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Head of an Apostle
Deep in South-Western Germany, up in the lush hills of the Black Forest, Heinrich Eisenberg embarks on a strange personal journey which soon takes him over and reaches far beyond his control.
After devising an ingenious invention of sorts in the library of his grand house, his world is blown wide open and his life and the lives of many others are forever irreparably changed...
Head of an Apostle is a strange, challenging science-fiction novel which evolves and twists as it progresses and once read, will not be easily forgotten.
After devising an ingenious invention of sorts in the library of his grand house, his world is blown wide open and his life and the lives of many others are forever irreparably changed...
Head of an Apostle is a strange, challenging science-fiction novel which evolves and twists as it progresses and once read, will not be easily forgotten.
- GenresScience Fiction
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 24, 2011
2 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 9, 2020
I was given a copy of this book by the reviewer for an honest review and here is goes
Spoilers.......
I put down the spoiler heading because if you haven’t read “The Space Trilogy” by C.S. Lewis or “A Voyage to Arcturus” by David Lindsay this whole book is going to make you scratch your head and wonder “What in the heck did I just read”?
It is along those same lines and can’t be placed in any specific genre. Granted the whole time I was reading this I was thinking of the film Zardoz as well.
This is a story that has to be experienced to get a grasp of it. And everyone’s experience and perception is going to be different. So while you are reading this be open to it and see what unfolds.
Spoilers.......
I put down the spoiler heading because if you haven’t read “The Space Trilogy” by C.S. Lewis or “A Voyage to Arcturus” by David Lindsay this whole book is going to make you scratch your head and wonder “What in the heck did I just read”?
It is along those same lines and can’t be placed in any specific genre. Granted the whole time I was reading this I was thinking of the film Zardoz as well.
This is a story that has to be experienced to get a grasp of it. And everyone’s experience and perception is going to be different. So while you are reading this be open to it and see what unfolds.
September 11, 2019
I'm surprised and disappointed that other reviewers gave this novel one star and didn't explain why. I think one-star reviews should always be explained to help the author as much as to help other readers. That being said, there's a lot to appreciate about this book.
At first, I wasn't sure where the story was going. It starts with a man named Heinrich, who is writing in his journal after his wife has left him. Heinrich loves his garden and wants to create it inside his home via images and projectors, so he can enjoy it all year. He then decides to create a "viewing cube," from which he can see the night sky indoors as well. He uses a high-powered telescope and, again, the projectors, to see the sky in his own home. While he's viewing the night sky, a hole opens in the dark matter separating our universe from another, and Heinrich is granted a look at the "pure planet." What unfolds from this first viewing is the catalyst for what happens in the rest of the novel.
The beginning of the story moves very slowly. There are a lot of details about Heinrich's daily life that are unnecessary to the plot. The minute details about his construction of the viewing cube are very tedious. I don't know much about constructing and DIY projects so to speak, so reading these details was like reading another language. However, once the cube was constructed, and Heinrich experienced the views of the pure planet, my interest was piqued.
What follows is very interesting because the journal changes possession from character to character, with multiple people taking over where the others left off to continue the story. I loved how one thread ended and another began, explaining what had happened to the other thread and taking the story from there. What happens is extremely disturbing, particularly in Dr. Klein's sections. Dr. Klein is the head doctor of the psychiatric ward at a hospital, and he ends up working closely with four of the patients who have a common dream that connects to the pure planet. The five of them then have hallucinogenic dreams, each of which either contains disturbing imagery or philosophical ramblings that remind me of the Beat poets in their syncopated, stream-of-consciousness style and content. These sections are among my favorites because they made me pause to think and consider the content and its implications.
The end of the novel is possibly most disturbing of all. It's almost as if you begin this book, and all is calm and normal. But as you read, you faintly hear a warning siren in the background, like a European ambulance siren (the American ones just aren't as annoying or disturbing). Then, as you read, the siren becomes less and less a background noise, and the terror of the events builds until the siren is all you hear. At the end, the siren cuts off completely, without a decrescendo.
So, for me, what is most interesting about this book is the structure, the use of journal entries to tell the story, and the way the story progresses by the journal being passed around to different characters. But what is also most interesting (two things can be MOST interesting, right?) is the concept. I love the use of the Durer painting, Head of an Apostle, which connects Heinrich to the pure planet in interesting ways. What these characters do because they're told to do them and because they're searching for depth and meaning in their lives is disturbing to behold. You read this, feeling like you're watching people being corrupted, and you can see that they shouldn't do what they're doing, but you're powerless to stop them. The philosophy of the novel, in other words, is fascinating. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the pure planet and the science involved. Any book that combines philosophy and science is sure to hold my interest as those are two subjects I enjoy.
