Tag: Church

News of The Fallen: Genesis BOOK REVIEW

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If you send angels to Hell, you get demons, though six of these orphans were about 90% there and then we have Joseph Kelly aka Gabriel who’s as close to a saint as you’ll get in a land full of sinners and he has a message. News of The Fallen Genesis.

I read a meme the other day from “The Onion.” They are having trouble writing stories more idiotic than reality. The actual news isn’t helping either. I’ve also read the “His Dark Materials” series. Wow if someone didn’t have a beef with the catholic church or religion in general. Back in my YA novel days, so move over Mr. Pullman because Tillie Cole has come to town. The first book I read from her “Sick Fux” was a home run, and so was “The Fallen: Genesis.” Okay one tiny beef but Five Stars all the way, though I had to give it four in truth.

Tillie Cole has never been one to shy away from the taboo. Now it takes a certain kind of mind to get into this writer’s material. I have good friends, bought one a copy of Sick Fux and recommended her to one more. To this day I can’t tell you what the two of them think. When I started reading The Fallen: Genesis, I didn’t quite know what to expect. Considering I’m reading “Raphael” now should be proof enough, I enjoy her titles. You can say though they are like the news. At least you won’t cry, and you’ll want to stay lost in the story. Not as sexy as my last read from her mind you. There also seems to be a pattern in some way. Like I said taboo, broken kids, evil men, and a bloodbath with a promise of more to come. The wrong choice of words, hmm but we’ll get to that. I won’t even give you the stop me if you’ve heard this part babble.

We have a good boy, a bad boy that’s his brother and five more would-be killers. Compared to the men that hold them, these boys should be saints. All given the names of the archangels. Can’t say I’m a fan of the Bible, but I know Gabriel, Michael, and was never quite sure on Raphael. So with the other names as long as you know who the good guys and the bad guys are right? I’ll give you a hint; anybody with the title of Father is evil. The big-name you’ll have to remember is Joseph Kelly known as Gabriel. The story centers on him and the love of his brothers; another rescue mission type. I keep comparing this to Sick Fux I know. When you have a great idea going, you keep rolling. Not that this novel is sweet until the end and then it’s a particular idea of sweetness. Now it does come out of nowhere but who doesn’t dream of incredible wealth.

I hope I haven’t given too much away by now. If anything the book is fantastic and Tillie Cole has to be in my top five authors. The Fallen: Genesis does its best to warn you, but you will still be shocked. If you aren’t one for this type of genre, well you might have turned a blind eye to the crimes of the so-called faithful. Not saying you have to read it but I highly recommend that you do so. Only there will be blood and the idea that all parties involved in a way have the right to do as they will. Of course, you will root for one side over the other.

As I said, the story focuses on Joseph Kelly and a tidbit on his brother James. Joseph wants two things in the world, to save his brother and devote himself to God. It’s in these two quests that lead him into serious trouble. The other characters, with one mention of a page or two, are all evil. You can see Joseph heading that way himself though he lacks the inclinations. From coming to terms about his brother and then his five adopted brothers. Of course, this grants them all books. Only with the church though we have Holy Innocents and then there are The Brethren.

Joseph is cool-headed except when he sees the true nature of The Brethren. His brother James has a pure bloodlust, and those that come after are all quite mad. Joseph or I should say Gabriel has righteousness. We all should feel as such. He only doesn’t have the power until he gets his miracle. Talk about being a walking example of the law of attraction. If this tale has any saving grace within the religious overtones, it’s merely prayer. I’m sure somebody would say prayer works with what happens near the end. Gabriel takes the role of a god-fearing man wishing to walk with the sinners. Now, what route I would have chosen instead. I see where the author was heading with Raphael being first. Which makes me curious about how the other brothers will meet, dare some form of salvation. The ending of this title though’s quite manageable indeed.

