McAllister's Mates Thirty
Hi all
Another one of James Kenwood’s fascinating Sci-Fi - Fantasy - Egyptology stories and a metaphysical poetry book I stumbled on by Mark Westmore.
These reviews are part of Reviewstack run by the great writer and pillar of the Substack Community : Thaddeus Thomas
McAllister’s Mates - An ongoing series of reviews of some of the wonderful articles, poems, and stories I’ve discovered on Substack (and other places) and more importantly the beautiful souls behind the works.
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Please take a few moments to read the works of these authors, artists, and creators and if you find their work as life-affirming and life changing as I do, then please let them know. We need to support and cherish these voices.
You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.
“It hurts to break something you made yourself.” - A succinct but incredibly deep and provocative line. The physical things we craft, the words we say, the dreams we cherish. Often, we need to contradict, abandon or even destroy these objects (physical or psychological) to grow beyond or even escape the bonds and dangers they create. These acts of (creative) destruction are often difficult, slow, and painful - we may feel a rush of freedom and possibility when we have completed the process - but the process itself can be crushing.
This work is a continuation of James’ ongoing series of visionary sci-fi fantasy stories set in Garenos. A futuristic high tech nightmare world with a society devoted to the mystery religions of ancient Egypt. I had the pleasure of reviewing one of his previous stories -Worthy. This story goes even further into the rich philosophical territory of tradition, faith, and the terrifying possibilities of technology.
Even in our current era - we are seeing a rapid increase in not just the power of technology, but its reach into every aspect of our lives. Against this backdrop of an emerging cybernetic society, we are seeing a rising interest in both esoteric and exoteric spiritual traditions. I’m not going to get into a political discussion here, I’m more interested in James’ sharp observations on the matter. The formality of Ancient Egyptian power structures and its wildly imaginative symbolism, embody both formal traditions and the “New Age” - Indeed, the Egyptian mystery religions may well win out in the competition for the new faith of the machine mind age.
James’ story explores these ideas through the lens of soldiers on a secret mission - disciplined, united, technologically savvy and empowered. But, are they truly empowered and united by their faith and resources or are they spiritually lost , and forced down predetermined paths? These are very powerful ideas that James explores and develops with gusto.
Of course like his other futuristic Egyptian Mythos stories, James has crafted a story - compelling, wondrous, and deeply emotional. This is not just a metaphysical playground of ideas, it is a living, breathing, broken, and glorious world inhabited by complex and loveable characters. There are terrifyingly monstrous creatures both mechanical, and otherworldly. A team of brave warriors struggling against the physical consequences of their ancestors’ technological and theological legacies, and their own conscious perceptions of those matters. The ideas are massive, the world is rich, visionary and ancient. The story is exciting, dreamlike, and deeply emotional at its climax which I will not spoil. Garenos is both an incredible labyrinth for the mind, and a glorious highway for the heart. I implore you to expose its treasures.
Mark Westmore
Dragon Fly Poetry is an absolute delight - mystical, joyful, and brimming with evocative imagery. Mark divides his work into several key chapters.
The Life Force
The Rhythm
The Moon
The Written Word
Inspirations
Crestfallen
Onwards and Upwards
Awe and Wonder
Lammas
Autumn Equinox
Samhain
Winter Solstice
Imbloc
Spring Equinox
Beltane
Summer Solstice
These chapters explore and crystallise their subjects with keen insight, yet the book never feels divided. Like a compass, or a star (one of the recurring motifs unifying the work) the poems reach across life’s many directions while remaining a cohesive whole. The star and compass fit as analogies for the excellent structure. On one hand the poetry can be read as a series of directed explorations into the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms. However, I think the book becomes even more exciting when read as a single lyrical ballad. A ballad that tracks a soul’s journey through emergence from the other world as the forces governing time and space smile encouragingly. We then follow that soul exploring physicality and nature, navigating the joys and sorrows of life. We see, and more importantly feel a spirit growing in strength, knowledge and wisdom. The final stages of this journey sees them reaching back out to the universe (perhaps through the practice of art and writing) to reconnect with those heavenly forces, maybe even feeding that source of creation with their own hopes and dreams.
The sentiments in the work are beautiful, yet crafted with expert precision. Mark explores traditional romantic and fantastical imagery through deep knowledge and charming innovations. Mark shows both patient dedication through his clearly vast knowledge of mythology, history, and the history of metaphysical poetry. Dragons, godforms and esoteric symbols are not treated as window dressing to imply depth. In this book they act as both pillars of the philosophical ideas, and active, layered characters. Mark clearly knows these ancient forces as intimate friends, yet he never loses his air of reverence when approaching them. Dragons, goddesses, and (conscious) stars are given a threefold aspect - as bastions of literature and the landscape of dreams, as active characters with their own hopes and fears, and as energies inescapably bound to our very souls.
The poetry shows just as much mastery of cadence and musicality as he does with emotion and symbolism. The easily flowing and hypnotic rhythms are clearly a product of tight discipline and exhaustive editing. These are not just “catchy” tuneful melodies - they are explorations of the sonic harmonies of syllables and cadences - the language behind the language. Perhaps the actual hidden language of the solar beings, dragons, and god-forms Mark plays homage to. In short I am a big fan - if you Blake, Coleridge, progressive rock lyricists like Peter Gabriel or Lateralus era Maynard James Keenan, Umberto Eco, or even what I do - you need to check this book out!
I hope you enjoy these beautiful works as much as I enjoyed reading and writing about it.
You can meet some of my other friends in the previous instalments: 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Substack has proven to be a treasure trove and I already have a few more gifted writers lined up for my next review newsletter.
P.S Subscribe for your chance to get your work reviewed here! You can also claim your FREE book of Poetry and art Hypnos Hermes - an epic poem presented as a medieval manuscript. A fantastical story written in verse enriched by many colourful and vibrant artworks.
If you want to keep me in caffeine (and keep the ghostly voices whispering for the poetry side of things) - consider clicking below. For any who do so, you have my deepest gratitude.
I appreciate the kind words, thank you! Always a pleasure to be featured here, and to find a reader/reviewer who grasps the elements that I am trying to invoke.