Wednesday, 22 January 2025

The Book of Feasts and Seasons - John C. Wright

The Book of Feasts and Seasons
ISBN 9781925645262
ASIN B0BG1KDZKQ

The Book of Feasts and Seasons - John C. Wright

I have a few books by John C. Wright on my kindle, and several that look great. I had just not got around to reading anything by him, except 2 contributions to anthologies. He has come highly recommended by a number of authors I greatly appreciate: Finn, Paolinelli, LaPoint, …  And he has appeared as a characters in books by more than one author I know. It is my loss that I have not started reading them his works earlier. This collection was an amazing read. I could hardly put it down, and stayed up way, way too late to finish it. I just could not put it down.

The description of this volume is:

“The Book of Feasts & Seasons is a beautifully mind-bending stroll with a grandmaster of science fiction through the annual Catholic calendar. Over the course of the year, from January to December, the author takes his inspiration from 10 different holidays and explores their meanings in a series of stories of marvelous imagination. The book begins with New Year's Day and "The Meaning of Life as Told Me by an Inebriated Science Fiction Writer in New Jersey".

The Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin is represented by "A Random World of Delta Capricorni Aa, Called Scheddi", while "The Parliament of Beasts and Birds" is the story for the Feast of Pentecost. The calendar and the anthology culminate on Christmas Eve with "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus".

John C. Wright is not only a deeply religious man, he is also a devout Catholic philosopher who regards reason as an intrinsic aspect of his faith. The Book of Feasts & Seasons is an imaginative embodiment of that faith, taking many different shapes and forms throughout the vast expanse of God's creation.

Grab it now!”

The stories in this collection are:

Dedication
New Year's Day: The Meaning of Life as Told Me by an Inebriated Science Fiction Writer in New Jersey
Epiphany: Queen of the Tyrant Lizards
Annunciation: A Random World of Delta Capricorni Aa, called Scheddi
Good Friday: Sheathed Paw of the Lion
Easter Sunday: Pale Realms of Shade
Ascension: The Ideal Machine
Pentecost: The Parliament of Beasts and Birds
Halloween: Eve of All Saints' Day
Advent: Nativity
Christmas Eve: Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus

These stories took me completely by surprise. From the first to the last there is not a weak story in the collection. And as I was reading three different times I said to myself, just one more story then to bed. But I did not hit the pillow until the collection was finished. 

The stories in this collection span a wide range of genres and styles. And it appears Wright is a master of them all. From the power of the Ideal Machine, to time travel, to an encounter with Nicholas of Myrna this collection has it all.

I normally love anthologies because they introduce me to new authors. Then there are anthologies like this where all the stories are from one contributor. In this case they introduce me to a number of genres John C. Wright writes in, and it makes it hard to choose what of his to read next. I believe there are just shy of 50 volumes available from Wright’s masterful pen, including a few marked as ‘forthcoming’. Even if I were to read one a week it would take me almost a year to get through his canon. 

The only hard decision I have is what to read next? This is an excellent collection of stories, I can easily recommend it!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan

Books by John C. Wright:
Short Story Collections:
Awake in the Night Land
City Beyond Time: Tales of the Fall of Metachronopolis
From Barsoom to Malacandra
All Men Dream of Earthwomen and Other Aeons

The Golden Age Series:
The Golden Age
The Phoenix Exultant
The Golden Transcendence
 
War Of The Dreaming Series:
Last Guardian of Everness
Mists of Everness
 
Chronicles Of Chaos Series:
Orphans of Chaos
Fugitives of Chaos
Titans of Chaos
 
Count To The Eschaton Series:
Count to a Trillion
The Hermetic Millennia
Judge of Ages

Starquest Series:
Space Pirates of Andromeda  
Secret Agents of the Galaxy  
Catburglar in the Constellations
The Architect of Aeons 
The Vindication of Man 
Count to Infinity 
… 

Lost on the Last Continent Series:
Terrors of Pangaea  
Giants of Pangaea 
Gods of Pangaea 

The Unwithering Realm Series:
Somewhither 
Nowhither 

Superluminary Series:
The Lords of Creation 
The Space Vampires 
The World Armada 
Superluminary Omnibus Edition

Tales of Moth and Cobweb Series:
Green Knight Squire:
Swan Knight’s Son 
Feast Of The Elfs 
Swan Knight’s Sword
Green Knight Squire Omnibus
Dark Avenger’s Sidekick
Daughter of Danger 
City of Corpses 
Tithe to Tartarus
Mad Scientist’s Apprentice
Ghostly Father’s Novice

The Books of Everness Series:
Last Guardian of Everness 
Mists of Everness

Other Fiction:
Null-A Continuum
Awake in the Night Land – Short Story
One Bright Star to Guide Them – Short Story
Iron Chamber Of Memory 

Nonfiction:
Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth
The Lament of Prometheus
The Last Straw

Anthologies contributed to:
Best Short Novels 2004
Breach the Hull
Clockwork Phoenix
Clockwork Phoenix 3: New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness
Engineering Infinity
Forbidden Thoughts
MAGA 2020 and Beyond
Modern Greats of Science Fiction 2006
Planetary: Luna
Planetary: Mercury
So It Begins
Songs of the Dying Earth
The Best of Defending the Future
The Best of the Planetary Anthology Series
The Monster Hunter Files
The New Space Opera 2
The Space Opera Renaissance
The Year's Best Science Fiction Twenty-First Annual Collection 2004
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Seventh Annual Collection 2010
Time Troopers
Tomorrow's Troopers
Year's Best SF 3 1998


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