HALO: Dei Terrae

 

The second book of the Halo Trilogy is now available 

on Amazon worldwide.

In this book, the people of Halo having just arrived on their new planet...

Dei Terrae, must organize themselves and start civilization anew.

They have only one hundred and twenty years before the space station Halo makes it's

near pass of the planet, and so, for them to advance their technology from the beginning 

and through the space age so they may meet Halo.

This is a story of a civilization which eventually splits and where one evolves

while the other devolves, and an eventual war breaks out.

It is filled with the many manifestations of the human condition...

of the basic drives which motivate or which conditions people to operate in different ways.

This book explains many unanswered questions of book one...

and sets up the final book of this trilogy beautifully.

I am currently writing the final chapters of book three...

and I expect to receive the copyright about three months after I submit it...

and shortly thereafter...

I will publish it.

The characters are involved with technical challenges...

but most of all...

with human ones.

The innovative approaches in dealing with their problems...

and in the way the two societies diverge as a result of their operating values

are colored by the thought processes and emotions upon the inhabitants.

Although this is Sci-Fi...

it is also a deep story of the human condition.

Book One Of The Halo Trilogy: Halo: The Beginning

 

This video is on my YouTube Channel:  James Toller

In it, I describe this book, as well as the basic story line of the Halo Trilogy.

It is available on Amazon.

The Kuma Trilogy: My First Independent Critical Review

 

Song:  Holding On To Yesterday

Group:  Ambrosia

     This review of my first trilogy:  The Kuma Trilogy, was done by an independent author, book reviewer, and blogger from London, England.

Rose Auburn

 

The Kuma Trilogy

By James Toller

4*

The Kuma Trilogy is a work encompassing three books:  The Kiss, A Great Love and Tiger Mountain.   The books follow the literal and spiritual journey of the titular main character, Kuma Svensson, a man born and raised in Hawaii to a Japanese mother and Scandinavian father.  Alongside Kuma’s story, each book has a sub-plot/s involving different characters and their lives. The majority of these separate narratives become entwined and connected with Kuma’s story.  

The Kuma Trilogy is a mammoth, thought-provoking and visionary work.  In The Kiss, we meet Soo Jin and her friend Ha Rin in the side narrative that runs alongside our introduction to Kuma.  The prose involving both girls has a dreamscape, immersive atmosphere enhanced by the beautifully realised Korean setting.    In this first instalment, as with the others, the writing is simply structured and quite naïve which complements the allegorical quality of the story.  Kuma’s time in rehabilitation and the characters he meets there, especially Kimo whose teachings are integral to the novel, are powerful and set the foundations for the next two books.     A Great Love finds Kuma in Kyoto, living with and training the monks of Kita Temple.   Parallel to this, is the story of Tatsuko and her family and the relationship between them and Kuma is both inspiring and heart-breaking.   Tiger Mountain is the most ambitious of the three stories and resultingly, has a subtly different tone.   It’s a fantastical premise; the designing, building and managing of a large, self-sufficient, utopian community of disabled children, carers, teachers, medics, gardeners, general staff and their families on, up and in a mountain.    Personally, at times during Tiger Mountain, I found Kuma becoming a touch controlling with a whiff of a Bond-esque villain about him which was probably more to do with the environment.    Mr Toller is extraordinarily conscientious in explaining and describing the logistics and infrastructure of Tiger Mountain; the depth of imagination and planning from a writerly point of view is boundless but it did become a little exhausting in places and consequently, the pace was a touch slow.  However, the profundity and scope of this triumvirate of stories cannot be underestimated.   It is clear from the narrative the sheer inventiveness, originality and personal insight that Mr Toller has brought to bear in this work; the subjectivity shines through on several occasions and it is not a weakness in this instant, quite the opposite.   Technically, it was obvious that every consideration, plot strand and, I think, indeed every word, had been carefully thought out and the editing was faultless. 

The Kuma Trilogy is a monumental novel that provides an intensely spiritual and intellectually stimulating read.  

Available on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle.

Halo: The Beginning

 

(click on above book cover to read the back cover in detail)

     I have just completed the first book of a new trilogy (The Halo Trilogy).

     Halo: The Beginning is book one of a three book series.  While it is science fiction, it is rich in character development and delves into the depths of human thought and behavior under extraordinary circumstances, and as seen through a core group of central characters.  It starts out only a little over one hundred years in the future, and so, the technology described, for the most part, is neither out of the bounds of possibility, nor of our present reality.  

The story starts out in a one kilometer in diameter space station in geostationary orbit above Earth, called Halo.  A simultaneously run plot line also takes place on Earth, where a highly intelligent but psychopathic genetisist attempts to set up a dangerous theocracy by first eliminating all on Earth but his faithful followers. 

The story then continues aboard Halo as the crew must make their way towards another planet to start humankind anew, and the challenges faced to overcome various technical and moral dilemmas.   

Book one not only provides a rich story in and of itself, but also provides all the character and story development necessary to catapult the reader into books two and three.  

                                                                                 

     It is available worldwide on Amazon in 6x9 Paperback ($9.99)...

on Kindle ($2.99)...

     or for free on Kindle Unlimited.

A Video Describing My YouTube Channel and The Kuma Trilogy

 

Me speaking about my YouTube channel and The Kuma Trilogy.

My mother is playing with her dog in the background...sorry about that.

Cory And Charlene's Song - The Kuma Trilogy

Song:  Cory And Charlene's Song

Composer / Performer:  James Toller

This was composed by a character (Kuma) in the third book of the trilogy.

Kuma had composed it for a young couple who had just learned to live and love fully.

Sofia's Song - The Kuma Trilogy

Song:  Sofia's Song

Composer / Performer:  James Toller

This was composed by a character (Jim) in the third book of the trilogy.

Jim had composed it for a child named Sofia, who was shortly to die.