Why only three stars, then? The lengthy descriptions really do take away from my interest. They were hard to get through, though they don't take up the bulk of the novel. Otherwise, this would be a four-star read for me.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy science fiction and philosophy and who want to think more deeply about our motivations for our actions, what we rely on, search for, and listen to in order to find meaning, how dangerous it can be when you act blindly for a Cause and forget humanity, decency, and the power of being a human on Earth in the present, regardless of the flaws, great or small, we all experience in the world or contain within ourselves.
Give the novel a chance--it does take time to build, but when it does, the action is tense, and the story really unfolds in interesting ways!
*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, James, for sharing your book with me!
At first, I wasn't sure where the story was going. It starts with a man named Heinrich, who is writing in his journal after his wife has left him. Heinrich loves his garden and wants to create it inside his home via images and projectors, so he can enjoy it all year. He then decides to create a "viewing cube," from which he can see the night sky indoors as well. He uses a high-powered telescope and, again, the projectors, to see the sky in his own home. While he's viewing the night sky, a hole opens in the dark matter separating our universe from another, and Heinrich is granted a look at the "pure planet." What unfolds from this first viewing is the catalyst for what happens in the rest of the novel.
The beginning of the story moves very slowly. There are a lot of details about Heinrich's daily life that are unnecessary to the plot. The minute details about his construction of the viewing cube are very tedious. I don't know much about constructing and DIY projects so to speak, so reading these details was like reading another language. However, once the cube was constructed, and Heinrich experienced the views of the pure planet, my interest was piqued.
What follows is very interesting because the journal changes possession from character to character, with multiple people taking over where the others left off to continue the story. I loved how one thread ended and another began, explaining what had happened to the other thread and taking the story from there. What happens is extremely disturbing, particularly in Dr. Klein's sections. Dr. Klein is the head doctor of the psychiatric ward at a hospital, and he ends up working closely with four of the patients who have a common dream that connects to the pure planet. The five of them then have hallucinogenic dreams, each of which either contains disturbing imagery or philosophical ramblings that remind me of the Beat poets in their syncopated, stream-of-consciousness style and content. These sections are among my favorites because they made me pause to think and consider the content and its implications.
The end of the novel is possibly most disturbing of all. It's almost as if you begin this book, and all is calm and normal. But as you read, you faintly hear a warning siren in the background, like a European ambulance siren (the American ones just aren't as annoying or disturbing). Then, as you read, the siren becomes less and less a background noise, and the terror of the events builds until the siren is all you hear. At the end, the siren cuts off completely, without a decrescendo.
So, for me, what is most interesting about this book is the structure, the use of journal entries to tell the story, and the way the story progresses by the journal being passed around to different characters. But what is also most interesting (two things can be MOST interesting, right?) is the concept. I love the use of the Durer painting, Head of an Apostle, which connects Heinrich to the pure planet in interesting ways. What these characters do because they're told to do them and because they're searching for depth and meaning in their lives is disturbing to behold. You read this, feeling like you're watching people being corrupted, and you can see that they shouldn't do what they're doing, but you're powerless to stop them. The philosophy of the novel, in other words, is fascinating. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the pure planet and the science involved. Any book that combines philosophy and science is sure to hold my interest as those are two subjects I enjoy.
Why only three stars, then? The lengthy descriptions really do take away from my interest. They were hard to get through, though they don't take up the bulk of the novel. Otherwise, this would be a four-star read for me.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy science fiction and philosophy and who want to think more deeply about our motivations for our actions, what we rely on, search for, and listen to in order to find meaning, how dangerous it can be when you act blindly for a Cause and forget humanity, decency, and the power of being a human on Earth in the present, regardless of the flaws, great or small, we all experience in the world or contain within ourselves.
Give the novel a chance--it does take time to build, but when it does, the action is tense, and the story really unfolds in interesting ways!
*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, James, for sharing your book with me!
October 14, 2023
I don't know if any law, system of morality I subscribe to (currently or otherwise), or the goodreads terms of service compel me to note that the author of this book gave me a free copy, but there it is. It's also the first review where I expect the author will be reading it, but let's go.
Where to start? Even by the end, the meaning of the title isn't entirely clear. There are quite a few things that it could refer to - the painting, Heinrich's face, the fake apostle, the face in the mist. The common thread is that they're all images of falsity, some accidental and some deliberate. After the first few chapters, its clear to the reader that the characters are lying and being lied to, but seemingly desperate to believe otherwise.
The psychology of their actions I find hard to grasp. Are we to take their journal entries as merely a surface distraction that does not record their deeper motivations (which may be hidden to them), which come out in their actions?But in a purely epistolary novel, we're forced to take what is written as more or less true, in the context of the story, in the absence of contradictions. But why should we doubt their mentality and not the truth of their actions? Different characters exhibit different levels of contradiction. Heinrich seems the least conflicted, and comes to arguably the best end, while Klein exhibits the greatest contradiction between his portrait of himself and his actions.
