Gag Order -- A blog entry that's NOT a book review but that is an exercise in free speech

Well, it has happened. I work for a small business in an office with six employees, two who are predominantly out in the field all day, so four people plus the on again off again appearance of the business owner, and today—today the three of us, out of four, were given a talk. The three of us out of four were asked to refrain from political discourse in the office because it makes the one (plus potentially the two who are not in the office for the majority of the day…) uncomfortable.

We are an office of predominantly women. Our boss is a fiscally conservative woman of the Silent Generation, and when she brought us together to have the talk, after the one who is also conservative in his political views left the office on a break, she visibly cringed because she had to bring up the topic. She prefaced it with her own admission to having screamed in frustration at the previous evening’s news—her, a conservative. But she “suggested” that we refrain from political conversation in order to keep anyone from being uncomfortable. Anyone. As in the one person not in attendance who voted for "the guy," the toddler president pushing the envelope like he's reached his terrible twos.

This is where we’re at, folks, being told to "be nice," because we, the "liberal snowflakes" of the past decade might offend the MAGA held-hostage-right for merely mentioning the shitstorm raining down upon us. And I get it to some extent—we have to work together, and HR is HR because no one in the workplace should have to endure unnecessary abuse. But mentioning the Superbowl, and asking about who got booed, or suggesting that the halftime show was good because of its artistically conveyed message, is not abuse. 

I've worked at this small business office for well over a decade, and you didn’t see me running to HR when the political right of the office dynamic was up in arms over "infringement" of their gun rights. Or when someone received a personal package there because they didn’t want it to be stolen off their porch. That package was an AR-15. We tolerated the discourse over the 2nd Amendment and the border. We even engaged in it with civility. So forgive me if I take offense to being told that I can't say that calling it the Gulf of America is ridiculous. And stupid. Or that Musk taking a financial hit of billions of dollars is the start of a hopeful day. My boss—who agrees with those two sentiments in particular, is suggesting that I zip it, because it makes that one employee uncomfortable.

And why is he uncomfortable? Are we objectifying him for his sexy physique, or demeaning him by telling him to shut up and get us our coffee? No. Are we belittling him or yelling at him or telling him that he’s not smart enough to understand? No. It is my opinion that he's uncomfortable because he can’t join the conversation. He can’t defend having voted for the wrong side, and we—who are simply talking about the previous night's outrageous news and shaking our heads in casual conversation, aren’t allowed to do that because it doesn’t provide a safe space for the guilt ridden minority. Or maybe he’s not as guilt ridden as we wish he would be, but he knows we are angry and he knows there is nothing he can do to muzzle us outside of work.

We will cater to the gag order. We will maintain our office silence; you know the kind, where the argument ends with her saying "fine," then following up with nothing. Nothing at all. Not one word. It's an uncomfortable silence, and it’s suffocating. That silence won’t bring the office together. Nor will it bring the nation together. Which is why I’m writing this because—surprise—I can’t stay silent.

And you shouldn’t either. Be safe out there, people. Also, be honored if someone calls you woke.

Horseman — by Christina Henry — A New Take on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow

 Author Christina Henry is not new to new takes on classic characters from classic tales of horror and fantasy. She's brought to life many stories that reflect inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, to The Little Mermaid, to Little Red Riding Hood and more. Horseman is my first read from Henry, and its story builds from the classic Sleepy Hollow tale.

Cover image courtesy of Berkley publishers

I was excited to read it. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving was required reading for young students born and raised in rural Central New York, but you don’t need to read it to be prepared for this story. Still, it doesn’t hurt to read the original first. Horseman takes place a generation later, where we meet an ancestor of the original characters, 14 year old Ben, who is being raised by their grandparents from the original story.

Main character Ben is a new teen who was born a girl but identifies as a boy. As you can imagine, this doesn’t sit well with the townsfolk of the late 18th/early 19th Century. Nor does it sit well with Ben's grandmother, Katrina Van Brunt—a key character from the original tale. Grandpa Van Brunt, or Brom Bones as he is known, is absolutely fine with it because young Ben reminds Brom of the son he lost—also Ben's father. As young Ben deals with identity, an old evil returns to the town—one that feeds on children by taking their heads.

I thought that author Henry’s folkloric take on the monster in the woods—the kludde—was well done, and the relationship between Ben and their grandparents was well developed. But I didn’t fully connect with the gender identity thread of the story. Ben’s struggle for acceptance was hit and miss for me. Sometimes the issue felt forced, yet sometimes it felt like the topic wasn’t full of enough depth. 

That having been said, I do appreciate its inclusion in the story. Women living as men did indeed exist in our long ago history, and I think it's important to recognize that. Henry's attempt to tackle the concept is a noble one, but the approach felt a bit blunt and modern within the context of the timeline, if that makes sense.

I’m not going to share spoilers, but there is also some villain monologuing that was a little bit annoying, and I wish that the villains had more dimension to them. But the story as a whole is quite clever and worth the read if you were ever a fan of the original tales of Sleepy Hollow.

