What do you think?
Rate this book
Stillness #1
Stirring the Stillness Part 1: Voices of Quest
The replacement of humans has begun. It starts with the voices ...It is war-ravaged China in the 1930’s. John Powers and his fellow group of pilgrims are trying to evade Nationalist forces, communist rebels and the invading Japanese army, all while carrying a strange golden statue and searching for a mysterious woman known as Her. At the same time, John begins hearing voices insisting that he conceive a son with another of the travelers.
Who is Her? Why do the voices want John to have a son? Are the voices evidence that John has schizophrenia, as he fears? Or are they something else altogether?
The Stillness Series is a thought-provoking saga that contemplates the end of the human race as we know it. It begins with a small group of humans seeking a mysterious woman known as Her and culminates many generations later in the rise of a new, more powerful, and empathetic species, the Superior Ones.
Order your copy now or click “Read Sample” to start reading today.
Who is Her? Why do the voices want John to have a son? Are the voices evidence that John has schizophrenia, as he fears? Or are they something else altogether?
The Stillness Series is a thought-provoking saga that contemplates the end of the human race as we know it. It begins with a small group of humans seeking a mysterious woman known as Her and culminates many generations later in the rise of a new, more powerful, and empathetic species, the Superior Ones.
Order your copy now or click “Read Sample” to start reading today.
- GenresFantasy
476 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2025
35 people are currently reading
1397 people want to read
About the author
Richard Lee Ferguson
11 books79 followersThirty years in the making, The Stillness Series is an epic captivating, immersive saga that begins in 1930’s China with a small group of travelers and culminates in a future where humans are replaced by a superior, more empathetic species. Blending historical fiction, metaphysical sci-fi, speculative philosophy and magical realism, it explores themes of fate, destiny and human transformation.
It is a mesmerizing elegy not simply an apocalyptic tale; a requiem for humanity filled with cautious hope: that as our species bows out we leave behind the possibility that something gentler and wiser will bloom.
Find out more about The Stillness Series at my website; thestillnessseries.com
The books examine:
Evolution Through Suffering: Pain and madness are the crucibles from which a new species may emerge. This is not simply an apocalypse tale; it is a slow, mournful molting of one species into another.
Femininity as Creative/Destructive Force: The Goddess is both nurturing and annihilating. Her plan to birth Superior Ones is done in quiet defiance of God's fatalism and addiction to entropy.
Schizophrenia as Spiritual Initiation: John's voices are not just illness, they are ruptures in species-bound consciousness. Michael will inherit them, magnified.
Exile and Belonging: Every character is outcast—ethnically, ideologically, psychologically, spiritually. The cave becomes a crucible for their longing.
Time as Looped Catastrophe and Possibility: Future and past echo each other.
Book 1 is entitled: Stirring the Stillness Part 1, Voices of Quest.
Book 2 is entitled: Stirring the Stillness Part 2, Tortured Journey.
https://www.amazon.com/Stirring-Still...
https://www.amazon.com/Stirring-Still...
Free downloads of the first book are available for a limited time through the Goodreads giveaway program. Any reviews would be appreciated. Thank you so much.
I have been passionate about Asia from a young age when my father, a Marine officer, told me stories about war-torn China. My passion grew deeper as a result of my own experiences in Vietnam where I spent almost a year in the jungle fighting the Viet Cong, the North Vietnamese Army, and malaria. After returning from the war, I obtained a Master's Degree in Asian Studies; learned to speak, read and write Chinese; established numerous businesses in Asia; and became an international lawyer. I practiced international law, advised businesses on their global operations and strategies, lectured at local universities on Asian culture and business law, traveled frequently to Asia, participated in seminars in Vietnam and China for business and government leaders, and taught graduate students at the University of San Diego (UCSD) and San Diego State University. I currently live with my wife in a secluded rural town veiled by the forests of Northern California writing and teaching young students the values of analytical thinking and questioning. The Stillness Series came about for many reasons, but the four most important involve a Vietnamese woman giving birth in the middle of a monsoon, a dead North Vietnamese soldier, Homer's Iliad, and schizophrenia.
It is a mesmerizing elegy not simply an apocalyptic tale; a requiem for humanity filled with cautious hope: that as our species bows out we leave behind the possibility that something gentler and wiser will bloom.
Find out more about The Stillness Series at my website; thestillnessseries.com
The books examine:
Evolution Through Suffering: Pain and madness are the crucibles from which a new species may emerge. This is not simply an apocalypse tale; it is a slow, mournful molting of one species into another.
Femininity as Creative/Destructive Force: The Goddess is both nurturing and annihilating. Her plan to birth Superior Ones is done in quiet defiance of God's fatalism and addiction to entropy.
Schizophrenia as Spiritual Initiation: John's voices are not just illness, they are ruptures in species-bound consciousness. Michael will inherit them, magnified.
Exile and Belonging: Every character is outcast—ethnically, ideologically, psychologically, spiritually. The cave becomes a crucible for their longing.
Time as Looped Catastrophe and Possibility: Future and past echo each other.
Book 1 is entitled: Stirring the Stillness Part 1, Voices of Quest.
