A certain influential person, whose name I will not mention, was invited by a mutual friend to read and review my book, Bell Mountain. He read it, but didn’t review it. This morning, at long last, our mutual friend told me why.
It seems this influential person found Bell Mountain rife with secret Calvinistic messages, and somehow “dangerous” to readers. So he didn’t want to give it any added exposure by reviewing it.
All right–I hope I understand that no writer can hope to please everyone, and only a fool would explain to a reader why he should have liked the book. But as hard as it is to make any headway in the market at all, unfair and stupid criticism really rankles.
Folks, believe me–Bell Mountain is not a sneaky, fiendishly clever trick to turn good Catholics into bad Calvinists. It is not Mein Kampf for kiddies. It’s a fantasy, fer cryin’ out loud! There ain’t any Calvinists or Catholics or Republicans or Democrats or Rotarians or Kiwanis Clubs in the fantasy world which it describes.
I admit the book and its sequels are based–firmly, I hope–on a solid Biblical foundation. I pray that they will be serviceable to My Lord Jesus Christ in the advancement of His Kingdom. But I have tried to do that by writing about another world that has absolutely no connection to our own.
Look, Mr. Big Important Critic–a whole passel of judges for the Global E-Book Awards read Bell Mountain this year and didn’t find any crypto-Calvinism: and they gave it a Bronze Medal, in competition with I dunno how many hundreds of other books. Oh, maybe you’re smarter than they were. Maybe you’re smart enough to see things that aren’t there.
Grow up, will ya?
Ahh – but you know some folks can prove that mother’s milk leads to cocaine use. As we know from the Bible, some will not see the Truth, and faith takes that leap – what is sad is that so many of us have serious proof in our lives daily – and still doubt. Keep up the good work, Lee, as you are no doubt doing far more good than bad.
BTW – Merry Christmas!
Possibly the only mistake you made was, in your desire to obtain a review, you lost your ability to spot a creep beforehand-and also a cowardly creep, because he did not even report directly his appraisal to you in person. Fact is, there are more and more such celebratated scum in today’s non discriminate and devolving world.
Dave
dave
The critic was afraid to publish his review because in his deepest being he knew he was being misguided at best and stupid at worst
Now I kind of wish he had published it, complete with warnings about secret Calvinist messages and dangerous content. It would’ve made him look a right dicky-doo-dah.
“Secret messages”? That only makes me want to read it even more. BTW, as far as “hidden agendas” in crossword puzzles (as I have brought up in the past), well, the vast majority of crossword puzzles that I have encountered have numerous references to the bible. Picked up a hardcover edition of 400 NT Times Xword puzzles from the 1970’s & ’80’s and I think there are dozens if not hundreds of clues from the bible. Will I complain about it since I am a skeptic? No.
Whether you are a Christian or a Jew or a pagan or whatever, the Bible is foundational to the civilization in which you live. To know nothing about the Bible is to be truly ignorant. Having “two dads” in a home is not part of any culture, but only an aberration.
I don’t see a NWV article this Thursday. What gives?
I didn’t write one, Erlene. Just couldn’t manage it this week, too much other stuff to do.
I did re-post an old NWV article here today.