The Brethren, scary I know evil religious people like that. Again Gabriel kept calm for the most part because everyone reading this book? Let’s say you will have no problem hating these men. I shouldn’t even call them men but monsters to what they do to these seven orphans. There’s also Miller that’s pretty convenient but understandable. In a way, he was dumb, but he had no idea what had happened, and once he learned well? I know we could all use a Miller in such a line of work. The few other characters there were did serve their purpose. There was one telling Gabriel where his brother might have ended up. There were those with no names that became cannon fodder and had me hungering for the war to come. What about the other blind eyes and closed mouths who would be of service? Then there is one more character I won’t give away yet if you’re still reading up to this point, thanks.

One of my favorite parts for real is the prisoners introducing their sin of choice. Now I had several good moments and as far as The Fallen? Yeah, I want to be Gabriel, but that’s because I want that type of power. With the others, I was tempted to do some research on their names. I only know now that Raphael was a Healer but reading his title he is something different. It’s also weird that Gabriel, in his sure way, adopted a system of faith. Once more, I bring up Sick Fux. Now that was Alice in Wonderland; here we have the church’s principals.

So if I liked this book so much why only the four stars? Five stars worthy no doubt and this might reveal more about me to some extent. I should have seen it coming with it being the Catholic Church and all. I also let it slide when it came to the first title I read of this author. I should also mention I like how she has these playlists for her books. A few of the songs are on my phone this second. There will also be spoilers going forward so please go and get a copy of this book. It will convince you to read the whole series.

Anyway, this is only me; I didn’t like the sexual aspect in this one. It’s a prequel, it’s an all-boys school, not that I’m backing it in Sick Fux either. I guess I try to avoid the gay genre, does that make me a terrible person? We all have some triggers; this is mine. It’s not much, some torture but it did knock a star off. Was there anything else I didn’t like, well as a reader wanting Gabriel to go war immediately. I keep saying it reminds me of her other work, but that’s not bad at all. If the worlds were somehow connected though I wouldn’t be surprised. There was so much it this offering Tillie Cole even added a glossary. These days I’m reading Raphael and trying to come up with a good defense for his actions. I’m guessing there might be a commandment change or an amendment here or there ha.

My favorite part of this book had to be living the dream. Who among us doesn’t think about being told we have more money. Then Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg combined? To have enough power to fight the Catholic Church if need be, that’s wealth. Again I imagine Gabriel’s ideology, which got strange. One evil learning from the darker. Don’t get me wrong though; I’m for The Fallen no doubt. Let’s not get started on my history when it comes to organized faith. I’ll say that Gabriel makes it “fun” again. Even the idea he’ll let his brothers do as they please with restrictions of course. The Fallen: had me guessing from the start and left me wondering at the end. What about the space in the middle; a straight shot, the pages fly-by, and all you ask for is more? Still, none of us was in Purgatory hmm? I’m sure The Fallen indeed felt a certain kind of way.

For all the sadness and righteous anger, I feel, I know I like this book and this author. Tillie Cole is one of the few that will go to this level of taboo. If I’m lucky, my writing will get anywhere close to this level someday. If you’re not super religious or a catholic, the ideas shouldn’t bother you. Not quite an erotica, I read it for an erotica group but more like an invitation to it maybe. Or I suppose you could watch the developments about the church daily, News of The Fallen Genesis.

When Girls Come To Church

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Now this is worth getting up for on a Sunday morning, hell when I was younger my parents would drag me to church, and I would spend time in the balcony reading, nothing akin to this, but it’s better than the Bible. “When Girls Come To Church” though?

No worries I’m not going to get all preachy on you, though if I’m speaking honestly, there was a woman that told me I would be a preacher someday and once upon a time I worked in a Christian bookstore whose owner later became a reverend. I tried reading the “good book” probably one of three books I couldn’t get through all the way but I’m here to talk about a much better book, and that’s “Church.” by Stylo Fantome.

