Faceless Gods (Second Edition, Vol 1)

 Dear all, presenting the second edition of my novel Faceless Gods (Vol. 1). Kindly use coupon code SPRINGGIFTS to avail 40% discount on the book available at the link

https://notionpress.com/read/faceless-gods-1388339

This story was written around the turn of the century. I was in my twenties and the world almost a mirage viewed through emotional prism. That is primarily the reason for the work’s poetic overtones. Now when I look at it, it seems a long verse written in prose conveying poignant, hard-hitting emotions. But anything not too near, out of compulsion, formalized decency and polished made-up diplomacy is nearer to truth by default. Truth is bitter as they say. But I have tried to mellow down that bitterness by the use of sweet poetic language.

For two-and-half decades since the book was born I have sent it to hundreds of publishers and literary agents. I have written countless mails. Nothing goes waste. It at the least gave me a very nice writing practice.

It’s natural to get bugged with skepticism about your own worth in the face of endless rejections of your creation or when you don’t have a single response kindling some hope. But if you still feel the call of your art, be sure that it’s your real destiny. If your script gets rejected a thousand times—like mine—and if you still feel motivated to write and in fact feel better while pursuing your write-ups then believe me writing is your destiny. Recognition and being famous has absolutely nothing to do with it because you have already crossed the golden threshold to become a nishkam karmayogi, the one who gives her all to a task without getting bothered about the outcome.

First, you have to recognize that this is worth your time and effort. Self-evaluation is the benchmark through which others will evaluate you. And that dear readers keeps me going.

Many people tell me that my language is on the harder side, that I use words that don’t fall in conversational genre, that my sentence structure is complex, which slows down the pace of reading and comprehension. They may have a point but so have I. As far as difficult words are concerned, why do we have them in the first place? Do we keep them in the dictionary only as examples never to followed or used? If we believe it to be so then it sounds an abuse to language and linguistics. In my understanding, it shows our lack of skills rather than the suitability or unsuitability of those words.

We have the words, in the first place, because they have relevance and ought to be used simply because they have been devised to be used. If we come across a difficult word, we should try to know its meaning. Those who overemphasize the importance of smooth reading maybe keep a book just for ‘reading’ instead of ‘studying’. Hell doesn’t break loose if we pause while ‘reading’ and ‘study’ the meaning of a new word. That differentiates ‘reading’ from ‘studying’. The latter makes you a student for life. My books are basically for the ‘students’ who have chosen to be the eternal learners of life, living and language.

I know the publishing industry is dominated by the ‘readers school’. It fetches big numbers and still bigger business. Nothing wrong with that. Thankfully, the self-publishing platforms provide the writers like me plenty of options to continue their writing passion in the hope that out of thousands of readers there are a few students who will take up the message contained in the book. It may not add dollars to a publisher’s account but the contents will surely add something positive to the life of a student in many ways.

The present edition contains some added chapters and changes that I deem it fit to be included as per my present knowledge and understanding of the issues involved in the story.

It is a slowly moving story, meandering like a river in its journey through the plains. It is just an effort to highlight some sober facts like the true meaning of nationalism, religion, politics and humanism. Some people may think that the work has very sharp political connotations. This but is an espousal of the cause of clean politics. It may sound dreamy but the basic contours of humanism are almost utopian in nature. How will the things change if we don’t dream of a perfect state of affairs? A utopian dream is the womb in which even the worst gets transformed into a tolerable reality.

https://notionpress.com/read/faceless-gods-1388339