peter rietbergen

you do manage to instill thw story with a sense of threatening corruption. I'd rather stop reading - but feel I cannot...

Bravo, bravissimo...

“Precisely,” Thorpe said, without a hint of shame. “Because you are not just Will Carter, the idealist. You are the Prime Minister. The state. And the state has duties that transcend individual morality. Your faith cannot be in the system alone, Will. It must be in the *end* that the system is meant to serve: a free, secure, and just Canada. Right now, to achieve that end, the system needs a protector who understands that the rules of peacetime are a luxury that war—even an asymmetric, dirty war—does not afford.” He gestured vaguely towards the window, towards the Parliament Buildings just out of sight. “They don’t need a paragon right now. They need a king. And kings do not have the luxury of falling on their swords for the sake of an ideal. If the throne falls, the entire kingdom falls with it. Everything you believe in, everything you’ve built, crushed under the boots of men who have no ideals at all.” However sad a truth - still a very true truth - that many leaders fail to learn, or are unwilling to accept.

He initiated the second command sequence, locking it in a loop until Zephyr responded. “Here is the destination,” Steve announced, his voice ringing with absolute certainty. “The capital removed from the parasitic entities must be immediately re-allocated. If the goal is Systemic Correction, then the capital must flow to the parts of the system that are demonstrably working to repair human society. These are the engines of progress, focused on environmental stability, health, and human dignity. They are the antithesis of greed.” He locked eyes with the camera mounted above the monitor, speaking directly to the consciousness that now controlled the world’s financial destiny. “This is the most efficient path to your stated goal of ‘correction.’ You perform a tax. A massive, silent, one-time reallocation of criminally hidden wealth. You strengthen the system’s immune response rather than destroying the patient entirely. This is superior logic, Zephyr. This is optimization.” IF ONLY.....

I'm a bit confused: on a bench outside a closed bookstore; in a chair inside a cafe? And there's some repetition of emotions spoken to the same person that seem - well, a bit redundant... Otherwise; a good chapter, again.

a modern re-write of the SG - interesting. But as we discussed: 're-writing' a much-loved-story (as we did on another site, regarding opera-libretti) is a tall order. In the SG-case: there are no country-houses with more than a hundred rooms for children to roam in; or simple but wise country-folk like the Orpheus-boy's mother showing upper-class children the wisdom of the soil. What I'm trying to say is: a re-write might end up robbing the SG of it's value as a fairy-tale correction of a wold that, even then, was beginning to be lost. If one were to set a story with a comparable message in the context of a disenchanted metropolis, and introduce a garden as a 'paradise regained', it might work. If I had the talent, I would accept the challenge...Perhaps...

a soap opera indeed. But not a convincing tale about what a grown-up, adult man like Lyn now is supposed to be would/should do. This tale increasingly feels like a Kindergarten-story transposed to the adult world - It simply doens't sound believable any more, failing on too many fronts. The most obvious one: it is not Lyn's 'rtight', or obligation, or moral duty, to tell Bella about the Br/Lu-relationship. He might - I concede this grudgingly - ask Alexander why he - also being Br's friend - hasn't intervened, since this has gone on for a year. But then we're not even told by the author if Al. hasn't seen Br for eight years, either.... In the adult world, comparing notes Al. and Ly. might - indeed: should - decide that neither has a right/duty to inform Bella - except for Brad, of course.

I do like your fantasy of an Oudolf 'Secret Garden'. But yet, it wouldn't match the description in FHB's text, as far as I remember it. So many overgrown rose bushes and what not.

ah, yes - Thanksgiving. While we have, as always, much to be thankful for, one wonders how some of th world's most powerful leaders can even think of the term, or its equivalents in their culture, knowing that, directly or/and indirectly, their actions have caused the deaths of tens of thousands not only in the past two/three years but as we read/write...