This novel made me believe in five stars again; it brought back my faith that being quiet is not a bad thing especially if you don’t care what anybody thinks and I have always heard that women like the strong silent type and so it was Emma Hartley finds seduction. What a fool believes am I right but I don’t mean only Emma, everyone is in this title from Margo to Jerry, to other girls that want to fall to their pretty knees and worship. All men think their God this one happens to be right and in that, I do mean Paul “Church” Logan, I wouldn’t mind learning his ways, but I can never stick to my silence honestly.

I’ve heard of a man having a dream. Indeed every man should have a plan, but let success make the noise, and there is plenty of that between Church and Emma; sadly, she was not the dream and as far as the plan well? Now I think I’ve asked this question before but what is it that makes the real evil so smart, I wish I were only talking about Church in that but Margo too which is only one more spoiler, I’m warning you just in case. This tale plays its cards close to the chest and then becomes entirely predictable but still extraordinary overall, as the next question is, what happens next which is high praise for any writer, I need to know.

Like life after death; I wouldn’t go that far but this is the first book I’ve read from Stylo Fantome, and now I’m a follower without a doubt, again not as far as Emma, no, if anything I want to be Church. I could fall in love with Emma too, as the song goes, “not a trace of doubt in my mind” as this story will stick with you, it will make you a believer, but the question is what that will be when it’s over; is it love perhaps?

I believe that Emma has known pain, and yeah you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. As I’ve already stated this is the first title I’ve read where silence indeed is reflected in a more positive light; if that means getting a girl out of her panties. The other characters have “admirable” backstories, enough to keep them in the loop, not too much that you need a bio-page to guide you through everything there is about them, thieving mom, lame dad, dirty college girl, etc.

Emma is hurt, thanks to mom’s lying, cheating ways, and is stuck, wanting like anything to get away from everything that’s happened and when do people go looking for faith, that pie in the sky when there seems to be no way out. In walks Church, a man who has found solace in his silence with his own set of mommy issues and yet he meets a woman who understands everything he is trying to say without uttering a word; I’m going to say it now, that’s my dream. Together with all their chemistry when it comes to sex, they formulate a plan, but if only it were the same plan, you would have a love story to be sure.

The mothers in this novel were nothing to write home about and not to creep anyone out, but Church’s mom in a small way reminded me of mine except I didn’t get beat, but second spoiler warning they’re coming too, no doubt. I don’t want to be Church’s dad, a sad man with a small sliver of sanity at any given moment, who only takes what he can get when the time comes, namely Emma’s mother. I would have liked to read more on Stacey Cummings and Marci MacIntosh, but that’s mostly me being a horndog; it is something to see how everyone reacted to Church, from his lover, his “people” and did Margo have something for him too, like mother like daughter that way.

Obsession though, another one of those double standards in the world and one more reason I found myself falling for Emma and wishing to have that “magnetism” that Church could draw out of the female population. Speaking of society, I think everyone, within a reasonable age, of course, should read this because people always talk about love but what you won’t do for love, fairytales have so many princesses, but when push comes to shove what will she do for the dark prince, I’m saying.

You should stop right here maybe, I wonder how many guys are like me reading this sort of title but last warning five stars, can’t wait to read the sequel or others and of course, the ladies will love it. This book got to me in so many ways in all honesty, and that’s even before the sex, and it wasn’t overblown or anything of the sort, but it was there along with everyone’s mental issues and the climax wow.

The eroticism was good, and it could use a bit more but it was enough from Church’s bedroom to the classroom, and what some might call incestuous though Church and Emma were in no way related, merely their parents getting married. Another double standard I saw was the whole don’t kiss and tell, and Marci has a big mouth bragging, while to Church their tryst was nothing but somehow he finds himself falling for Emma, even if at first it was only a means to an end. Emma’s obsession up to the end for Church and then as if she were falling out of a spell, it was reminiscent of “500 Days Of Summer” to wake up in the morning and feel differently about someone.

