An aging, disgruntled philosophy professor in search of some sense of self, retreats to his idyllic farm in the mountain village of Halfmoon, Vermont. What he finds there is not what he expected. Incongruous presences haunt Halfmoon and its environs.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Mr. Fotheringill writes philosophically provocative novels.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
High on a wooded hillside in Halfmoon, Vermont, in a dense grove of tall white poplars, a bald eagle majestically sits atop the highest of the poplar crowns. It slowly rotates its regal, white head, surveying the earthly realm with prescient circumspection. The large, predatory bird would be considered an incongruous presence, for it is calculated to be endangered in these parts. But incongruous presences haunt Halfmoon and its environs. Shortly, they will make themselves known. And it will seem as if the forces of nature had converged on the innocent like a macabre maelstrom of unwarranted strife.
The bright yellow irises of the bald eagle's eyes shine in recognition of a human form moving about in a clearing below. The weathered aviator cocks its head, its curved, yellow bill pointing toward the red western sky like a cipher of doom. In a moment's flash, the bird opens its solid brown-feathered chest and spreads its mighty wings to a full span of seven feet. In this ominous posture, summoning ancient presences of prehistoric wanderings, it witnesses the human form with some distant and mysterious recollection of pity.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Alexander Lessing jumped into his Dodge Ram pickup, slammed the gear into DRIVE, and sped off a little too fast down the long, precipitous, dirt driveway toward Snake Hollow Road. It wasn't as if he had to be somewhere in a hurry. It was just that he was excited. He had made up his mind. Finally.
Alexander slowed down a bit at the end of the driveway and turned left onto Snake Hollow. The truck fishtailed on the turn, but he paid it no mind. After all, he was excited. Taking it up to fifty-five miles per hour on the narrow, backcountry road, he zoomed past two dilapidated farmhouses sitting back off the roadside some thirty yards and an old trailer founded just behind the forest tree line. Long-time Vermonters lived in those dwellings. Alexander didn't see them much, but they were there. A couple of old widows and a retired New York City homicide cop. Yeah, they were there. Somewhere.
Bearing right onto Riverneck Road, Alexander crossed over the Ottaquechee River on the Riverneck Bridge. As he navigated the wooden span, the sun was setting in the autumn sky, reflecting orange and red off the lazy current of the rock-speckled river. An eighth of a mile later, he turned left onto Route 4 and headed for the Elk Head Saloon. That's where he liked to be. That's where he could be himself. Whoever that was.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you enjoy metaphysical fiction, I don't think you'll be disappointed.,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Halfmoon Confidential (Paperback)
Quoting from the back cover:"Alexander Lessing, an aging, disgruntled philosophy professor in search of some sense of self, retreats to his idyllic farm in the mountain village of Halfmoon, Vermont. What he find there is not what he expected. Incongruous presences, harboring the forces of good and evil, haunt Halfmoon and its environs, imposing on the simple folk that live there psychological and ethical impasses that call out for nothing less than spiritual resolution." I can't really say that I understood this story but I did enjoy Ed's writing style, his characters, the metaphysical aspects and his gift for description. Allow to share the first two paragraphs of Chapter 1 with you: "High on a wooded hillside in Halfmoon, Vermont, in a dense grove of tall white poplars, a bald eagle majestically sits atop the highest of the poplar crowns. It slowly rotates its regal, white head, surveying the earthly realm with prescient circumspection. The large, predatory bird would be considered an incongruous presence, for it is calculated to be endangered in these parts. But incongruous presences haunt Halfmoon and its environs. Shortly, they will make themselves known. And it will seem as if the forces of nature had converged on the innocent like a macabre maelstrom of unwarranted strife. "The bright yellow irises of the bald eagle's eyes shine in recognition of a human form moving about in a clearing below. The weathered aviator cocks its head, its curved, yellow bill pointing toward the red western sky like a cipher of doom. In a moment's flash, the bird opens its solid brown-feathered chest and spreads its mighty wings to a full span of seven feet. In this ominous posture, summoning ancient presences of prehistoric wanderings, it witnesses the human form with some distant and mysterious recollection of pity." Halfmoon Confidential is the third and final novel in Edward Fotheringill's Wisdom Trilogy - the other two being Lanterns in the Mist (my most favorite) and Darkness Withdrawn OR The Eclipse of Nietzsche's Shadow. If you enjoy metaphysical fiction, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Kaye Trout Reviewer
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
