect actor in mind for the lead role, but as we are also film producers, we learned long ago never to mention an actor’s name until negotiations are complete. Sorry if that sounds evasive…I guess the film industry and spy fields have much in common!

Q: The orphans are endowed with some amazing genetically enhanced abilities. If you could give yourself such an ability, what would it be?

Mentally speaking, speed-reading would be handy, as would being able to speak a large number of languages. Physically, I’d love to be a martial arts genius like the orphans are. As we mention in the novels, though, their advanced DNA is only one side of the equation, and these orphans are certainly not super heroes or anything like that. That’s just the “nature” side. There is also the “nurture” side, which is where their comprehensive education comes in. Having gone through the traditional education system and finding it laborious and uninspiring, it was fun to write about a more accelerated form of education inside the Pedemont Orphanage.

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For the full article go to Gapers Block: http://gapersblock.com/bookclub/2013/09/12/the_orphan_trilogys_chicago_connection/

The Orphan Trilogy 3-in-1 box set is available via Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGGM05U/

 

Happy reading! –Lance

 

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‘The Catcher in the Rye’ lives on in our thriller novel ‘The Ninth Orphan’

Posted: September 12, 2013 in The Ninth Orphan
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Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the controversial novel that has been associated with several high profile shootings including John Hinckley Jr’s assassination attempt on Ronal Reagan, features prominently in our conspiracy thriller novel, The Ninth Orphan (The Orphan Trilogy, #1).

References to Salinger’s book are made in the context of the CIA-sanctioned MK-Ultra mind control activities, which made international headlines at the time.

In the following excerpt from The Ninth Orphan, Omega Agency founder Andrew Naylor, uses mind control in an attempt to have his way with Seventeen, the agency’s seventeenth-born orphan-operative and a lady not to be messed with:

Now alone with Seventeen, Naylor stared intently at the young blonde operative. She was as motionless as a statue, staring right through him. She’d been like this for the past couple of minutes, but she didn’t know that. Her eyes had glazed over and she was in some kind of trance. She held a copy of the novel, The Catcher in the Rye.

Smiling, the Omega director stood up and walked over to the door to check it was locked. He walked back to Seventeen and studied her features. Feeling aroused, he stroked the orphan’s hair then kissed her on the lips. She remained unresponsive.

Minutes earlier, Naylor had hypnotized Seventeen using the MK-Ultra voice commands he’d recently received from Langley. For years, he’d wanted to have his way with Seventeen. Receiving the orphans’ MK-Ultra codes had presented him with the perfect opportunity. It was perfect because she would never remember a thing. The copy of The Catcher in the Rye he’d given her was all part of the mind control program. The book acted as an additional control mechanism to activate hypnotism triggers in the brain.

Still in a trance-like state, Seventeen did not resist Naylor’s sexual advances. The Omega director started to unbutton her blouse when his cell phone suddenly rang. The shrill ringing caused Seventeen to snap out of her trance. She was surprised to see Naylor’s pock-marked face only inches from hers. His lazy eye gave the impression he was staring over her left shoulder, but she knew he was staring directly at her. 

Suddenly feeling guilty, Naylor quickly turned away and answered his phone. “Naylor.” Marcia Wilson was on the other end of the line, calling from CIA headquarters. Naylor listened intently to her news.

Seventeen frowned when she noticed the top button of her blouse was undone. Her gaze strayed to the copy of The Catcher in the Rye on her lap. The orphan had no recollection of picking up the book at any stage. In fact, she’d never even read it. All she knew about the novel was it had been found on the men behind the assassination and attempted assassination of John Lennon and Ronald Reagan respectively, and its author, J.D. Salinger, had significant ties to the CIA.  

The Ninth Orphan (The Orphan Trilogy, #1) is available via Amazon as a trade paperback and Kindle ebook: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056I4FKC 

For more about the disturbing history behind MK-Ultra go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fml1Z5saLH0

 

Happy reading! –Lance & James 

 

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“Why else do you think we are permanently at war?” – A timely quote from ‘The Orphan Factory’

Posted: September 4, 2013 in The Orphan Factory
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As America – or President Obama at least – seems intent on attacking Syria, I’m reminded of a quote from The Orphan Factory, book two in our conspiracy thriller series, The Orphan Trilogy. In it, Omega Agency Special Agent Tommy Kentbridge asks a young Nine, the ninth-born orphan, “Why else do you think we are permanently at war in various regions all over the world?”

Perhaps the question would be better directed at Obama?

President Barack Obama

Obama soon to announce a new offensive?

Kentbridge, who is Nine’s mentor and the closest thing to a father figure the lad will ever know, also asks, “And why is it the citizens of this country, one of the richest on earth, get poorer each year?”

Good questions – even if we, the writers, say so ourselves!

