“Plato’s Atlantis” eBook

Plato's Atlantis

For those who missed my promotional Kindle giveaway version, my short compilation, Plato’s Atlantis, is now available to purchase as an ebook.

“For centuries, the tale of Atlantis has captured the imaginations of millions across the world. Atlantis has been featured in everything from books to films to toys, and the search for the lost continent as been undertaken by some of the best minds humanity has to offer. This volume collects the original source material for the legend, Plato’s dialogue Critias and a selection from Timaeus, translated by nineteen century Oxford scholar Benjamin Jowett.”

Plato’s Atlantis is available from both the Kobo and Nook bookstores. For the time being, it is no longer available as a Kindle book.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/platos-atlantis-ebook/

“Our Picket-Fence World”

House with picket fence

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

We met in high school
And married young
No clue about life
Or what love really is
We worked dead-end jobs
To put food in our mouths
While both of us dreamed
Of a picket-fence world

We went back to school
Earned college degrees
In crappy apartments
Our lives really began
I worked two jobs
You stayed home with the kids
And we dreamed of living
In a picket-fence world

The kids were in school
We bought our first home
Victorian-style
With a white picket fence
I had a good job
With money to spare
We were living and dreaming
In our picket-fence world

The kids went to college
Many miles from home
We just had each other
And the years spent together
I retired from work
You retired from life
My dreams started chipping
On our picket-fence world

Now I’m almost finished
With life’s education
The days wind to nothing
And the hours grow few
When I finish my chores
I’ll join you in Heaven
And we’ll dream together
In our picket-fence world

Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/picket-fence-world/

“Windows to the Soul” Now Multi-Platform

Windows to the Soul

My 2011 book of poetry, Windows to the Soul is now available on multiple platforms!

Windows to the Soul is “A collection of original poetry, composed by K. Bradley Washburn between 1996 and 2006. The seventy-five poems in this volume are actually part of a larger unpublished work titled “Tapestry,” and consist of love poetry, religious ballads, and random musings.”

For the second wave of my book, I have replaced the old 2011 cover with a new, updated cover. Those who purchase a paperback copy will still receive the old cover, but all ebook editions have the redesigned cover. Click the links below to purchase Windows to the Soul from your favorite retailer.

Amazon (Paperback, Kindle)
Nook
Kobo
Smashwords (many formats)

Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/windows-to-the-soul-now-multi-platform/

Book Review: That Hideous Strength

That Hideous Strength
Space Trilogy, Book 3
By C.S. Lewis

That Hideous Strength is the third book in Lewis’ Space Trilogy or Cosmic Trilogy, and on the surface it diverges greatly from the previous two books. It follows the adventures of a young couple, Mark and Jane Studdock, as he becomes deeply enmeshed in an institution known as the National Institute of Co-ordinated Experiments, or N.I.C.E. As Mark falls in deeper with the people of N.I.C.E., Jane increasingly becomes dissatisfied with their life together and she is haunted by strange dreams. A friend gives her an address, where she comes into contact a group of people led by Dr. Ransom, who is now known as the Director. Virtually crippled by his injury on Perelandra, Ransom works to destroy the rising threat from the evil eldils on Earth, and Jane must work with him before it is too late.

I don’t know if it was the setting of this book or something else, but I didn’t enjoy That Hideous Strength nearly as much as Out of The Silent Planet and Perelandra. It seemed to move a lot slower than the previous books and it didn’t hold my attention as easily.

The book continued the struggle against evil from the previous novels, eventually ending in a temporary resolution to the conflict. I would recommed reading this book for continuity’s sake, but the previous stories could stand on their own without it.

There are several references to sex, and it seems to be a minor theme in parts of the novel, so it is probably not appropriate for younger readers. There is nothing explicit, but the themes are beyond younger readers’ understanding. There are also several graphic scenes of violence which would probably not be appropriate for a younger audience.

