books

Spells of War — It’s here!

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It’s the big day! Spells of War is now available for online purchase from Smashwords and Amazon!

To get things going, I’m offering a special price of $1.25 each on The Magic Battery and Spells of War when you buy them on Smashwords through April 15. Each novel stands by itself, but naturally I’d like you to read them both. Enter the following coupon code on Smashwords: MH42X. Expires April 15, 2022. (Unfortunately, Amazon doesn’t let me offer discounts unless I give them exclusive rights to distribute my book.)

You can help spread the word about Spells of War! You can list and review it on Goodreads and LibraryThing. You can mention it in your favorite social media or your blog. Everything helps.

I’ll post updates on it on the Magic Battery page on Facebook. Sharing or Liking those updates is another way to help.

A reading from the novel is up on YouTube. You can watch it directly on YouTube or on the Spells of War page on this site.

Spells of War: Coming April 5!

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Spells of War cover
On Tuesday, April 5, barring unexpected events, Spells of War will be available on Smashwords and Kindle! Since the events of The Magic Battery, Thomas Lorenz has enjoyed success and happiness in Heidelberg, but now the Turks have acquired his secret of creating magical devices and are using it to create weapons of war. While he is off in Vienna aiding his Emperor’s cause, Frieda makes an important discovery about magic. The future of Europe and magic are at stake.

A short-lived discount code will be available when the book comes out, so be sure to check back then. Meanwhile, be sure to bookmark https://garymcgath.com/SOW. Please tell your friends, so they can get the book too. That’s what the sharing buttons are for.

Read an Ebook Week Sale: The Magic Battery

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Magic Battery coverThis week I’m participating in Smashwords’ Read an Ebook Week Sale, with 50% off the price of The Magic Battery. Many Smashwords authors are participating in this sale, so you’ll be able to stock up on other interesting books while you’re they’re. The sale runs from March 6 through 12, ending at 11:59 PM Pacific time. The discount applies only if you buy through Smashwords. While Smashwords isn’t as well-known as Kindle, it treats its authors and customers well, and it’s been my preferred publishing gateway for years.

You don’t need any coupons. You should be able to go there and get the $1.49 price. If you run into any problems, please let me know in the comments.

Power and royalty in Lord of the Rings

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J.R.R. Tolkien A major theme of Lord of the Rings is that power corrupts. It’s impossible to miss. The Ring represents the power to subjugate, conquer, and destroy. Sauron made it for that purpose. It has a magical aura that causes people who stay near it for long to want to possess and use it. It controls people more than they control it. Only Sauron can fully control the Ring.

Hobbits vs. authoritarianism

However, it doesn’t influence everyone equally. Hobbits are, with one major exception, less susceptible. Sam shows little interest in it, taking it only when he has to and returning it to Frodo with relative ease. It’s a huge burden on Frodo, but he doesn’t succumb to it until he reaches Mount Doom and faces the decision to destroy it. Merry and Pippin have no interest in acquiring it.
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Update on Uncle Hugo’s

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File 770 has an update on the effort to bring back Uncle Hugo’s. The bookstore was destroyed by a fire set by an unknown arsonist during last year’s Minneapolis riots. The article says, “Last month [Don Blyly] found three prospective buildings to consider – one would be satisfactory if he can get it for the right price.”

The fundraiser has raised nearly $200,000 and is still active.

Book discussion: Enlightenment Now

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Is the world going to hell? Are we all doomed? Steven Pinker has consistently argued that not only is this view mistaken, the long-term trends of the world show steady improvement in human well-being. Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress provides many specifics in support of this position.

Englightenment Now coverAlarm and disasters sell in the news media. People want to appear serious by citing problems rather than progress. Organizations looking to raise money or get people involved focus on what needs fixing. Taken together, they can create the impression that only terrible things are happening and they’re getting worse.
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Book review: For Faith and Freedom: A Short History of Unitarianism in Europe

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Cover, For Faith and FreedomThe title of this blog post includes the subtitle, because otherwise the book title sounds like a conservative political treatise. Charles Howe’s For Faith and Freedom is part of my growing research collection for the Thomas Lorenz novels. Before reading it, I was worried that Frieda might be unrealistically advanced in her views for the 16th century. After reading the accounts in this book, I understand better that it was entirely possible to launch a full-scale attack on the Christian orthodoxies of the day. You just had to take into account the likelihood of being denounced, physically attacked, arrested, imprisoned, tortured, and burned alive.
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