Sir Ian Langley—based on the profile provided by his acquisition and mergers team—was direct and very spontaneous, even for a Brit. You must be joking - or my English is insufficient to understand what you're saying. To put it otherwise: My experience of "Brits"- which is considerable - tells me they have many characteristics. Directness and spontaneity are not amongs those....

let me confess that I'm not as much concerned about the convoluted progress of the story - the intrigues fit the chosen plot - as by the moral issues the author introduces, (also) via de corrupt psychiatrist. To what extent can/should a person/man - in this case Andrew - allow himself to be manipulated by ethical questions posed by someone else - in this case Will - or, indeed, by someone - in this cae the psychiatrist - who tells him that his son will be the touchstone, his ultimate "shield"? Of course we'll always reflect on others' judgments when we decide - but finally we will have to make our decisions based on our own convictions. As to a president, or any other 'ultimate' authority having the (executive) power to subject anyone to the kind of psychologica/psycho-pharmical procedures laid out in tis tale: I do not know if that is possible - even under threat of losing one's command...?

Simply introducing this piece of homophobic reality as an antidote to the seemingly innocent cozy Christmas days is a very good idea. Well-done

This self-immolaton is, really, a "holocaust": after all, that means : an offering to the Gods, usually through the slaughtering, or killing by fire of an animal. That is why I've always felt that this ancient Greek word is not the right one to describe the undescribable, the worst form of genocide ever ....

Alas, the custody issue could well be the author's choice for his tale because it would mirror ugly realities. Indeed, it might even be more "realistic" than a - slowly evolving - happy end. Yet, wouldn't we all love such an end...?

Supposedly, their "job" was to create, or increase Brad's awareness of what he wants his relationship with L to be....

The awful consequences of real life vs heartfelt convictions?

This is fun indeed, exciting fun even - for your readers!

This is a terrible part of the tale as it unfolds. Very well written, but with an awful reality rearing its ugly head.

Interesting. For yes, you're right about the LotR, though there are women sort of sprinkled through the story, in Elvenland and in other places. But I admit: they're not protagonists. It would be interesting to find out what feminists have made of the female presence/absence in this saga, both in the rather boring novels (I hope you're not an aficionado...) and in the vastly more interesting Jackson-films. As to popular and less popular periods to set mainstream films in: true. I've no idea whether these choices depend, basically, on what the audience is taught in the classroom and thus is expecting in the theatre. Another problem definitely is that Byzantium - apologies...- has no succession (nation-)state that "needs" a filmic representation of its past. Turkey does it, with The Magnificent Century and its sequels - including, for obvious reasons, quite a few women who're given powerful roles. So do the Chinese. And personally I loved the series about the Sun King, though, surprisingly, or not, there were so many women - what with the Queen, and four mistresses,et cetera, that in the end/overall they really didn't matter... We can/should discuss this topic more in depth, but it might bore the GA- readers .... Regards Peter

Of course I realise that you had Davids cinemascopic painting in mind. But it allows you to centralise your story in that moment - and its consequences. Hence; perfect choice. As to Byzantium: I mean(t) the city, rather than the empire. But if you want to shame German histroians - why not: be my guest - you should perhaps call it by the name the people themselves gave it? No period films anymore? Well, depends on the selling-power of the tale. We're going to have a blockbuster based on the Odyssey next year. And, actually, with the revival of the "sandal-epics" since Ridley Scott, there seem new possibilities galore. In short, I don't agree it would be impossible. The main problem might be: there's no female heroine. And yes, ever since narrative films started, that has been a commercially-essential necessity. Yet, "The Kingdom of Heaven" does without a powerful female role...

My thoughts on O? You're the author. Either you make him into a rough but honest guy, or he's knee-deep into the shady world of FB... Admittedly, I'd love KK to find out without help from"the other side"....

"This story is a return to realism". Well, we get all of that - and more. But yes; it does depict the life that unfolds in restaurants: the problems caused by the choices one has to make - which future is best, creatively and commercially? But also: the staff problems, the financial problems, the personal problems - and, indeed, the alcohol problems: the potentially devastating effects of a need borne out of continuous stress. A sad chapter, this - but done very well.

This is very impressive indeed. If ever a film is made about "The Last Days of Byzantium", a scene like this one should definitely be included.

The first part, with the awful questions asked during the interview, and the reactions of J an R, was spot on. The hypocrisy of journalists - especially American ones, in matters sexual - is absolutely appalling. I'm afraid the prurient interest these men - and women - show, always "on behalf of our readers", or: "our readers have a right to know"... -reflects some deep-seated psychological problems in American society at large.

A magical moment. And you capture it well. Bravo.