This review originally appeared 6 October 2012 on fantasyreviewer.com

Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/book-review-that-hideous-strength/

Book Review: Perelandra

Perelandra
The Space Trilogy, Book 2
By C.S. Lewis

Dr. Ransom is called up by the Oyarsa of Malacandra to travel to Perelandra, known to humans as the planet Venus. He discovers an Eden-like paradise, in which he must prevent the Un-man, a possessed form of Dr. Weston, from turning Perelandra into a fallen world.

I really enjoyed this book. It was an interesting look at what our first parents (from a Christian perspective) may have been like. The Perelandrans, like Adam and Eve, are the beginning of a new race, with all the innocence said to exist in Eden.

Lewis suggests the idea that if Eve had resisted Satan’s temptations, we, too, could be living in a paradise, with no modern distractions like technology or even clothing to drive people to wickedness.

If you enjoyed the first book in the Space Trilogy, it’s likely you will enjoy this one as well, although it gets a little more philosophical in parts. All-in-all I think it’s an excellent sequel to Out of The Silent Planet.

This review originally appeared 28 September 2012 on fantasyreviewer.com

Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/book-review-perelandra/

Book Review: Out of the Silent Planet

Out of the Silent Planet
The Space Trilogy, Book 1
By C.S. Lewis

This first book in C.S. Lewis’ so-called ‘Space Trilogy’ or ‘Cosmic Trilogy’ follows the adventures of Dr. Elwin Ransom on the planet Malacandra. Ransom is kidnapped by a pair of fellow scientists who have secretly built a spaceship. When they reach the planet Malacandra, they try to hand him over to a group of native creatures, sorns, but Ransom escapes, becoming lost on the strange world.

He meets and lives with a village of hross, who teach him the ways of Malacandra. He eventually is brought before the governor of the planet, Oyarsa, where he learns that everything he knows about the universe, religion, and humanity in general is completely and utterly wrong.

Interwoven with bits of religion, philosophy, mythology, fantasy, and science fiction, Out of the Silent Planet is not truly a member of any of these genres. Rather, it is a brief study of ‘civilized’ human ideals and motives couched within a fairy tale.

I first picked up this book when I was about thirteen, and at the time I knew nothing of C.S. Lewis beyond his Chronicles of Narnia. I only made it through the first couple of chapters before I grew tired of the style and slightly philosophical nature of the book. I was looking for a true adventure story, and this didn’t fit the bill. I would not recommend it to younger readers, simply on the basis that they will likely grow bored with the narrative style, but as an adult I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next in the trilogy.

This review originally appeared 21 September 2012 on fantasyreviewer.com

Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/book-review-out-of-the-silent-planet/

New Book: “Myths of the World”

Myths of the World

I have been working on an ebook for a little while and it just went on sale for the Amazon Kindle. It is called Myths of the World. The book is really a collection of articles which I posted from 2011 to 2012 on my now defunct website mythsoftheworld.blogspot.com. Below is the book’s description:

“Every civilization, no matter how old, has a body of traditional stories which define its culture heritage. Many of these myths and legends have a direct effect on customs and religious traditions within societies. Comprised of articles originally published on mythsoftheworld.blogspot.com, this volume provides a small sample of some of the myths, legends, and folklore from cultures across the world.”

Right now, the book is only available for the Kindle, but I will shortly be making it available in the .epub format, which works for most other e-readers.

Click here to purchase Myths of the World

As a bonus, I am also giving away a free ebook, Plato’s Atlantis, which can be downloaded for Kindle here until January 1, 2014.

“For centuries, the tale of Atlantis has captured the imaginations of millions across the world. Atlantis has been featured in everything from books to films to toys, and the search for the lost continent as been undertaken by some of the best minds humanity has to offer. This volume collects the original source material for the legend, Plato’s dialogue Critias and a selection from Timaeus, translated by nineteen century Oxford scholar Benjamin Jowett.”

Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/new-book-myths-of-the-world/

Book Review: The Sea Fairies

The Sea Fairies
By L. Frank Baum

When Cap’n Bill loses his leg, he goes to live with the family of his first mate. He soon grows attached to the first mate’s daughter, Trot, and the two spend many happy hours together near the sea. One day, Trot asks Cap’n Bill to tell him about mermaids. He tells her everything he knows, but his knowledge is based on rumors and he is unable to answer Trot’s questions.

