Part outdoor adventure, part eco awareness, part philosophy, all a love affair with life and the North American West coast. Chapter headings include: Big Sur after El Nino, Creating Wilderness, Of Snails and Immortality, California Screamin' The View from a Purple Kayak, Big Daddy Religion, and Delirium. It's food for thought, and fuel for laughter.
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Editorial Reviews
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"Exploring meditation, metaphysical poetry, quark physics, kayaking, off-road camping, conservation, wilderness hiking, philosophy...in colorful prose and provocative imagery." -- Carmel Pine Cone, Feb 16-22, 2001
"I recommend the book to anyone who has wished that they were more than an armchair traveler." -- Small Press Review, Mar. Apr. 2001
"I recommend the book to anyone who has wished that they were more than an armchair traveler." -- Small Press Review, Mar. Apr. 2001
About the Author
M. L. Fischer is an author, educator, street philosopher and 'roads' schoolor, living on California's central coast. His solitary wanderings along the Pacific Coast to surf, kayak, hike, and bike have been the experiences his books are based upon. Alone in the natural world, he reflects on the beauty of the world around him, the joy and wonder of life, the oddities of man the social animal, and the deep relationship to everything around us. He writes with passion and honesty.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
An insightful journey with a real person,
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This review is from: Shattering the Crystal Face of God (Paperback)
In short stories set in the fields, rivers, mountains, and forests of California, Mr. Fischer weaves a philosophy of life shaped by his intimate experiences of nature and his understanding of people and society. In a dozen or so eloquent stories he presents images of the natural settings and draws the reader into his experiences and coherent philosophy of life. The reader is privileged to a clear view of a beautiful world through the perceptions and mind of an author who drinks deeply and thoughtfully of the natural world. Mr. Fischer's writing has the flavor of Edward Abbey, Mark Twain, and Lewis Thomas. The book's depth rewards several readings.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Stimulus --- This is a book that deserves to be read!,
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This review is from: Shattering the Crystal Face of God (Paperback)
M. L. Fischer is a street philosopher, a theological anarchist and a disturbing writer, AND, I needed to hear his prophetic voice deriding the techno-conforming world in which we live. Throughout this book he challenges the reader to rethink core belief systems - question authority and normalcy. If you need "the system" to get you through life, then this is not the book for you. To say that "Shattering the Crystal Face of God" is radical is an understatement; i.e. "God didn't throw Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. Greed, petty and selfish people fought over it until they destroyed it. We created the gods we needed to punish ourselves for our sins against ourselves and the planet. We are the instruments of our own damnation, and no savior is going to come along to absolve us. If we are to be saved, we've got to do it ourselves.". Get his message? Fischer is not subtle. The only thing that is sacred to M.L. Fisher is truth. His search for truth reminds me of Mahatma Gandhi's epigram "The search for truth is a search for God. Truth is God.". Provocatively, Mahatma gave his life to the search for truth, and was also an anarchist, but popular anarchists are rewritten by history to come out as revolutionaries, spiritual leaders, and sometimes Gods: Jesus Christ. Fischer's sixteen chapters capture sixteen perspectives that are best read not straight through but in spurts. Each chapter was a joy to read. Not all of his writing is philosophical. Often, Fischer, alias "The Tripper", takes the reader on his wanderings, mostly in the California central coastal area near Big Sur. "Descending the panorama trail", he writes, "I waded through the chest deep flowers of the coastal early spring. Looking out, I lost track of the temporal". Time is a subject that M. L. Fischer often talks about and losses track of. For M.L., time is a figure of speech and is best dealt with by living in the moment. It is interesting that Spencer Johnson's bestseller "Who Moved My Cheese?" (published in September 1998 and on best-seller lists for nearly two years) is about rethinking the concepts which define your life, your reality (especially economic) and then moving on with life. M. L. Fischer does the same thing in "Shattering the Crystal Face of God" but, as the title infers, more intensely, and he has totally skipped the 5th Ave. packaging and marketing. "Trade in your tired conceptions for some fresh perceptions. The world is far more interesting and complex than you can imagine.". This is a book that deserves to be read. Recommended 4.5 Stars
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