Singer Without a Song by Chris James

[Jeff Ellis]

Chris tells us that this was an early effort... That only shows in the freshness.

Only a prologue and two chapters in so far, but I am already looking forward to more. Whether this is going to be a feel-good story or a downer isn't clear yet, but the two characters we have met are engaging and have depth.

More! I need more, and Wednesday is a whole nearly-a-week away!

[The Pecman]

And the link is here:

http://www.awesomedude.com/chris_james/singer/

I agree, an intriguing story with a good beginning.

[Nigel Gordon]

This is a story by Chris James, need one say more.

[Merkin]

Gotta love the Prologue...

[Camy]

More!

[Chris James]

My thanks to everyone, even those who scream for more. I did decide to post the story in two chapter bites figuring that would give the readers a larger amount to chew on at one time.

This story is easily twenty or twenty-five years old but I wanted it in the library. As the plot gets more complicated you will see that I tried to bring diverse elements to the page and I confess it will play with your emotions. This is what beginning authors do just see what works.

You know by now there is a Buddhist element and believe me that took months of reading and research so that I could make it believable. Still, there is a lot of fantasy and you will be asked to accept some things you may find way out there. Far out, man.

But hey, at least I waited until the effects of the pot smoke wore off before attempting to write this story. There is a lot of me on these pages but I won't swear to anything. So sit back, slide that old Doors album on the turntable and relive the past.

[Nigel Gordon]

This story is just getting better and better, I thought I had read all of Chris's work but this is one that I had missed and I am pleased to see it appear here. This is Chris James at his best.

[The Pecman]

Ah, just read the new chapters and enjoyed them very much. Particularly the sex.

BTW: this is a rare case where the author changed from third-person to first person, and it worked very well (for the flashback in chapter 4). I have no problem with that. Terrific read.

[Jeff Ellis]

Well worth following to the end... It isn't often that a denoement is something that I can remember watching on TV news as a kid!

A historical tour de force as well as a nice Buddhist setting, thank you Chris, I followed it with pleasure, a great read.

[The Pecman]

Quite an epic tale. I have some Buddhist leanings myself. While I kind of wince at the mystical stuff in the story (which is not in the Buddhist beliefs that I know), the intentions are good and the story really draws you in, plus the characters are beautifully drawn. Great stuff.

Anybody who knows me would immediately see I'm a very skeptical guy about a lot of mysticism in the world. What I will say is that I've experienced things I can't explain, including out-of-body experiences and some weird phenomena when meditating. I once turned the lights out, sat down on the floor, mediated for what felt like about five minutes, and felt like I was falling through space, just tumbling forward for hundreds and hundreds of yards. When I finally opened my eyes, I figured, "ah, just kind of a dream." And I looked at the clock and 45 minutes had passed. So there are strange things in the world.

I also like the fact that Buddhism isn't a religion per se, but closer to just a philosophy and a way of life. The very idea that we have to take responsibility for what we do and what happens is pretty important. When I first read a book on Buddhism about 6-7 years ago, I thought, "wow, a lot of this is just common sense!" So Buddhism fits in perfectly with the story, and I also agree with a lot of how the characters behave and react.