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The Window - The Self-Story of Rithian Fast
Fabled in Dividualism - Locked Locket, O Happy Dagger
The Window - The Self-Story of Rithian Fast
Fabled in Dividualism - Locked Locket, O Happy Dagger
The Window - The Self-Story of Rithian Fast
An Anti-Novel by Ran McRill

ABOUT THE BOOK:
"Tis severe to sever the silent e, thereby softening the others; less so the u in Faust." --Fast
"A great design appears at first insane." -- Goethe, Faust
"In the dictionary as well! - Goethe is found to be just under the gods." -- Fast
Rithian Fast has made his Fastian Deal with the Devil, or rather, it was made upon him; a Tome was 'signed' in blood. He denies it stubbornly, even to the Foul Fiend's filthy face: "You do not exist!" But in the end, there is no evading it, no avoiding it; there is no believing it, no believing in it, or not. There is only The Desolate One come for his delicious soul! Twenty-Four years. The Door is closed ... to Real Eyes.
"Let us play a most serious game: Rithmomachia." -- Fast
"How could there be anything more selfish than the desire to save one's own precious soul!" -- Fast
This "Tale from Ahead," his Fast'sworded "Otto's Biography," a confused-at-best "Self-Story," is fastidiously penciled on these thin slivers of wood in chapter and verse, omitting chapters, yet umbly offering as surrogate a continuous chorus. It was played out in Rithian's one-room, as a means. To what end? Is this merely a temptingly timed attempt to save his own precious soul from that Great Pit of Eternal Pain? So it seems, though he does not believe it, or believe in it. A dream? A darkening nightmare? Doctor Fastus is tied-up tight, positioned jacket-straight in White Room, he thinks, simply circling in mind, though in a well-thought-through-and-thorough way, he thinks. Or, rather, time is up! He is stuck Below for all eternity! - redundantly and in contradiction. To grasp this! - is his Fast task; it is the human task.
"The senses are not senseless." -- Fast
"The Mute Ant sweetly spoke softly of the silent e." -- Fast
At tender-aged twelve, the Notes and Rithms were put upon the ears of our youthly Rith, the 6-Stringed and 88-Keyed. The fate was offered. The Fast One holemindedly grasped it, with all ten fingers of both hands. He quickly learned however, that with this noble art, comes a gravity, a noble deal. And, comes the great weight of that which is grave. Perchance in this darkest of depthly darkened cases a finding was found, a silent e to yield the others strong in sound, with ears both in depth percepted space. Just defied or justified, a Window is opened ... to the Real-Eyed.
"Even the lion knows! - not to share his pride." -- Fast
"Misunderstanding the dream. In the ages of crude primeval culture man believed that in dreams he got to know another real world; here is the origin of all metaphysics ... 'The dead live on; for they appear to the living in dreams'; this inference went unchallenged for many thousands of years." -- Nietzsche, Human, All-Too-Human
"Of this, one must not ask; tis as the silent e in its task." -- Fast
"The spirit of Rithian is within me!" -- Ian, student of Fast
Paperback: 316 pages
Publisher: James A Rock & Co Publishers (May 25, 2009)
"Tis severe to sever the silent e, thereby softening the others; less so the u in Faust." --Fast
"A great design appears at first insane." -- Goethe, Faust
"In the dictionary as well! - Goethe is found to be just under the gods." -- Fast
Rithian Fast has made his Fastian Deal with the Devil, or rather, it was made upon him; a Tome was 'signed' in blood. He denies it stubbornly, even to the Foul Fiend's filthy face: "You do not exist!" But in the end, there is no evading it, no avoiding it; there is no believing it, no believing in it, or not. There is only The Desolate One come for his delicious soul! Twenty-Four years. The Door is closed ... to Real Eyes.
"Let us play a most serious game: Rithmomachia." -- Fast
"How could there be anything more selfish than the desire to save one's own precious soul!" -- Fast
This "Tale from Ahead," his Fast'sworded "Otto's Biography," a confused-at-best "Self-Story," is fastidiously penciled on these thin slivers of wood in chapter and verse, omitting chapters, yet umbly offering as surrogate a continuous chorus. It was played out in Rithian's one-room, as a means. To what end? Is this merely a temptingly timed attempt to save his own precious soul from that Great Pit of Eternal Pain? So it seems, though he does not believe it, or believe in it. A dream? A darkening nightmare? Doctor Fastus is tied-up tight, positioned jacket-straight in White Room, he thinks, simply circling in mind, though in a well-thought-through-and-thorough way, he thinks. Or, rather, time is up! He is stuck Below for all eternity! - redundantly and in contradiction. To grasp this! - is his Fast task; it is the human task.
"The senses are not senseless." -- Fast
"The Mute Ant sweetly spoke softly of the silent e." -- Fast
At tender-aged twelve, the Notes and Rithms were put upon the ears of our youthly Rith, the 6-Stringed and 88-Keyed. The fate was offered. The Fast One holemindedly grasped it, with all ten fingers of both hands. He quickly learned however, that with this noble art, comes a gravity, a noble deal. And, comes the great weight of that which is grave. Perchance in this darkest of depthly darkened cases a finding was found, a silent e to yield the others strong in sound, with ears both in depth percepted space. Just defied or justified, a Window is opened ... to the Real-Eyed.
