I was gratified that Sarah Hoyt gave me what is essentially free advertising at the site Instapundit. I'd gotten a mention at the site before, but Sarah posted my book's cover and the blurb. I cannot fully express my appreciation for what she did.
The comments, though, were interesting. Many were positive or sounded intrigued, but a few that were critical accused me of injecting moral equivalence into the political debate. For starters, these are the people for whom the book was written(on both sides of the aisle). But second, and most importantly, I wasn't trying to create moral equivalence or pick a side - Schism is designed as a cautionary tale about just how bad things could get if we don't figure out how to calm the hell down. It's not about one side oppressing the other, or how another might be justified in pushing back. It's supposed to be a grim tale that shows just how out of control things can get.
Far too many entrenched partisans don't seem to understand that. That is why we may be too far gone. The spark in Schism may vary from reality a bit, but the end results could very well be the same. That should frighten everyone.
The comments, though, were interesting. Many were positive or sounded intrigued, but a few that were critical accused me of injecting moral equivalence into the political debate. For starters, these are the people for whom the book was written(on both sides of the aisle). But second, and most importantly, I wasn't trying to create moral equivalence or pick a side - Schism is designed as a cautionary tale about just how bad things could get if we don't figure out how to calm the hell down. It's not about one side oppressing the other, or how another might be justified in pushing back. It's supposed to be a grim tale that shows just how out of control things can get.
Far too many entrenched partisans don't seem to understand that. That is why we may be too far gone. The spark in Schism may vary from reality a bit, but the end results could very well be the same. That should frighten everyone.
I spent several hours reading Schism on those recommendations where I'd otherwise be surfing current political websites and contributing to the poison that lies within them. Schism was incredibly engaging; I'm an OIF/OEF Veteran and at different points throughout your book I found myself furious, speculative, introspective, and grateful that a better path to representative government was offered in the end. Kudos for getting it right when referring to NG units, locations and capabilities, while also keeping it completely rational describing the active US military role when it was determined necessary to apply them.
ReplyDeleteIn any case, great job, and I'll be looking into more of your novels.
V/R,
S
I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Schism will definitely play on the emotions.
DeleteI hope you enjoy my other works as well and will recommend them to others if you get the chance.