The things that Emma was willing to do, without knowing anything about Church and when she found out what his end goal was, another change that the man wasn’t aiming to be the killer and the woman would, all for the sake of love. Not that Church didn’t show at least a fondest for Emma and eventually a love, facing off against her mom, getting to see Emma when he showed one time that all his power couldn’t solve a problem. The two scenes that did it for me was the sex on the teacher’s desk; what I’m a traditionalist when it comes to porn; there was also the murder scene that showed such madness.

It showed me five stars, and while I don’t believe in much, I do think that Stylo Fantome’s novel Church has made me a fan and that I couldn’t get enough, it took me less than a week to finish it, so wow. To quote one more song “love is the answer” but there are so many questions. That means it’s going to take a whole lot of love and with men being men, I can see through these tiles When Girls Come To Church.

Lesson 019 ~Preacher Man~

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I’d sell my soul for… it really is too bad that God doesn’t make deals like that, I’m not much of a business man but I hear a soul is a valuable thing and I just won’t give it to anybody. Preacher Man, well I’m not on any sort of leader for real

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Lesson 019 ~Preacher Man~

Hey Lu,
I don’t believe in God, a bold declaration but is it not bolder to say that you speak for him and with his authority, talk about ulterior motive. So what brought this on, I figured Lady Lu I have been doing a lot of preaching as of late, makes me think about a new profession, relax, just a thought.

Here’s a history lesson, I was raised in the church for quite a while, even got to the point where there was this lady who said I was going to be a preacher someday. You know I have a reputation of being somewhat threatening, it’s called my existence but anyway I told her if she ever teased me again about being a preacher, that I would never step foot in a church again. It worked though I had no way of carrying that out back then, you know because of my parents, yeah I really had no choice in that.

“6 Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV)

Yeah, that would be my mother talking but bad news mom… not that she doesn’t know, hell they all know, I was freed of the whole religious sect and after that, better not to answer that maybe. Not that in the church my life was sunshine and lollipops, I may be stupid (yeah that would be my father talking), I don’t cater to a lot of black people (A.M.E.) and I learned to keep my mouth shut. I don’t think this was this the exact moment but, you know how I often talk about the moment I was told to shut up and I didn’t matter, it was my father in church the moment I declared atheism and told anyone that would listen to me.

“Fathers are supposed to show sons how to be a man in the world, but I guess the world is too much for you.” Nick, Fear the Walking Dead: Grotesque

Two things, first if we’re all children of God and Jesus himself couldn’t make it in this world, then how can any of the rest of us, I mean he literally came down to Earth on a suicide run. Secondly, my father wasn’t exactly the greatest role model, I mean I learned that a man looks after his family, that terror will always defeat reason, and whenever you’re in doubt just get angry, it helps.

“Once more into the breach, my friends, once more. We’ll close the wall with our dead. In peace, nothing so becomes a man as modesty and humility, but when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the action of the tiger, summon up the blood, disguise fair nature with rage and lend the eye a terrible aspect.”- Kevin Costner, The Postman (1997)

I think I might have missed my calling Lady Lu, Philosophy, I always dig deep, now I could go on about my religious history but I think more to the lesson is power and leadership. Okay one more tidbit maybe that’s why I respected the reverend so much, I shook his hand every Sunday and he gave me a dollar, my parents stopped him but I kept doing it mostly as a dig but maybe I really did respect him.

“Heh, me lead you? Lady look at me, I don’t even know where the hell I am half the time!” Dogma

Most leaders these days I have no faith in whatsoever, that would pretty much be my managers and my father and I wonder why that is? If you’re asking me do I have faith… in the religious sense and again I’m an atheist but if there is something out there, something bigger and more powerful, and it has an ounce of benevolence I only ask that it be bestowed upon Braxton, if it takes care of my dog then yes I am blessed. As for myself being a leader, for the most part, no, who do I lead other than Braxton and half the time I feel like a negligent parent where he is concerned.