The truth of the events of the novel is also suspect. My suspicion after the first couple chapters was that many of the preceding events were mere delusion. But thereafter, the events of the story seem to confirm their truth. On the other hand, very little of the novel would require that anything supernatural happen, and for what it does, the idea of a contagious insanity is not much more implausible. The characters are told that their world is an illusion, but their minds are not. At the same time, for the bulk of the story they are content to believe in mere representations of things they have never experienced.
But, did I enjoy it? It's hard to say. I like to think I enjoy stories out of the ordinary, but the insertion of several pages of stream of consciousness dreaming in the middle of a story is not my cup of tea. The early chapters can seem aimless and excessively mechanical. It certainly does pick up later, but I'm not sure it climbed as high as I hoped. The images and concepts of the pure planet, where the greatest extremities of the states of physical matter create a world in a beautiful cyclic stasis, were interesting. I enjoyed the spiralling insanity of the course of later events, and there is a certain "don't go in there!" satisfaction in the characters ignoring the grim warning they received, but then it ended all too quickly. It was as if the book became briefer and briefer the more interesting it became. I do appreciate an ending which I could call an apocalypse in both senses of the term. It seems that no good end can come to humanity now, whether the events of the book were true as such or not.
Where to start? Even by the end, the meaning of the title isn't entirely clear. There are quite a few things that it could refer to - the painting, Heinrich's face, the fake apostle, the face in the mist. The common thread is that they're all images of falsity, some accidental and some deliberate. After the first few chapters, its clear to the reader that the characters are lying and being lied to, but seemingly desperate to believe otherwise.
The psychology of their actions I find hard to grasp. Are we to take their journal entries as merely a surface distraction that does not record their deeper motivations (which may be hidden to them), which come out in their actions?
The truth of the events of the novel is also suspect. My suspicion after the first couple chapters was that many of the preceding events were mere delusion. But thereafter, the events of the story seem to confirm their truth. On the other hand, very little of the novel would require that anything supernatural happen, and for what it does, the idea of a contagious insanity is not much more implausible. The characters are told that their world is an illusion, but their minds are not. At the same time, for the bulk of the story they are content to believe in mere representations of things they have never experienced.
But, did I enjoy it? It's hard to say. I like to think I enjoy stories out of the ordinary, but the insertion of several pages of stream of consciousness dreaming in the middle of a story is not my cup of tea. The early chapters can seem aimless and excessively mechanical. It certainly does pick up later, but I'm not sure it climbed as high as I hoped. The images and concepts of the pure planet, where the greatest extremities of the states of physical matter create a world in a beautiful cyclic stasis, were interesting. I enjoyed the spiralling insanity of the course of later events, and there is a certain "don't go in there!" satisfaction in the characters ignoring the grim warning they received, but then it ended all too quickly. It was as if the book became briefer and briefer the more interesting it became. I do appreciate an ending which I could call an apocalypse in both senses of the term. It seems that no good end can come to humanity now, whether the events of the book were true as such or not.
August 24, 2020
Mass Hysteria and Contagious Insanity? The dangerous pitfalls of religions and systems of beliefs? Aliens, Alternate Universes, Unworldly environments and creatures, Cults... Stream of Consciousness philosophy... Murder, Psychedelic Voyages, Addiction, Naked People, Super-heated Lakes for disposing of bodies... This books got 'em all!
This is a bizarre novel and right up my alley. I enjoyed the weirdness and felt a lot of similarities to Hodgson's The House on the Borderland or David Lindsay's A Voyage to Arcturus. The first section of the novel also had a feeling of Well's The Time Machine (or other early, pulp sci-fi 'scientist describing their invention / discovery').
The final third or so of the book elicits a steadily growing sense of unease and horror... I kept expecting some final major freakout/terror in the end, but instead was just left with an unsettling 'un-resolution'.
This is a bizarre novel and right up my alley. I enjoyed the weirdness and felt a lot of similarities to Hodgson's The House on the Borderland or David Lindsay's A Voyage to Arcturus. The first section of the novel also had a feeling of Well's The Time Machine (or other early, pulp sci-fi 'scientist describing their invention / discovery').
The final third or so of the book elicits a steadily growing sense of unease and horror... I kept expecting some final major freakout/terror in the end, but instead was just left with an unsettling 'un-resolution'.
July 13, 2020
So far, so very weird and wonderful! It reminds me a bit of Hope Hodgson's Night Land. I am hampered by my total inability to visualise, rich passages of description are lost on me, but that is not the fault of the author.
Now I have finished, I have to say that I found it rather disturbing! It's very deep but very sad with a deeply pessimistic view of human life. A sense of life, as Ayn Rand would have said she didn't wholly like, and sadly neither do I. There's more to it all than this.
Now I have finished, I have to say that I found it rather disturbing! It's very deep but very sad with a deeply pessimistic view of human life. A sense of life, as Ayn Rand would have said she didn't wholly like, and sadly neither do I. There's more to it all than this.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews