What do you think?
Rate this book
Beginner's Luke #1
Beginner's Luke
Who would you be if you could be anyone? go anywhere? do anything? Well, you can! Luke Soloman will show you how.
Luke is more than merely self-conscious. He is sui generis, literally believing himself into being. BEGINNER’S LUKE is the first novel in a series of six madcap adventures that, collectively, make up the imaginary life of this lovably irreverent modern-day Walter Mitty.
While titillating in the rambunctious tradition of Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac, this visionary debut equally impresses as a work of literary art. Luke’s signature obsessions with self, sex, satire and slapdash highlight a serious point: consciousness creates. The point is there is a point to living in the imagination-for only through it can we reinvent ourselves and our world.
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is a transformational novel, a manic manual of self-discovery, self-invention and renewal. It’s also one hell of a workshop in creative writing. Sol Luckman manages to evoke the spirit of some of the finest of America’s avant-garde writers, even while his unique voice remains clearly his own.” —Sean M. Poole, Eric Hoffer Award-winning author
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is a welcome start to what promises to be a mind-bending journey through the mind of the ultimate iconoclast.” —Apex Reviews
“A modern-day ALICE IN WONDERLAND, where anything can come alive when you start with a blank page … [Luckman] shows the reader that as individuals, we, too, have choices and potentials. There are no boundaries or rules to limit us.” —Reader Views
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is truly an experience that cannot adequately be described except to say that it is extraordinary and grabs one from the first word of the first chapter and never lets one go. Definitely a spiritual journey that you do not want to put down.” —Niama Williams, Ph.D., “Poetry & Prose & Anything Goes”
Luke is more than merely self-conscious. He is sui generis, literally believing himself into being. BEGINNER’S LUKE is the first novel in a series of six madcap adventures that, collectively, make up the imaginary life of this lovably irreverent modern-day Walter Mitty.
While titillating in the rambunctious tradition of Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac, this visionary debut equally impresses as a work of literary art. Luke’s signature obsessions with self, sex, satire and slapdash highlight a serious point: consciousness creates. The point is there is a point to living in the imagination-for only through it can we reinvent ourselves and our world.
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is a transformational novel, a manic manual of self-discovery, self-invention and renewal. It’s also one hell of a workshop in creative writing. Sol Luckman manages to evoke the spirit of some of the finest of America’s avant-garde writers, even while his unique voice remains clearly his own.” —Sean M. Poole, Eric Hoffer Award-winning author
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is a welcome start to what promises to be a mind-bending journey through the mind of the ultimate iconoclast.” —Apex Reviews
“A modern-day ALICE IN WONDERLAND, where anything can come alive when you start with a blank page … [Luckman] shows the reader that as individuals, we, too, have choices and potentials. There are no boundaries or rules to limit us.” —Reader Views
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is truly an experience that cannot adequately be described except to say that it is extraordinary and grabs one from the first word of the first chapter and never lets one go. Definitely a spiritual journey that you do not want to put down.” —Niama Williams, Ph.D., “Poetry & Prose & Anything Goes”
212 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 2007
36 people want to read
About the author
Sol Luckman
10 books179 followers🔥 A longtime researcher of shamanism and inner alchemy, Sol Luckman (https://solluckman.substack.com) is an iconoclastic psychonaut devoted to exploring the furthest reaches of human history and potential—wherever that investigation might lead.
👉 Of his new book, GET OUT OF HERE ALIVE, the multi-award-winning #1 Amazon Best Seller in Energy Healing as well as Alchemy, Indie Reader had this to say: “Blending shamanic wisdom, metaphysics, and energy medicine, Luckman invites readers on a journey toward self-realization and spiritual freedom ... Practical techniques for energy recovery, trauma release, and holistic restoration are interwoven with philosophical insights, making complex metaphysical ideas accessible and actionable. Luckman’s engaging prose and fearless exploration of esoteric topics provide a refreshing perspective on personal transformation.”
👀 Check out the exclusive audiobook serialization of GET OUT OF HERE ALIVE at https://solluckman.substack.com/p/imm.... Enjoy the exclusive companion text, OUT THROUGH THE IN DOOR, at https://solluckman.substack.com/p/new....