Here’s some more from The Orphan Factory:

Special Agent Kentbridge had long-since realized America was not the unified country most people thought it was. Due to his position, he was aware of the extremely fragmented, corrupt and sick state of the nation. He also knew that sickness was entirely due to the conflicting agendas of the various shadow organizations that had infiltrated most Government departments and agencies. Within each power group – be it Congress or the Military-Industrial Complex – there were huge divisions as each of the secret factions strived to be top dog.

The Orphan Factory (The Orphan Trilogy, #2), is available via Amazon as a Kindle ebook via: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008M9WWKW/

 

Happy reading! –Lance & James

 

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Trilogy’s romantic sub-plot attracts female readers

Posted: September 3, 2013 in Morcan Books & Films, The Ninth Orphan, The Orphan Factory, The Orphan Trilogy, The Orphan Uprising
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Books 1, 2 and 3 in our conspiracy thriller series The Orphan Trilogy (The Ninth Orphan / The Orphan Factory / The Orphan Uprising) have retained their average Amazon reviewer rating of 4.6 out of 5 Stars.

The novels merge fact with fiction, illuminating shadow organizations rumored to actually exist in our world. They reveal a shadow government acting above and beyond the likes of the White House, the FBI, the Pentagon and the NSA. There’s a poignant, romantic sub-plot, too, which possibly accounts for the trilogy’s popularity with female readers.

Plot summaries and average Amazon reviewer ratings (out of 5 Stars) for the three novels follow:

4 Stars

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056I4FKC

The Ninth Orphan: An orphan grows up to become an assassin for a highly secretive organization. When he tries to break free and live a normal life, he is hunted by his mentor and father figure, and by a female orphan he spent his childhood with. On the run, the mysterious man’s life becomes entwined with his beautiful French-African hostage and a shocking past riddled with the darkest of conspiracies is revealed.             

4.7 Stars

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008M9WWKW/

The Orphan Factory: This coming-of-age spy thriller novel is a prequel to The Ninth Orphan. It’s an epic, atmospheric story that begins with twenty-three genetically superior orphans being groomed to become elite spies in Chicago’s Pedemont Orphanage and concludes with a political assassination deep in the Amazon jungle. Embark on another frenetic journey with Nine, the ninth-born orphan, as he goes on the run across America.                                               

5 Stars

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFC66DM/

The Orphan Uprising: In this sequel to The Ninth Orphan, Nine’s idyllic lifestyle is shattered when his son Francis is abducted by operatives in the employ of the Omega Agency, the shadowy organization that once controlled every aspect of his life. Desperate to find Francis before Omega can harm him, Nine soon finds he’s up against his fellow orphans – all elite operatives as he once was – who are under orders to kill him on sight. He must call on all his former training and skills.

4.4 Stars

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGGM05U/

The Orphan Trilogy: This controversial, high-octane thriller series is available via Amazon as a box set (3 books in 1) at a discounted price. It explores a plethora of conspiracies involving real organizations like the CIA, NSA, MI6 and the UN, and public figures such as President Obama, Queen Elizabeth II as well as the Clinton, Marcos and Bush families. The trilogy also contains the kind of intimate character portraits usually associated with psychological thrillers.

 

Happy Reading! — Lance & James

 

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We humans can survive anything, according to this eternal optimist

Posted: September 1, 2013 in Books in general
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Nuclear holocausts, killer plagues and collisions with asteroids hold no fear for science writer and eternal optimist Annalee Newitz, author of the bestseller, Scatter, Adapt, and Remember: How Humans Will Survive a Mass Extinction.

Newitz believes humans will survive whatever our solar system chooses to throw our way in the coming millennia.

Why so certain? “Because the world has been almost completely destroyed at least half a dozen times already in Earth’s 4.5-billion-year history,” she says, “and every single time there have been survivors.”

Annalee Newitz

Annalee Newitz

An Amazon Best Book of the Month in May 2013, Scatter, Adapt, and Remember reminds us that, “In its 4.5 billion-year history, life on Earth has been almost erased at least half a dozen times: shattered by asteroid impacts, entombed in ice, smothered by methane, and torn apart by unfathomably powerful megavolcanoes. And we know that another global disaster is eventually headed our way. Can we survive it? How?”

Asteroids hold no fears for Newitz

Newitz claims that, as a species, Homo sapiens are at a crossroads. “Study of our planet’s turbulent past suggests that we are overdue for a catastrophic disaster, whether caused by nature or by human interference. It’s a frightening prospect, as each of the Earth’s past major disasters – from meteor strikes to bombardment by cosmic radiation – resulted in a mass extinction, where more than 75 per cent of the planet’s species died out.”

