Rhyme of the Day Blog

  Other Miscellaneous Writings

 

John Enright's novel, Unholy Quest

Reviews Preview Origin

is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Preview of the first 2 chapters.

To see the preview in pdf format, which exactly matches the book, click here.

Story Description from Back Cover:

Thor Johnson makes a profession of fighting in other people's wars. So his new assignment, training guard dogs on a Caribbean island, sounds downright relaxing. But it's not relaxing for long.

The island is in the grip of a religious cult that aims to sweep the world. The cults's prophet upholds a very old-fashioned family ideal: one husband, many wives. But instead of being one big happy family, the cult is a web of jealous intrigue which soon entangles Thor.

Even more entangling is a mysterious dancer. She follows Thor to the island, and soon men are fighting over who will possess her. Thor must go to war once again, battling for his life, and struggling to understand what is happening to his own soul.

Michael Newberry writes:

I had a delightful few evenings reading Unholy Quest. It was brilliant. At no moment did I know what was coming, and yet, it was very exciting to read on. The style was fascinating: subtle, humorous, very understated (from an Objectivist background), and with a fantastic flow...I didn't feel like it was like another book I have read...I guess that is because it is an Enright. The psychology of the characters was great...Thor and Alma grow through a strange kind of grasping, they don't become beautiful overnight, they evolve subtly. I also liked the setting of an anarchy state! I think it would make a fun movie. Catherine Zeta-Jones for Alma?!

Michael Newberry's website

Don Parrish writes:

I recommend this novel. It is a real page turner. I was taken by the complex plot, colorful characters and a very clean narrative style with some clever turns of phrase reflecting John's wry humor. The novel is part thriller, part mystery, part love story, and part analysis of a religious cult. There are a lot of fresh insights on the interplay between the sexes and the psychology of a cult leader. What powers the novel is the plot, the action, and the drive to figure out the motivation of the lead characters. I laughed out loud at some of the machinations of the cult leader. "Unholy Quest" was entertaining and educational. I look forward to seeing the movie and to reading Mr. Enright's next novel!

Don Parrish's website

G. Stolyarov II writes:

The life of the protagonist, Thor Johnson, often hangs by a thread, and he is imperiled by the many grotesque possibilities of death that claim most of the lesser characters of the story. His survival is grounded in his autonomy and unwillingness to blindly place his trust in others, his innovative use of the tools of his trade, as well as his immense foresight in planning.... The ending of the book is also satisfactory, as it leaves no conflict unresolved, and exhibits a sense of poetic justice that is regrettably absent from most contemporary literature.

Click here for info on the book's origin.

 

Blog: Rhyme of the Day.

Poems from the monadnock.net site.

Arrival & Valhalla a couple of poems about Ayn Rand.

Verse Storytelling:

Atlantis Park fireworks on a theme park's opening day - a musical without tunes
Collision Course a surprise visit in the middle of the night - a short verse play

Joyride
office romance in the fast lane - a short verse play
Millenium Bash the Y2k party hits a snag - a short tale in verse

Prose about poetry:

What is Poetry? an essay that defines a slippery art form.
Is Poetry That Which Rhymes? an essay about whether rhyme is essential to poetry.
Bringing Poetry Back To Life a lecture about how it died and how to revive it.
Enjoying Poetry an introductory lecture on how it works.

Other essays:

Art: What a Concept an essay that tries to clear up some issues in Objectivist esthetics.
From Here to Paternity a philosophical dialogue about fatherly responsibility.
Ascent to Volitional Consciousness an essay that takes an alternative approach.

Email John at: jenright@ameritech.net

Last but not least, my wife, Marsha Familaro Enright, has a big project going that I want to mention:

Reason Individualism Freedom Institute: The Foundation for the College of the United States, which is an effort to start a new college using ideas from people like Maria Montessori and Ayn Rand to create a more rational experience in higher educaton.