🏅 Luckman’s latest novel, CALI THE DESTROYER—a page-turner of a sci-fi tale set in an Orwellian future seeded in the dystopian present that radically rewrites Gnosticism as well as the origins of the earth and humanity—was selected as Winner of the 2022 NYC Big Book Award and 2022 National Indie Excellence Award for Visionary Fiction, Silver Medalist for Visionary Fiction in the 2022 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest, Finalist in both the New Age and Visionary Fiction categories of the 2021 International Book Awards, Finalist in both the Paranormal/Supernatural and Fantasy categories of the 2022 IAN Book of the Year Awards, and Distinguished Favorite for Audio Fiction in the 2022 NYC Big Book Awards.
👁 His previous novel, the multi-award-winning SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING, was a deep dive into Hindu mysticism, lucid dreaming, parallel universes, and cryptozoology described by INDIE SHAMAN Magazine as “superlative fiction.”
🧬 In his two international bestselling nonfiction books on the “revolutionary healing science” (NEXUS Magazine) of his own unique form of sound healing, the Regenetics Method, Luckman examined the critical role played by DNA and consciousness in healing, transformation, and evolution.
🤣 On the lighter side, Luckman is also an acclaimed humorist. Of his multi-award-winning satirical lexicon, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY, Readers’ Favorite remarked that he “picked up where writers like Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce had left off.”
🎨 More recently, Amazon #1 Best Seller artist memoir MUSINGS FROM A SMALL ISLAND combines fascinating autobiography, hilarious comedy and inspirational philosophy in a stunningly self-illustrated coffee table book any Lowcountry lover or contemporary art aficionado would be proud to display. “It was a joy reading the musings of Sol Luckman,” wrote artist Nancy Tobin for Readers’ Favorite. “So joyous, I’ll reread it. I may even buy one of his paintings.”
🙏 To learn more about Sol Luckman’s writing and artwork, subscribe to his newsletter and enjoy his hard-hitting exclusive ebook and audiobook, THE WORLD CULT & YOU: YOUR PLACE IN IT & YOUR WAY OUT OF IT, visit https://solluckman.substack.com.
👉 Of his new book, GET OUT OF HERE ALIVE, the multi-award-winning #1 Amazon Best Seller in Energy Healing as well as Alchemy, Indie Reader had this to say: “Blending shamanic wisdom, metaphysics, and energy medicine, Luckman invites readers on a journey toward self-realization and spiritual freedom ... Practical techniques for energy recovery, trauma release, and holistic restoration are interwoven with philosophical insights, making complex metaphysical ideas accessible and actionable. Luckman’s engaging prose and fearless exploration of esoteric topics provide a refreshing perspective on personal transformation.”
👀 Check out the exclusive audiobook serialization of GET OUT OF HERE ALIVE at https://solluckman.substack.com/p/imm.... Enjoy the exclusive companion text, OUT THROUGH THE IN DOOR, at https://solluckman.substack.com/p/new....
🏅 Luckman’s latest novel, CALI THE DESTROYER—a page-turner of a sci-fi tale set in an Orwellian future seeded in the dystopian present that radically rewrites Gnosticism as well as the origins of the earth and humanity—was selected as Winner of the 2022 NYC Big Book Award and 2022 National Indie Excellence Award for Visionary Fiction, Silver Medalist for Visionary Fiction in the 2022 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Contest, Finalist in both the New Age and Visionary Fiction categories of the 2021 International Book Awards, Finalist in both the Paranormal/Supernatural and Fantasy categories of the 2022 IAN Book of the Year Awards, and Distinguished Favorite for Audio Fiction in the 2022 NYC Big Book Awards.
👁 His previous novel, the multi-award-winning SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING, was a deep dive into Hindu mysticism, lucid dreaming, parallel universes, and cryptozoology described by INDIE SHAMAN Magazine as “superlative fiction.”
🧬 In his two international bestselling nonfiction books on the “revolutionary healing science” (NEXUS Magazine) of his own unique form of sound healing, the Regenetics Method, Luckman examined the critical role played by DNA and consciousness in healing, transformation, and evolution.
