Kevin's Watch

Because of dAN's tireless efforts to promote the book, Flower of Doom has just been re edited and reformatted for its Third printing which I setup this morning.

I wish I could take credit for this but it was all dAN's fault...er I mean dAN is responsible for it.

The third printing ended up having a few bonuses. This time we actually have an ISBN which is cool. That wasn't a free feature back ten years ago when we published the first time. There are also a few new chapters which is also exciting. Or tiresome. I can't remember which.
I cleaned up a lot of the blank pages between chapters. I think I was embarrassed to publish a book of less than 200 pages last time so I littered it with filler. Now its lean, almost gaunt, malnourished.
We also published a free ebook version as suggested by the printer.

Once again. Please take a moment and thank dAN for all of his hard work in keeping this sleeping dog from lying quiet.

And as always this thread is shamelessly increasing my post count as I climb to 18k.

Congrats!

Sorus wrote:Congrats!

Heh. dAN and I have been horsing around with this thing for years.
That it still keeps popping up is the funny part.

Lies. All lies. I do not currently, or ever have previously, been associated with this, or any other book.

I am NOT a writer.

End of story.



Now go buy your copy, and buy more for the important people in your life! FoD makes a brilliant holiday gift!

Would there be a link to said book?

Fist and Faith wrote:Would there be a link to said book?

A link can be provided via PM. We're not trying to sell books just having a bit of fun.

We don't care if you sell it. Post a link. what's the worst that could happen?

--A

By all means, shamelessly self-promote!!

Remember, you asked for it. See Matrixman's review below.




www.lulu.com/shop/thomas-cummins/flower ... 64426.html


Review by Matrixman

"Flower of Doom - Revelations"This isn't so much a story as it is a collection of story fragments -- or episodes, to be really generous. We veer from one odd scenario to the next. The destinies of the characters seem dependent on whether or not they have privileged knowledge of the true nature of Southerland Castle. Did you know or didn't you know? Through sheer repetition like some cosmic mantra, the question becomes the punchline of the whole story. I'm reminded of the sentiment: "Great, I read the book...now will someone tell me what it's about?" A linear, straightforward story this is not. The Flower of Doom is a gleeful jumble of kaleidoscopic images and emotions that together may form a coherent picture if you look hard enough. But I think most of the time, you'll be scratching your head, wondering what on earth is going on. The 2nd movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was once notably described as a "miracle of repetition." I think that is also an apt description of The Flower of Doom. (Also, my apologies to Ludwig for dragging his name into this.) Now, whether one regards the repetitions in this story as being "miraculous" or just "ludicrous" might well depend on one's mood at the time of reading. There is a feeling of restlessness, of rushing to some climax or destination, while the repeating motifs in the story also give it a sense of stasis. A endless tape loop. Or maybe it's more accurate to think of The Flower of Doom as a holographic puzzle. Choose different angles and the picture shifts to show different aspects of itself. But what does it all mean? That we are doomed to always repeat ourselves? That the big picture always eludes us? What does Southerland Castle represent? Unattainable knowledge, from the point of view of those left behind? The main problem as I see it is the awkward mix of pathos and parody that runs throughout. I have read other examples of Mr. Cummins's work, and I know he's capable of portraying exciting action and drama. And I know that Mr. Southard is capable of the most biting comedy. I'm just not convinced that, in this work, the two have struck the best balance between comedy and drama. I'm thinking particularly of Part 14: Tempest. It presents a genuinely wrenching scene, but it is compromised by the need to insert the tag line about Southerland Castle. The depiction of Tempest's self sacrifice is stark and serious as it should be - it does not need to be saddled by a running joke. I feel that things work much better in, say, Part 15: The Man In Grey, which is among my favorites. I also liked the POV of Part 23: Out of the Loop. Part 24: The Object was another memorable piece where tragedy and hilarity seem to collide and yet it works for the most part. Part 26: Legacy is outstanding for its vivid, over-the-top depiction of magical combat. Finally, I must honorably (dishonorably?) mention Part 17: Martin the Clown for delivering some of the most masterfully torturous prose I have ever seen. It's just brilliant, and not for the faint of heart! To recap, I think this is an odd and baffling but still entertaining story that raises many questions but gives very few answers. Could a sequel be in the works? Me, I'd prefer it if the authors simply took one of these story "episodes" - any one will do - and developed a full story out of it.

Ah, MatrixMan...where art thou?

--A

Avatar wrote:We don't care if you sell it. Post a link. what's the worst that could happen?

--A

Other than the universe imploding, not too much.

You say that like it's a bad thing...

--A

Even if it is, we'll never know.

That's certainly true.

--A

I'd like to point out that these new chapters were written by Tom, without my knowledge. That's certainly acceptable, as I am not a writer.
What's unusual is his admission of this fact.

I do have another comment to make; I'd be interested in providing additional artwork for the inevitable 4th printing.

dANdeLION wrote:I'd like to point out that these new chapters were written by Tom, without my knowledge. That's certainly acceptable, as I am not a writer.
What's unusual is his admission of this fact.

I do have another comment to make; I'd be interested in providing additional artwork for the inevitable 4th printing.

The truth is I look upon Flower of Doom as a living document that is constantly being added to and updated. I have asked Mr. Southard to contribute more stories but he continues to insist he isn't a writer and subsequently there are no new stories from dAN. However the stories he has contributed have such massive weight that the quality more than makes up for the quantity.

There will indeed be a 4th revision and likely a 5th because the 3rd was essentially to print a single copy as a special request.
I'd love for there to be more illustrations and dAN did a terrific job on the Map of Southerland Realm.

A living document? Like the Constitution?

aTOMiC wrote:There will indeed be a 4th revision and likely a 5th because the 3rd was essentially to print a single copy as a special request...

Matrixman's review is hilarious to read!

Writing that review is probably what caused MM to leave the Watch.

dANdeLION wrote:Writing that review is probably what caused MM to leave the Watch.

I wouldn't have thought so but it was around that time he decided to leave. Do you think we broke him?