Fans of Doug Casey, get ready -- he is finally releasing the first in a series of novels that explore some of the most disreputable professions in the world. The first novel is called 'Speculator' and it will be available in late September 2016. I had the pleasure to get an advance copy at the Sprott Symposium (thanks Winston!) and plowed through it in August. It was the first book I read this year and it actually inspired me to write some fan fiction. In this article I present my comments on the book with a series of screenshots from a channel dedicated to the novels. I hope that this helps build some excitement around the book and shows a new way of repurposing web content.
In two words, I would call the book "fun" and "informative". Or maybe "demolition derby". Read the late chapter titled "Two Daughters" to get a sense for what I mean there. Wow!
The journeys of the characters in the novel are inspired and can give hope to a wide variety of readers. Seriously. There is something for naive and principled young men, ambitious and ruthless women, even old salts ready to ride again. All kinds of people who hang around CEO.CA site will find something to connect or disagree with in the book and I encourage you to read it.
I will leave a proper book review for others (shout out MiningBookGuy), but will take this opportunity to repurpose some of my posts from the #HighGroundNovels channel on CEO.CA where I live-tweeted my thoughts on the book as I read it. It sure is a weird time where you can watch me read a book in real time, eh?
The pic above shows a classic Doug Casey-style quote from the book: "Bubbles inflated with hot air are in constant search of a pin." This is a quick and easy idea that many of you are probably familiar with. Rest assured, it plays a crucial role in the arc of the story of the novel!
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You can see another couple classic Casey-style quotes above: the "Golden Rule of Conflict" and what could be a tip from the "Contrarian's Guide to World Travel".
The novel is on par with great spy novels. As such, I think it has the potential to make a great movie! I tagged Lions Gate Films in the post above since they are a successful film company with Vancouver connections that has a proven ability to generate blockbuster franchises from novels. Could there be movie series based on the #HighGroundNovels series? There is a well-worn path of converting books into influential movies and the first book is certainly written at that level. Stay tuned and buy a copy of the book on release to support the project!
The Big Idea of the novel could very well be philosophical. The authors are strongly committed to a certain philosophical world view, which comes out clearly in a recent interview that I did with author John Hunt and my pic below.
The comparison to Ayn Rand will not be lost on most readers, but I think the book is much more nuanced. It does a good job of presenting important ideas without simplifying and patronizing the reader. In fact, it goes so far as to put those philosophical ideas into play in real world situation where their implications or interpretations are not so clear. I got a sense that there were important issues left unresolved for the lead character at the end of story. I thought it was great to see how certain philosophical ideas helped the lead character succeed in a tough world, but was even more grateful to see where these same ideas let the character down or even become contradictory. It was refreshing to see the edges of these important philosophical ideas.
Further to this philosophical discussion, the novel does a great job of describing the world from several view points. The lead character takes a hard line libertarian perspective and the supporting characters provide a broad range of contrast. The counterpoint to the lead is most certainly Sabina, an absolutely captivating woman. Her apparent physical beauty is matched only by her self-interest. She jumps off the page throughout the whole story and a plays pivotal role in bringing everything together at the end. One of the last times we see her, she is looking out the window of a car at the Federal Reserve Building in Washington DC dreaming of the power and influence that waits for her there. I can't wait to hear more about Sabina the Psychopath and would love to see her on screen!
The book is full of great lines, like this one: "He stood in a tuxedo with his black bow tie, smiling broadly, because a smile was not only appropriate but an excellent disguise for a cynical laugh." This seems like an apt description for some of the more nefarious types that sometimes achieve great success in the mining industry. You can see a picture of the excerpt here for a more context on that quote. For those familiar with industry, you may know exactly what I mean. For those who think this is over the top, let me point out to you that the geologist behind the infamous Bre-X company actually won the same Prospector of the Year award mentioned in the book. Truth is certainly stranger than fiction.
There are several places in the novel where the authors make clear and compelling allusions to the forthcoming novels in the series. Like the moment where the main character watches a drug-addled African rebel leader and begins to learn the power of persuasion. This foreshadowing is done carefully and makes me all the more excited to read the next novels in the series.
All in all, I got the sense that I was spending time with Doug while reading the book. Sometimes Doug's voice would fade away and be replaced by a clear narrator that moved the story along, which was good, but I often felt like I was listening to Doug speaking. The vividness of his voice in the text leads me to suggest that an audiobook with him reading would be a great idea! It would be an epic undertaking as the book is almost five-hundred pages long, but it would have strong lasting power.
My bottom line is unplug from the mainstream media for a while, read this book, and tell the world what you think about it on CEO.CA.
Congratulations to Doug for actually delivering on this book. I am sure some people were skeptical when he ranted and raved about the 'seven novel series' he was working on. It is unique and valuable for our junior mining community. Thanks very much to the authors and people behind the scenes who helped bring this book into the world. I enjoyed it very much and hope that others will do the same.