🤣 On the lighter side, Luckman is also an acclaimed humorist. Of his multi-award-winning satirical lexicon, THE ANGEL’S DICTIONARY, Readers’ Favorite remarked that he “picked up where writers like Mark Twain and Ambrose Bierce had left off.”
🎨 More recently, Amazon #1 Best Seller artist memoir MUSINGS FROM A SMALL ISLAND combines fascinating autobiography, hilarious comedy and inspirational philosophy in a stunningly self-illustrated coffee table book any Lowcountry lover or contemporary art aficionado would be proud to display. “It was a joy reading the musings of Sol Luckman,” wrote artist Nancy Tobin for Readers’ Favorite. “So joyous, I’ll reread it. I may even buy one of his paintings.”
🙏 To learn more about Sol Luckman’s writing and artwork, subscribe to his newsletter and enjoy his hard-hitting exclusive ebook and audiobook, THE WORLD CULT & YOU: YOUR PLACE IN IT & YOUR WAY OUT OF IT, visit https://solluckman.substack.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 12, 2013
Utterly amazing; this man is a complete genius.
The title gave me no real idea of what I was about to read but it has exceeded and transformed so many of my ideas about thinking and creativity. It breaks all the rules and yet makes perfect sense.
Highly recommended to writers and artists of all sorts, between the pages of this "imaginal" story, you will find some remarkable content.
Amazed that I didn't find this book earlier; an absolute literary gem that is on par with any classics you may have read. Pure brilliance.
The title gave me no real idea of what I was about to read but it has exceeded and transformed so many of my ideas about thinking and creativity. It breaks all the rules and yet makes perfect sense.
Highly recommended to writers and artists of all sorts, between the pages of this "imaginal" story, you will find some remarkable content.
Amazed that I didn't find this book earlier; an absolute literary gem that is on par with any classics you may have read. Pure brilliance.
August 29, 2014
Here are some reader and editorial reviews of BEGINNER'S LUKE ... To the Adventure!
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is a transformational novel, a manic manual of self-discovery, self-invention and renewal. It’s also one hell of a workshop in creative writing. Sol Luckman manages to evoke the spirit of some of the finest of America’s avant-garde writers, even while his unique voice remains clearly his own.” —Sean M. Poole, Eric Hoffer Award-winning author
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is a welcome start to what promises to be a mind-bending journey through the mind of the ultimate iconoclast.” —Apex Reviews
“A modern-day ALICE IN WONDERLAND, where anything can come alive when you start with a blank page … [Luckman] shows the reader that as individuals, we, too, have choices and potentials. There are no boundaries or rules to limit us.” —Reader Views
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is truly an experience that cannot adequately be described except to say that it is extraordinary and grabs one from the first word of the first chapter and never lets one go. Definitely a spiritual journey that you do not want to put down.” —Niama Williams, Ph.D.
“Sol Luckman’s writing makes BEGINNER’S LUKE a rewarding romp from start to finish. This is the sort of book that could easily have self-destructed in a lesser author’s hands, but Luckman makes it sing.” —Burt Kempner, Sarasota, Florida
“The self-seeking Adventure of Luke, a man groping his way around the confusingly metaphorical ‘New Age,’ is, in a way, the story of every enlightened soul finding their way around these confounding metaphysical times.” —Yael Lewis, Tel Aviv, Israel
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is an inspirational and darkly fun novel that is a ‘cannot put down’ book and definite movie material. I loved every minute of it.” —Robynn Bridgett, Cape Town, South Africa
“Luke’s story has a mighty moral: we’re making it all up! Our imagination is both seed and soil, water and sun. It’s how we cultivate our circumstances and fashion our future. Luke takes us on a tour of time and quaintly confuses the quantity and quality of something we’ve all come to take for granted, the timeline that creates cause and effect.” —Roseann Gabrys, Wyandotte, Michigan
