DARKNESS WITHDRAWN OR THE ECLIPSE OF NIETZSCHE'S SHADOW by Edward Fotheringill
Booklocker.com, Inc.
Genre: Fictional Mystery/Spiritual Adventure
Rating: Very Good
ISBN: 9781601451439, $15.95, 296 pp.
Darkness Withdrawn or The Eclipse of Nietzsche’s Shadow is a most unusual title for a uniquely thought-provoking novel. The basic framework of this spiritual adventure is a murder, killer on the run and obsessed FBI agent in pursuit, plus a cast of boldly animated characters...some quite cartoon-like.
Edward Fotheringill is an educated, dynamic writer who taught philosophy for 24 years. Through the mystery genre, Fotheringill weaves insights about life and the human condition, drawing from his knowledge/experience of Hinduism, the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and the scientific theories of John Dobson. Allow me to share a treasure or two with you.
"Bars all over the world are the same. They harbor conversations, laughter, tears, celebrations, failures. Their walls resonate with the entire range of human emotion."
"If you really know who you are, everywhere you find yourself is home. That’s the secret to living well. To always feel at home."
And its heart beats thus:
"...Sri Ramana stretches his arms and yawns. ‘Mother Nature is quite a rascal. She shows us everything as divided and finite and changing. And then she turns around with the forces of gravity and electricity and the physical property of inertia, and shows us that what she really wants is unity, infinity, and the unchanging.’ The guru raises the index finger of his right hand. ‘What is very important to realize is that there are three fundamental spiritual drives that coincide exactly with the physical ones. The spiritual drives are for love, freedom, and peace. Our heart’s yearning for love is nothing other than the desire for unity that we see in gravity. Our heart’s yearning for freedom is nothing other than the desire for infinity that we see in electricity. And, our heart’s yearning for peace is nothing other than the desire for the unchanging that we see in inertia.’"
My favorite gem, placed just prior to Chapter 1 reads:
"In this world of space and time, oddities abound. Mystery upon mystery floats beneath the horizon of life. Sometimes hints of what might be called knowledge are revealed. Look at the hints closely enough, and they disappear like fading clouds into deeper mysteries beyond the reach of the human mind. Once beyond the mind, once beyond space and time, one experiences a solace, a peace, that when reintroduced into the worldly realm is recognized by a few seekers as holiness. This holiness, known only to the holy themselves, is none other than complete indifference. A happy indifference? Is there such a thing? Yes. The holy live with happy indifference. There is truly no other kind."
In April 2006 I reviewed Edward’s first mystery novel, Lanterns in the Mist, and, as before, I recommend this novel to mystery lovers, to readers in search of themselves, and to intelligent readers who can appreciate the author’s literary gifts.
Reviewed by Kaye Trout - May 24, 2007
Genre: Fictional Mystery/Spiritual Adventure
Rating: Very Good
ISBN: 9781601451439, $15.95, 296 pp.
Darkness Withdrawn or The Eclipse of Nietzsche’s Shadow is a most unusual title for a uniquely thought-provoking novel. The basic framework of this spiritual adventure is a murder, killer on the run and obsessed FBI agent in pursuit, plus a cast of boldly animated characters...some quite cartoon-like.
Edward Fotheringill is an educated, dynamic writer who taught philosophy for 24 years. Through the mystery genre, Fotheringill weaves insights about life and the human condition, drawing from his knowledge/experience of Hinduism, the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and the scientific theories of John Dobson. Allow me to share a treasure or two with you.
"Bars all over the world are the same. They harbor conversations, laughter, tears, celebrations, failures. Their walls resonate with the entire range of human emotion."
"If you really know who you are, everywhere you find yourself is home. That’s the secret to living well. To always feel at home."
And its heart beats thus:
"...Sri Ramana stretches his arms and yawns. ‘Mother Nature is quite a rascal. She shows us everything as divided and finite and changing. And then she turns around with the forces of gravity and electricity and the physical property of inertia, and shows us that what she really wants is unity, infinity, and the unchanging.’ The guru raises the index finger of his right hand. ‘What is very important to realize is that there are three fundamental spiritual drives that coincide exactly with the physical ones. The spiritual drives are for love, freedom, and peace. Our heart’s yearning for love is nothing other than the desire for unity that we see in gravity. Our heart’s yearning for freedom is nothing other than the desire for infinity that we see in electricity. And, our heart’s yearning for peace is nothing other than the desire for the unchanging that we see in inertia.’"
My favorite gem, placed just prior to Chapter 1 reads:
"In this world of space and time, oddities abound. Mystery upon mystery floats beneath the horizon of life. Sometimes hints of what might be called knowledge are revealed. Look at the hints closely enough, and they disappear like fading clouds into deeper mysteries beyond the reach of the human mind. Once beyond the mind, once beyond space and time, one experiences a solace, a peace, that when reintroduced into the worldly realm is recognized by a few seekers as holiness. This holiness, known only to the holy themselves, is none other than complete indifference. A happy indifference? Is there such a thing? Yes. The holy live with happy indifference. There is truly no other kind."
In April 2006 I reviewed Edward’s first mystery novel, Lanterns in the Mist, and, as before, I recommend this novel to mystery lovers, to readers in search of themselves, and to intelligent readers who can appreciate the author’s literary gifts.
Reviewed by Kaye Trout - May 24, 2007
posted by Kaye | 3:51 PM
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