“I’m the enemy. Cause I like to think, I like to read. I’m into freedom of speech and freedom of choice. I’m the kind of guy who wants to sit in a greasy spoon and think, “Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecued ribs with the side order of gravy fries?” I want high cholesterol. I want to eat bacon, butter, and buckets of cheese, okay? I want to smoke a Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in a non-smoking section. I wanna run through the streets naked with green Jello all over my body reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I suddenly might feel the need to. Okay, pal? I’ve seen the future, you know what it is? It’s a 47-year-old virgin sittin’ around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake singing “I’m an Oscar-Meyer Wiener”. You wanna live on top, you gotta live Cocteau’s way. What he wants, when he wants, how he wants. Your other choice: come down here, maybe starve to death.

All right, then why don’t you take charge and lead these people out of here?

I’m no leader. I do what I have to do. Sometimes, people come with me.” Demolition Man (1993)

This is me most days, I do what I must for his sake because someone has to take command, someone has to accept responsibility and that’s something that most of the religious refuse to do. You take the hit, you take the lumps, I wouldn’t ask for God to save me because if he was going to… anyway, most days I know I’m going to Hell, which in another way is me being a bad leader because Braxton above all deserves better. Is it the journey or the destination; when it comes to people I look after me, except if we’re talking other “activities”, in life, in general, I don’t want anyone to be lost.

That’s another thing, walking by faith and not by sight, now this is a big thing with the religious but you know how people say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, that I do believe. Is that why I look down all the time, I keep bringing up “the incident” nineteen days in Luna but maybe I don’t want anyone to know how bad my soul really is; again atheist but the thoughts continue, deprogramming is tough.

“And all I ever wanted is to be a better man
And I try to keep it real with my homies land
For me to save the world I don’t understand
How did I become the leader of a billion fans?” I Wish, R. Kelly

At work, people ask me plenty and 9/10 I don’t worry about it because everyone thinks they can speak for me, or they think they know what I’m thinking, or I can’t help but imagine that I’m wrong. In the end I’m not looking to have faith in a deity, I’m looking to have faith in me, the kind of faith I knew when I won awards at church, did speeches, I didn’t brag about God I bragged about me, the faith I knew when I would walk through after church and walk out with twenty bucks, the faith that was stolen when I was in school and told a cop I believed in me and next thing you know I’m in handcuffs (long story).

“Being a leader isn’t about ability. It’s about responsibility.

Got it, sir.

No, you don’t, Beck. I mean, you’re not just responsible for the good ones. You’ve got to be responsible for the bad ones. You’ve got to be ready to make the shitty call.

What makes you think I’m not?

Because you’re so damn good. You haven’t hit anything you couldn’t beat. I mean, hell, you were the one who figured out how to save the space shuttle. You made me, you made the rest of NASA just look like an ass. It’s just you’re used to winning… and you’re not really a leader until you’ve lost.” The Core

I told you about that girl once I was with and we were “roughhousing” and I grabbed her wrists and it scared her so I backed off, Lady Luna there are parts of my life where leadership, power, dominance come naturally to me but aren’t acceptable every day. That’s my problem, simulated violence, horror, sex, exist in what is supposed to be another world and this one will have no part of it, so that part of myself is locked away, that confidence, that faith, that truth and I am left with what I am to everyone else. Superman becomes Clark Kent and I wish I could find that man again, flying to the mountain top rather than tumbling off.

Strange that I believe that somehow or another I’m going to make it, mostly because of the little dog staring up at me because without him I might have no reason to. I might not lead people daily but my words have led to actions, talk about leading men to the promised land that I might as well be Moses sitting there while everyone else enters. As R. Kelly said, just be a better man and for some reason, someone might want to follow, better someone might want to stand by your side, no way.

If I haven’t said this enough, being a writer gives you a taste of that sort of leadership, that sort of power, though I’m not sure many of my characters would agree. So I have learned today; that there was a point in my life I liked the sound of my own voice but yeah I was no Preacher Man.