“Some theories say we only use a small portion of our minds, that we have come as far (or as short) as we have while utilizing a relatively tiny amount of our intellect. If this is true, what could possibly be a catalyst to inspire further use of our untapped potential? One possible avenue for further expansion is the melding of what we perceive to be ‘real’ or ‘truthful’ and what we perceive to be ‘fantasy’ or ‘fallacy.’ BEGINNER’S LUKE weaves these two poles together to help the reader see the cage of conformity that we all, to some degree, dwell in.” —M. E. Bradley, Grand Rapids, Michigan
“Provocatively rich with vivid characters and descriptive emotion, BEGINNER’S LUKE is a flavorful page-turner that not only satisfies the hunger for poetic intellectual stimulation, but also introspective humor.” —Michelle Lawrence, Tempe, Arizona
“Instantly hooks you and won’t let go until the final page. Hold on for the ride: joy, despair, excitement, pain, pleasure, mystery and illusion all rolled into a salty-sweet, mind-bending, full-tilt trip toward liberation. Brilliant imagery, mentally and emotionally engaging, intimately open and often funny. Wonderful, rounding digressions from digression and journeys through experience and self-realization. Looking forward to THE TOY BUDDHA and more!” —Teresa Waybright
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is a transformational novel, a manic manual of self-discovery, self-invention and renewal. It’s also one hell of a workshop in creative writing. Sol Luckman manages to evoke the spirit of some of the finest of America’s avant-garde writers, even while his unique voice remains clearly his own.” —Sean M. Poole, Eric Hoffer Award-winning author
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is a welcome start to what promises to be a mind-bending journey through the mind of the ultimate iconoclast.” —Apex Reviews
“A modern-day ALICE IN WONDERLAND, where anything can come alive when you start with a blank page … [Luckman] shows the reader that as individuals, we, too, have choices and potentials. There are no boundaries or rules to limit us.” —Reader Views
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is truly an experience that cannot adequately be described except to say that it is extraordinary and grabs one from the first word of the first chapter and never lets one go. Definitely a spiritual journey that you do not want to put down.” —Niama Williams, Ph.D.
“Sol Luckman’s writing makes BEGINNER’S LUKE a rewarding romp from start to finish. This is the sort of book that could easily have self-destructed in a lesser author’s hands, but Luckman makes it sing.” —Burt Kempner, Sarasota, Florida
“The self-seeking Adventure of Luke, a man groping his way around the confusingly metaphorical ‘New Age,’ is, in a way, the story of every enlightened soul finding their way around these confounding metaphysical times.” —Yael Lewis, Tel Aviv, Israel
“BEGINNER’S LUKE is an inspirational and darkly fun novel that is a ‘cannot put down’ book and definite movie material. I loved every minute of it.” —Robynn Bridgett, Cape Town, South Africa
“Luke’s story has a mighty moral: we’re making it all up! Our imagination is both seed and soil, water and sun. It’s how we cultivate our circumstances and fashion our future. Luke takes us on a tour of time and quaintly confuses the quantity and quality of something we’ve all come to take for granted, the timeline that creates cause and effect.” —Roseann Gabrys, Wyandotte, Michigan
“Some theories say we only use a small portion of our minds, that we have come as far (or as short) as we have while utilizing a relatively tiny amount of our intellect. If this is true, what could possibly be a catalyst to inspire further use of our untapped potential? One possible avenue for further expansion is the melding of what we perceive to be ‘real’ or ‘truthful’ and what we perceive to be ‘fantasy’ or ‘fallacy.’ BEGINNER’S LUKE weaves these two poles together to help the reader see the cage of conformity that we all, to some degree, dwell in.” —M. E. Bradley, Grand Rapids, Michigan
“Provocatively rich with vivid characters and descriptive emotion, BEGINNER’S LUKE is a flavorful page-turner that not only satisfies the hunger for poetic intellectual stimulation, but also introspective humor.” —Michelle Lawrence, Tempe, Arizona
“Instantly hooks you and won’t let go until the final page. Hold on for the ride: joy, despair, excitement, pain, pleasure, mystery and illusion all rolled into a salty-sweet, mind-bending, full-tilt trip toward liberation. Brilliant imagery, mentally and emotionally engaging, intimately open and often funny. Wonderful, rounding digressions from digression and journeys through experience and self-realization. Looking forward to THE TOY BUDDHA and more!” —Teresa Waybright
January 1, 2015
Very different.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews