Would You Publish A Story You Found? What If The Writer Returns, Or What If He Never Existed?
Las Vegas, NV – J.E. Rainey never knew Arthur Spevak, but it was Spevak’s manuscript that Rainey discovered in a trunk overgrown with blackberries behind his house. Believing himself to be the fortunate messenger for a man so unique, Rainey felt it an obligation to present Honor and Entropy (and calling it Lost Lobo Books) to the world.
Honor and Entropy is an epic adventure about the intertwining lives of two young men: one, Telly Brensen, a classic hero; the other, Arthur Spevak, an uproarious anti-hero, dragged into a quest so consuming it takes over his life.
Telly Brensen longs for his father, missing since WWII, and despises his mother’s suitors. When her priceless ring disappears, this ignites his long smoldering rage. He hunts down the ring, maiming the thug who has it, and even though this frees a man wrongfully imprisoned for taking it, he is prosecuted into choosing between the Marines or jail. His choice lands him in Vietnam where he carries out an act of extraordinary valor. Unfortunately, a gunfight with a jealous NCO turns a Medal of Honor nomination into a dishonorable discharge. Four years later, with reasons to live fading fast, Telly gets a tip concerning his father. He tracks down old friend Arthur Spevak, solicits him for backup, and sets off alone…for Borneo.
Unknown to Telly, Spevak is a tormented soul in his own right. Once orphaned, a sense of worthlessness sabotages his every attempt at romance and, in desperation, he too joins the Marines. But when sent to Vietnam, his anger at the world for driving him to such measures will not abate and he becomes a notorious rogue – until the death of a brave friend sends him home with new self-loathing. By the time Telly finds him, he is living on a Chinese mountainside; alone, aimless and broke. Since they never crossed paths in the war each is ignorant of the other’s disgrace, and they make an awkward pact. Then Telly vanishes, and Spevak reluctantly picks up the trail – unaware of how far the journey will one day take him.
Rainey hopes that readers will be moved by the same sense of wonder he was when uncovering this lost tale. He says he likes to think that Spevak will one day reappear and reintroduce himself. But what do we know of Rainey, other than he is a man who says he found the manuscript? What part does he really play in all of this? He says he believed the story to be an authentic memoir, but is now unsure, and that Spevak may have made the whole thing up. Does Spevak even exist? It is ultimately up to the reader to decide.
For more information on this extraordinary book, please visit: www.honorandentropy.com.
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TIP SHEET:
Clayton Clifford Bye, Book Reviews: “…There really is a terrific, well thought-out, and expertly told mystery here. And some of it runs through the many sub-plots and the characters who people them…Arthur Spevak’s Honor & Entropy, with the exception of some Ayn Rand moments…has been the most enjoyable…in a very long time. Arthur Spevak claims he is not an author. This just isn’t so. I get the feeling his characters and settings are real to him. And so these things become real to me. That, dear reader, is the job description of an author.”
David Thirtyacre: “It’s about time. The first novel which effectively paints the picture of life’s struggle; that between what’s right, what we choose to do, and the unpredictable outcome. The hero’s epic journey, bouncing between hero and zero, effectively illustrates the strange web we weave called life. But what about the other side, those who always look for the way out? Honor and Entropy charges head long into the battle of life, the choices, and never-ending mosaic it creates.”
Norman D. Park: “Honor & Entropy is an adventure woven through with layers of myth, allusion, historical fact, philosophy, and humor – and all of that stretched across a canvas of first and third person writing that never lets up. The characters are unforgettable, and the sub-plots keep the pot boiling. I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed a story quite so much. Like a great meal, it’s one of those things the mind keeps savoring.”