The next morning, Trot and Cap’n Bill take a boat out to a nearby cave. They meet a couple of mermaids, who invite them to visit their home under the sea to clear up some of the incorrect information given to Trot by Cap’n Bill.

Written by the creator and primary author of the famous Oz book series, The Sea Fairies is a children’s novel. The plot is fairly simple, but the writing is interesting enough to keep a reader’s attention. Trot is a little annoying at times, but all in all The Sea Fairies is a decent children’s book. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in children’s fantasy novels, especially if they are fans of L. Frank Baum.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/book-review-the-sea-fairies/

The Paper Route

Newspaper

Photo by cohdra at Morguefile.com.

Carefully I took aim and threw the paper at the mat on the porch. It landed with a soft thud, barely heard, and I moved on to the next house. I did this several times before I was finished that day, and every day.

I was eleven when I got the paper route. My mother had heard that the Daily Herald was planning to start a route in my home town and the next thing I knew I had been volunteered to deliver. I never wanted a paper route. That didn’t matter to my mother. Apparently she felt that it was good for little boys to deliver newspapers. Since I never received an allowance it was nice to be able to earn money, but I still hated it.

I hated getting up at six in the morning on weekends, and biking for two hours after school on weekdays. I had better things to do. I hated being chased three blocks by dogs, which left me alone as long as I didn’t step one millimeter into their yard. But most of all I hated collecting the money.

It’s not that the customers were mean; they were just hard to catch at home. I remember many months giving my share of the money to the paper because I hadn’t been able to catch people at home. Add to that the fact that I detest asking people for money, and you get some glimpse of my predicament. My time was being wasted.

To be fair, I should mention that it wasn’t all bad. Besides the early mornings, the raging dogs, and the hard to catch customers, there were good things too. I remember delivering to an elderly man named Elmo. His wife passed away soon after I began delivering the paper, and he was very lonely. Whenever he saw me coming, he invited me in and offered me cookies or a fudge sickle. He couldn’t hear a word I said, but that didn’t matter. We had a good time just the same.

After about a year, I was tired of the paper route, so it became a family job. We bought our first trampoline with the money from that paper route.

This memoir was written in 2003 for a creative writing class and originally appeared on SpaceComCentral.com

Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/the-paper-route/

Book Review: The Settlers of Catan

The Settlers of Catan
By Rebecca Gable
Translated by Lee Chadeayne

Based on Klaus Teuber’s wildly popular board game of the same name, The Settlers of Catan is a semi-historical/fantasy novel based on Norse cultures around the year 850 BCE. The novel was originally written in German, but has been translated into English.

The tale mostly follows Candamir, a well-respected member of Elasund, a small community in Western Europe. When Elasund is raided by a neighboring tribe, the people fear they will not have enough provisions to last through the winter. Olaf, a local merchant, tells the townspeople of Catan, a bountiful island that he discovered by accident on one his voyages. They soon agree to leave Elasund the next spring and attempt to settle this new land.

The winter is rough for the Elasunders, but most of them survive. When spring comes, they set sail for Olaf’s island. After several mishaps, they finally arrive and declare the new land an island created by their god Odin.

At first, the island seems like a paradise, but old rivalries from Elasund soon disrupt the peace and cause splits within the village. Candamir must find a way to protect his people while trying to give the a better life than the one they left behind.

For the most part, I really enjoyed The Settlers of Catan novel. The plot was interesting and the characters were believable and well-rounded. I don’t know as much as I would like to about Norse cultures, but the society seemed consistent for the time period. My biggest complaint about the novel was the high amount of sexual content. For a book based on a family game (ages 10+), the author didn’t spare many details of the characters’ sexual encounters and fantasies, including a couple of homosexual acts. I would not recommend this book to most audiences simply because of the amount of sexual content. If you don’t mind that kind of thing then this was a really good book.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.operationbrainleak.com/book-review-the-settlers-of-catan/