Joey Madia, New Mystics Reviews

 It is always both a pleasure and a challenge to review a novelist’s debut creation. In the wise words of W. Somerset Maugham: “There are three rules for the writing of a novel. Unfortunately no one knows what they are.” The success of this young adult/teen fiction novel, which I believe seventh to ninth graders will best enjoy, hinges on the acceptance of Magical Realism as its dominant device. From the first appearance of a mysterious headdress to a series of dangerous and arguably should-be-fatal experiences the novel’s trio of heroes survive against the odds, to their encounters with Indigenous peoples in the Amazon, if one focuses on the adventure and the characters’ experience of it, and not the implausibility of individual events and circumstances, this debut novel succeeds. The central characters are 13-year-old middle school students Katelyn and Eva, who have been friends since the second grade. Like characters in a fairy tale, Cyril’s characters do not have a great de...

  (Self-published, 2024). ISBN: 978-1-304-32531-0 Let me be up front. I am a longtime fan of this gifted writer and artist. His comic strip about two Moai on Easter Island, Monumental , is exclusive to my art and literary site, New Mystics. Pendleton illustrated the covers of two of my novels, as well as doing many additional illustrations for them. I am honored to have his art throughout my home. A few decades ago, I was privileged to read some of his unpublished short stories, about false memories, among other provocative topics. One scene in particular, involving a man in a bar getting a full-body tattoo, has stayed with me as though I read it yesterday. But I am not doing this review to talk in depth about any of those projects. The subject matter at hand is his long-awaited novel, More Argonauts: Another Argonautica . If you like Greek—and many other—myths, then this is a book for you. By way of warning (and no reader really should be warned, nor any writer have to suffer ...

  (Roundfire Books, 2024). ISBN: 978 1 80341 569 7 Penelope Holt’s new novel, The Angel Scroll , proves that the history meets mystery (or theological-thriller) genre popularized by the likes of Dan Brown, Barbara Wood, Paul Christopher, and Katherine Neville can have at its core a genuine humanness and examination of personal loss without sacrificing the searing pace, relentless intrigue, and globetrotting action its readers love and expect. The Angel Scroll is replete with the requisite cast of professors, artists, clergy, doctors, researchers, and rare manuscript and documents dealers and collectors that readers of the theological-thriller genre have come to expect and love. The main villain is suitably dark as well, with proclivities that should bring a considerable chill to your spine. This well-funded, well-connected cast of characters moves between Manhattan, Jerusalem, London, Rome, Milan, Northern France, and other intriguing, exotic locales in search of three paint...

   (2nd ed. Dimensionfold Publishing, 2024). ISBN: 978-1-989940-90-7 Last October, I had the pleasure of reviewing the follow-up to this book, Within Grasp . Since that time, this new edition, published in a beautiful 10 × 8 format by Dimensionfold Publishing, became available. I seized the opportunity to read it. W. Wallace Wagner, Jr., or Wally to his friends and colleagues, is an articulate, religious man who had a life-changing experience in 2016, when he encountered a Tic-Tac UFO (similar to the ones in the footage “leaked” by the Pentagon in 2020) as he was on his mail delivery route. As they have for many others, myself included, this profound experience led Wagner to reexamine everything he was taught in the Christian church. The result was two books that are required reading for anyone interested in biblical interpretation, UFOs throughout history, and a wide range of paranormal phenomena. I was impressed at the onset—and continue to be—by Wagner’s grasp of b...

    (Self-published, 2023). ISBN: 979-8-871896-14-3 I have to begin this review by saying this is one of the most compelling, convincing narratives of ET abduction I have ever read. This is no small compliment: over the past 15 years, after my own experience with missing time and strange occurrences, I have studied this field intensively, reading many books, interviewing abductees and contactees, and carefully considered the evidence. Although UFOlogists lament the lack of attention paid to your “everyday person,” and I have long been skeptical of the assumption that being a police officer or airline pilot makes that person’s report of an experience automatically more accurate and credible, there is something encouraging about the increasing numbers of medical professionals and scientists taking a serious look at UFOlogy. Dr. John Mack, Pulitzer Prize–winning Harvard psychiatrist, nearly lost his position in the university medical school because of his study of abductees. ...

(Self-published, 2009/2023). ISBN: 979-8-85775-271-5 In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report with the following statistics on the prevalence of obesity in America: 39.8% among adults aged 20 to 39 years, 44.3% among adults aged 40 to 59 years, and 41.5% among adults aged 60 and older. The CDC defines obesity as a Body Mass Index of 30 or above. A few weeks ago, I reviewed a book linking eating disorders with past life traumas. As I say in that review, although the case studies are compelling and the past life exercises had a lot of value, the first step is to explore what is happening in your current life that may be leading to overeating. Why Am I Eating This? provides resources for those ready to find answers to the question posed in my review. This is a new, expanded edition, covering cutting-edge topics such as the gut–brain connection. It offers additional questions Robertson has devised since the book’s original release in 2009. ...

 (Pisgah Press, 2023). ISBN: 978-1-942016-81-6 Amongst the masses of every generation, there are those who possess such a strong Vision, clear Voice, and dedication to the betterment of humankind that they rise above the noise with a message of Hope, Love, and Enlightenment to which we all should pay attention. Reverend Michael J. S. Carter, who shepherds a flock of Unitarian Universalists (UUs) in western North Carolina, is one of those rare individuals who possess both strength of Conviction and depth of Humility. If you watch the History Channel’s Ancient Aliens , you may have seen Rev. Carter. He is easy to spot—a rare African American voice in the world of UFOlogy and the paranormal. Having an actor’s training (he has led many intersecting, cumulatively synergistic lives), Rev. Carter has a pleasant voice, soothing cadence, and commanding presence. He knows of what he speaks. I first met my Reverend Brother several years ago, through a mutual colleague in UFOlogy. I ...