The Second Hill is a historical, futuristic novel that takes the reader from September 11, 2001 to June 7, 2043. The settings are Washington, D.C., London, San Francisco, New Orleans, Manhattan, and Paris. The unusual tale begins on that infamous day when terrorism reached Americas shore and ends almost forty-two years later with a startling revelation about the Creators reaction to (1) the carnage of 9/11 and (2) the evil that caused it. The Second Hill examines the eternal conflicts between good and evil, theism and atheism, moral absolutism and moral relativism, individualism and collectivism, capitalism and socialism, and honesty and deceit conflicts that, in the final analysis, are about the same thing. The main characters speak and behave much unlike ordinary people. That is as it should be; extraordinary individuals do not carry on in ordinary fashion. The protagonists are uncommonly intellectual, but they are by no means elitist. They are not of the intelligentsia. Though danger and death continually threaten them, Christa Joyner, Jack Joyner, Alan John, and their cohorts never cower. They are as valiant as they are brilliant. They are as fearless as they are pure. The Second Hill is atypical of fiction in that it contains copious historical and expository endnotes. Endnotes are requisite here because the narrative is grounded in history, and explanation is absolutely necessary to help the reader understand the philosophical, theological, and political aspects of the plot. Essentially, The Second Hill is about Western civilization, Western values, and Western heroes. Hopefully, it will cause most of those who peruse its pages to think deeply about where the world is and where it most certainly will wind up if it continues down the slippery slope of relativism. Many will see this compelling novel as a conservative manifesto. That is what it is.
Author Jon Gegenheimer is a long-time practicing attorney, elected court official, and a writer of serious literary fiction. His first novel, The Second Hill (AuthorHouse 2011), is an exceptional piece of historical/futuristic fiction. It is a unique work that foresaw virtually every malady afflicting today's troubled world: ubiquitous terrorism, rampant moral relativism, absurd political correctness, and the all-out assault against the Judeo-Christian ethic. Although The Griffin Murders is predominantly a straight murder mystery, it is of the same genre as The Second Hill. Beyond a spellbinding surface plot, it features deep character development and strikingly relevant themes. Its pace is lively; its prose is rich and finely crafted; and there are plenty of twists and turns along the way. The Griffin Murders is reminiscent of the Sherlock Holmes adventures. Its protagonists, Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Steve Wyndham and U.S. Attorney Rod West, are Holmes and Watson reincarnated. They follow myriad clues throughout New Orleans' French Quarter in pursuit of an unusually cunning serial killer who leaves at each murder scene the likeness of a gryphon: the mythical creature that is half eagle and half lion. Four years after the initial murder, Justice Wyndham, in Holmes-like fashion, unmasks the murderer during a Mardi Gras party at his stately French Quarter residence. The disclosure most certainly will astonish the reader. Without question, this story will appeal to the devoted whodunit audience. Moreover, it is fine Dickensian writing that informs as much as it entertains. Like The Second Hill, it is a story for the times - written to awaken, delight, educate, and spark conversation. In writing this unique detective adventure, Gegenheimer drew upon his vast experience as a trial lawyer. He believes in the axiom "Write what you know.
The Second Hill is a historical, futuristic novel that takes the reader from September 11, 2001 to June 7, 2043. The settings are Washington, D.C., London, San Francisco, New Orleans, Manhattan, and Paris. The unusual tale begins on that infamous day when terrorism reached Americas shore and ends almost forty-two years later with a startling revelation about the Creators reaction to (1) the carnage of 9/11 and (2) the evil that caused it. The Second Hill examines the eternal conflicts between good and evil, theism and atheism, moral absolutism and moral relativism, individualism and collectivism, capitalism and socialism, and honesty and deceit conflicts that, in the final analysis, are about the same thing. The main characters speak and behave much unlike ordinary people. That is as it should be; extraordinary individuals do not carry on in ordinary fashion. The protagonists are uncommonly intellectual, but they are by no means elitist. They are not of the intelligentsia. Though danger and death continually threaten them, Christa Joyner, Jack Joyner, Alan John, and their cohorts never cower. They are as valiant as they are brilliant. They are as fearless as they are pure. The Second Hill is atypical of fiction in that it contains copious historical and expository endnotes. Endnotes are requisite here because the narrative is grounded in history, and explanation is absolutely necessary to help the reader understand the philosophical, theological, and political aspects of the plot. Essentially, The Second Hill is about Western civilization, Western values, and Western heroes. Hopefully, it will cause most of those who peruse its pages to think deeply about where the world is and where it most certainly will wind up if it continues down the slippery slope of relativism. Many will see this compelling novel as a conservative manifesto. That is what it is.
Age of Anxiety: Meaning, Identity, and Politics in 21st Century Film and Literature analyzes literature and films that speak to our age of anxiety resulting from the decline of narratives that provided individuals with a meaningful human life. The authors argue that the twentieth-century sought to free individuals from the constraints of authoritative cultural traditions and institutions, liberating the autonomous self. Yet this has given rise to anxiety rather than liberation. Instead of deriving one’s sense of purpose from one’s role and place within a community, the consumer has been deceived into thinking that their identity can be purchased through the meaning represented by the conspicuous consumption of a brand. The same phenomenon manifests itself in politics within recent populist revolts against globalist politics. In addition, the rapid pace of technological development is driving an unprecedented faith in the malleability of human beings, raises doubts as to what it means to be a person. Utilizing paradigms from the fields of Communication/Rhetoric and Political Philosophy the book shows how the self has been displaced from its natural habitat of the local community. The book traces the origins of modern anxiety as well as possible remedies. Considered in the book are such popular culture artifacts as Downton Abbey, WALL-E, Hacksaw Ridge, Westworld, and Lord of the Rings and zombie films.
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