In Scatter, Adapt, and Remember, Newitz explains that although global disaster is all but inevitable, our chances of long-term species survival are better than ever. Life on Earth has come close to annihilation; humans have, more than once, narrowly avoided extinction just during the last million years. But every single time a few creatures survived, evolving to adapt to the harshest of conditions.

This brilliantly speculative work of popular science focuses on humanity’s long history of dodging the bullet, as well as on new threats that we may face in years to come. Most important, it explores how scientific breakthroughs today will help us avoid disasters tomorrow.

“From simulating tsunamis to studying central Turkey’s ancient underground cities; from cultivating cyanobacteria for “living cities” to designing space elevators to make space colonies cost-effective; from using math to stop pandemics to studying the remarkable survival strategies of gray whales, scientists and researchers the world over are discovering the keys to long-term resilience and learning how humans can choose life over death.”

The book has resonated with readers and reviewers alike.

Amazon reviewer Charles Mann, author of 1491, says:

“…few things are more enjoyable than touring the apocalypse from the safety of your living room. Even as Scatter, Adapt, and Remember cheerfully reminds us that asteroid impacts, mega-volcanos and methane eruptions are certain to come, it suggests how humankind can survive and even thrive. Yes, Annalee Newitz promises, the world will end with a bang, but our species doesn’t have to end with a whimper. Scatter, Adapt, and Remember is a guide to Homo sapiens‘ next million years. I had fun reading this book and you will too.”

 Daniel H. Wilson, author of Robopocalypse, says:

Scatter, Adapt, and Remember is a refreshingly optimistic and well thought out dissection of that perennial worry: the coming apocalypse. While everyone else stridently shouts about the end of days, this book asks and answers a simple question: ‘If it’s so bad, then why are we still alive?’ I found myself in awe of the incredible extinction events that humankind—and life in general—has already survived, and Newitz inspires us with engaging arguments that our race will keep reaching the end of the world and then keep living through it. Scatter, Adapt, and Remember intimately acquaints the reader with our two-hundred-thousand-year tradition of survival—nothing less than our shared heritage as human beings.”

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‘The Catcher in the Rye’ still casts a spell – even after 62 years

Posted: August 30, 2013 in Books in general, Morcan films, The Ninth Orphan, The Orphan Trilogy
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Edward Norton, John Cusack, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Martin Sheen are among a star-studded line up of A-Listers who headline a soon-to-be-released documentary on J.D. Salinger, the reclusive author of The Catcher in the Rye.

JD Salinger reading Catcher in the Rye in 1952

J.D. Salinger in 1952

September 5, 2013 is the scheduled release date of the Weinstein Company-distributed doco, which the publicists say “provides an unprecedented look inside the private world of J.D. Salinger”.

Listed as one of the best novels of the 20th Century, The Catcher in the Rye was also the most censored book and the second most taught book in US public schools at one point. Its vulgarity, sexual references and alleged undermining of family values have seen it earn the dubious distinction of being one of the most frequently challenged books since the early 1990’s.

Total sales 65 million and rising.

The Catcher in the Rye has been associated with several high profile shootings including and John Hinckley Jr’s assassination attempt on Ronal Reagan and Mark David Chapman’s shooting of John Lennon. Chapman was arrested with his own worn copy of the book on his person.

The Catcher in the Rye features prominently in our conspiracy thriller series The Orphan Trilogy – most notably in book one, The Ninth Orphan. Our references to Salinger’s book are made in the context of the CIA-sanctioned MK-Ultra mind control activities, which made international headlines at the time. Google “MK-Ultra” some time… It makes for sobering reading!

This book acknowledges Catcher’s hold on people.

Meanwhile, Associated Press reports the authors of a new J.D. Salinger biography claim they have cracked one of publishing’s greatest mysteries: what the author of The Catcher in the Rye was working on during the last half century of his life.

AP reports a series of posthumous Salinger releases are planned after 2015, according to David Shields and Shane Salerno, whose book Salinger will be published on 3 September… Providing by far the most detailed report of previously unreleased material, the book’s authors cite “two independent and separate sources” who they say have “documented and verified” the information.

The Salinger books would revisit Catcher protagonist Holden Caulfield and draw on Salinger’s World War II years and his immersion in eastern religion. The material also would feature new stories about the Glass family of Franny and Zooey and other Salinger works…

Over the past 50 years, there has been endless and conflicting speculation over what Salinger was doing during his self-imposed retirement. That Salinger continued to write is well documented. The author himself told the New York Times in 1974 that he wrote daily, although only for himself.

But there is no consensus on what he was writing and no physical evidence of what Salinger had reportedly stashed in a safe in his home in Cornish, New Hampshire. The Salinger estate…has remained silent on the subject since the author’s death in January 2010. –AP.

 

And so the intrigue over The Catcher in the Rye and its mysterious author continues!

 

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