"Even the lion knows! - not to share his pride." -- Fast
"Misunderstanding the dream. In the ages of crude primeval culture man believed that in dreams he got to know another real world; here is the origin of all metaphysics ... 'The dead live on; for they appear to the living in dreams'; this inference went unchallenged for many thousands of years." -- Nietzsche, Human, All-Too-Human
"Of this, one must not ask; tis as the silent e in its task." -- Fast
"The spirit of Rithian is within me!" -- Ian, student of Fast
Paperback: 316 pages
Publisher: James A Rock & Co Publishers (May 25, 2009)
Fabled in Dividualism - Locked Locket, O Happy Dagger
A Bilogy by Ran McRill

ABOUT THE BOOK:
An adventurous tale of two cursed items, demons within, each briefly possessing
and being possessed by a mouse, a cat, some ants, a dog, a few flies, a spider,
more ants, a preying mantis, even more ants, and men! - until at last the useful
soul as a key is found, to unlock the others once Hell-bound. Herein too,
brutal battles of pismires, and others of legs six, four and two, viciously
persist, in life and death.
"Any animal knows it cannot share its pain." -- Fast
A fun read, fast-paced with a subtle humor at the hint, this work is
posed as prose in 24th-worded form, to yield a fabled story within, a
DIVIDUALIZED perspective. It is a book of dual relics in duel with youthly
possessors; a journey of desperate action for love, and, for blood; a struggle
to self-knowledge, and, to self-resistance; a saving of some, and, a losing of
others.
"The rest is duly noted in its proper, silent e form." -- Fast
Paperback: 160 pages
Pablisher: James A Rock & Co Publishers (January 10, 2012)
An adventurous tale of two cursed items, demons within, each briefly possessing
and being possessed by a mouse, a cat, some ants, a dog, a few flies, a spider,
more ants, a preying mantis, even more ants, and men! - until at last the useful
soul as a key is found, to unlock the others once Hell-bound. Herein too,
brutal battles of pismires, and others of legs six, four and two, viciously
persist, in life and death.
"Any animal knows it cannot share its pain." -- Fast
A fun read, fast-paced with a subtle humor at the hint, this work is
posed as prose in 24th-worded form, to yield a fabled story within, a
DIVIDUALIZED perspective. It is a book of dual relics in duel with youthly
possessors; a journey of desperate action for love, and, for blood; a struggle
to self-knowledge, and, to self-resistance; a saving of some, and, a losing of
others.
"The rest is duly noted in its proper, silent e form." -- Fast
Paperback: 160 pages
Pablisher: James A Rock & Co Publishers (January 10, 2012)
Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Review from Amazon.ca - "The Window - The Self Story of Rithian Fast"
5.0 out of 5 stars Hell is not a walk in the park, Oct 17 2009 By David Arrowsmith
Metaphysics and Mephistopheles? Are they separable or interminably entwined? Does the absolute of "free will" actually
free will? What is understanding, the self, or the nature of art? What is god or reality? Can we ever be positive about anything?
The Window: The Self Story of Rithian Fast, by Ran McRill is a fascinating and fearful journey through the measured artistic rambling 'Ranblings" of Rithian Fast, as Rithian recalls his progression from youth through early adulthood, toward midlife, and a descent into Hell. It is presented by a discoverer of scripts written by Rithian, transcribed from Rithian's "pencillings" on paper found in a Cabin in the Woods. The first person perspective grabs you right away, as you are placed directly in the mind of Rithian Fast. The words and phrases are initially confusing, but quickly understood, adding a lyrical component to the novel (a Rithswords reference is provided). You also see the workings of the mind, moving from artistic endeavours, to relationships, to obsessions, and most importantly philosophical enquiries. Each of these is different, some being straightforward, others using metaphors, all the while using tricks of the word and turns of a phrase to perhaps indicate a second, or third meaning.
Set out in three parts - The Trusting Woods; The High Towers of Stone; and The Windowless Room - a variety of interesting components are used to convey Rithian's uniqueness. But underneath it all, there appears another issue, one presumed common to all. It is humanity's struggle with perception, reality, existence, and individuality.
Rithian is relentless, occasionally overly simplistic, but always inspiring a new question, to a purpose unseen until the final part (starting with Verse 13), and unresolved (perhaps) until final Verse 24 - and even then, the one question that remains is - "what do I really know!"
I read the first two parts quite easily, once used to the presentation, and was lulled into a comfort from the cadence, dogged determination, and positive outlook. Although unorthodoxed, in many senses of the word, and challenging both in meter and unfamiliar contexts, I read each part a second time before proceeding to the third part, wanting to be sure I had not missed something - I was confused about somethings, but could not understand why, or where that came from.
Then I began the third and my confusion was clarified, slowly, methodically, and yet I still did not fully feel I understood. Perhaps that was because of the emotional impact of the story. I read it a second time, and it raised my fears further, questioned my beliefs or lack thereof further, and forced me to read it a third time. The third time was the most difficult, a living hell as it were, as I knew what was to come, dreaded it, yet hoped that this third time I would read it more as an
analyst, and less of an enthralling relentless suspense novel. That did not happen. But it did get me to question the validity of my own experience. And although I have not reached any conclusion to that, perhaps like the novel, I do accept the premise that indeed the Metaphysics and Mephistopheles are definitely entwined, perhaps inseparable. It all depends on the colour of the glass you are looking through. Perhaps.