Check out the links if you’re interested in the read: 

at Amazon       at Barnes and Noble       at Bookshop.org

Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse — Starting the New Year with an Old Classic

 And what a year it’s been so far. Less than one month in, and we’re battling devastating wildfires here in California, uncommonly freezing temperatures throughout the rest of the country, a shaky ceasefire agreement and a new political future in the United States that has a big segment of the population more than worried.

But I’m not going to get into politics. You can probably figure out where I stand on that front, and that’s all I have to say. Or if I really need to give you a hint, stop banning books and give to your local libraries.

I believe Hermann Hesse would have agreed with me. Steppenwolf takes place in Germany at a time of political turmoil, and while he doesn’t place specific focus on it, it is a time that's leading to war and fascism, and he’s not too happy about it—which may be partly why his main character Harry Haller is so depressed and planning his own suicide. And that’s the whole gist of the story. Harry Haller is depressed. He questions the meaning of his life, and life in general, and he has decided that at 50 years old, it’s time to kill himself. But then something happens—a mysterious sign over the doorway of a mysterious theater, and a mysterious woman who makes him rethink things.

This might be a good book to revisit at the Dawn of 2025… Anyway, a coworker suggested I check this book out. So, here's the extended review:

My coworker suggested I read this piece of classic literature before he finally broke down and gave it to me as a Christmas gift. Fun fact: that same Christmas, I gifted him a book too—Existentialism—A Very Short History. After reading Steppenwolf, I feel like I chose wisely.

The novel is about a man nearing fifty who ponders the meaning of life and of his own existence as an outlier/observer, and thus makes plans for his own suicide as he comes to the conclusion that people are destined to die anyway, and there is no joy to be had once you realize it. Then he comes upon a man with a sign, and a closed door to a theater that's "for madmen only." He meets an intriguing woman, Hermine—who reminds our protagonist Harry of a long ago friend named Herman, and she lures Harry into a quest to find all the possibilities of life, death, happiness and longing by living a more decadent and carefree life beyond the bourgeois lifestyle he leads and at the same time despises.

The bulk of the story is Harry resisting this path, until he doesn’t, then learning the lessons of possibilities once he gives himself over to the whims of chaos and unpredictability. Written in 1929 and set in Germany, the story suffers from some of the prejudices of its time, but I found it admirable to see it touch on current topics just the same. For instance, Herman partly falls in love with Hermine because of her resemblance to his boyhood friend Herman. And at one point, Hermine dresses like a man for the purpose of being mistaken for a Herman. So that touch of playing with gender norms is a great example of its existence—without condemnation—a hundred years ago.

If existentialism is a subject that intrigues you, then Hesse's Steppenwolf is a must for your literary shelves. It's a classic that should be available anywhere you look—even your local library.

A Chance at Free eBooks to Ring in the New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025

Happy 2025 to all the fans of horror. I would be negligent if I didn't let you know about the book giveaway being headed by TheStoryGraph website, so if you're a StoryGraph user you're in for a treat! Two of my eBooks are eligible for giveaways on the site until January 18th.

Prophet Reborn and Perfect Sacrifices are books two and three of the Perfect Prophet series, so enter to win one of  fifty copies each. And if you do win, you can pick up the first of the trilogy --Perfect Prophet-- for only $1.99 at your favorite online eBook retailer.

Here are the links to TheStoryGraph, and best of luck!

Perfect Sacrifices link

Prophet Reborn link

Deep Down There by Oli Jacobs -- A Truly Clever Premise that Teases More to Come

Cover Image via Goodreads
An independently published work

Deep Down There  by Oli Jacobs is an entertaining read with a simple but clever premise: What happens when a sinkhole appears in an established community. Overnight. And it’s a perfect circle with smooth walls that go straight down for what seems like infinity? The gated community of Anton Court gets to find out, and their justified curiosities lead to a few horrific outcomes.

I enjoyed this read. Oli Jacobs leans into character development to keep us interested, and he has created a nice little eclectic bunch led by Hannah, a widowed mother of two young boys who is stuck in a comfortable rut after the accidental death of her husband. Then the hole appears, and things gradually get weirder. No spoilers, but if you are a fan of TV shows like The Big Door Prize, which was a book before it was a TV series, you might like the feel of the characters here.

I do have a few criticisms on this one though. Plot development was a little bit slow for me, and the ending is left a bit too open ended, imo. There is a late revealed character that left me with more questions than answers (I can’t say more because of spoilers), and one key character seemed to have a name change through the third quarter of the book that had me scratching my head.

That all having been said, there are two post chapters that are separate from the main story but also tied to it. Ironically, they leave the reader with more questions, but they are also full of the right amount of intrigue to make this reader curious for more.

If you're down for a quick read that involves unexplainable mysteries and anomalies that might trigger the conspiracy theorist deep inside, than maybe check out Deep Down There. Click the image for a sales link.