Book 2 is entitled: Stirring the Stillness Part 2, Tortured Journey.
https://www.amazon.com/Stirring-Still...
https://www.amazon.com/Stirring-Still...
Free downloads of the first book are available for a limited time through the Goodreads giveaway program. Any reviews would be appreciated. Thank you so much.
I have been passionate about Asia from a young age when my father, a Marine officer, told me stories about war-torn China. My passion grew deeper as a result of my own experiences in Vietnam where I spent almost a year in the jungle fighting the Viet Cong, the North Vietnamese Army, and malaria. After returning from the war, I obtained a Master's Degree in Asian Studies; learned to speak, read and write Chinese; established numerous businesses in Asia; and became an international lawyer. I practiced international law, advised businesses on their global operations and strategies, lectured at local universities on Asian culture and business law, traveled frequently to Asia, participated in seminars in Vietnam and China for business and government leaders, and taught graduate students at the University of San Diego (UCSD) and San Diego State University. I currently live with my wife in a secluded rural town veiled by the forests of Northern California writing and teaching young students the values of analytical thinking and questioning. The Stillness Series came about for many reasons, but the four most important involve a Vietnamese woman giving birth in the middle of a monsoon, a dead North Vietnamese soldier, Homer's Iliad, and schizophrenia.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 5, 2025
A Mesmerizing Read
Stirring the Stillness is a philosophical book, but also a period piece which covers the era when China was invaded by the Japanese in the late 1930s. Esoteric in nature, it describes an interesting journey of John Powers, an American, who after a paranormal encounter with a female entity, was compelled to come to China. He and fellow travellers, including the beautiful Bai Meiying embark on an odyssey to deliver a remarkable statue, the Precious Object, a golden statue of a goddess, to safety. The physical journey parallels the travellers’ spiritual journey toward enlightenment. The tone of the book is mysterious and is the first book in the trilogy. It’s a mesmerizing read.
Stirring the Stillness is a philosophical book, but also a period piece which covers the era when China was invaded by the Japanese in the late 1930s. Esoteric in nature, it describes an interesting journey of John Powers, an American, who after a paranormal encounter with a female entity, was compelled to come to China. He and fellow travellers, including the beautiful Bai Meiying embark on an odyssey to deliver a remarkable statue, the Precious Object, a golden statue of a goddess, to safety. The physical journey parallels the travellers’ spiritual journey toward enlightenment. The tone of the book is mysterious and is the first book in the trilogy. It’s a mesmerizing read.
November 22, 2025
I won this in a giveaway
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2025
When I began the first volume of ‘Stilling the Stillness: Voices of Quest’ (2025), I was intrigued by the author’s own description of it as “A Visionary, Metaphysical, Sci-fi and Magical Realism” novel. Surely, one novel couldn't be all that, was my limited vision.
In fact, it is all that, and much, much more. It started very slow, but that was only the gathering of the eagles, so to speak. Set in the time of the Japanese invasion of Shanghai and Nanjing in 1937, it begins with a disparate group of refugees banding together to escape from Nanjing for a safe haven .
From there, the novel takes on, as promised, the mantle of magical realism, schizophrenia and metaphysics, as they are guided on their journey by a Goddess, who takes possession of the mind of one of two Americans in the group, John Powers, and speaks to him, rather as an Oracle, in riddles. In some ways, this explains to me John’s growing weakness, almost despair, as he feels impotent to help any of his friends on their journey forward, so fraught with danger from all sides: the Japanese at their heels, Chinese warlords ahead of them, communists to one side, nationalists on the other and common highway thieves and murderers all around them, to say nothing of false friends or deserters among themselves, all of them united in their hatred of the foreigner.
From the world of espionage, comes the idea of eidetics - a code hidden in plain sight, like an image of say, a pyramid in the left eye of a copy of a portrait of the Mona Lisa. Here the idea suggests itself strongly in the idea of a Goddess of her taps or her voices, as well as the God’s, with the nightmares he sends. One prophesies that a son shall be born of John and the beautiful Meiying, one of their group. The other foretells the end of the human race. They speak only to John, and speak loudly, so the cause of John’s schizophrenia is clear enough.
In science fiction, paranormal phenomena, psychic powers, and extra sensory perception all go under the general heading of psionics, of psi. In this novel, there is naturally a lot of that, with the box-tapping, and friendly(?) men and women who appear and disappear apparently from nowhere, but who, in this novel, seem to be generally benevolent. Feng Sherin is one of these, and so is a woman called Lihua, who helps Bai Meijing until she is found one day with her throat cut.
Feng Sherin is a man who comes and goes as he pleases; he will not disclose anything about himself, and by and large, the group tend to distrust him, although he has appeared unexpectedly at times and rescued one or two of the group who was lost or in terrible danger. However, he cannot help when a friendly American, Peter Hedley, belonging to the group, is savagely murdered, nor can be help when the woman earmarked as John's future mate and mother of his son is kidnapped before their eyes by the Japanese. Nor can he find her thereafter.
Now Feng Sherin is a character in the historical Chinese novel, ‘The Romance of the Three Kingdoms,’ attributed to Luo Guanzhong. Feng (sometimes Fu) Shiren was known to be a traitor, and later was executed. So why the use of this particular name for such a character? John, indeed, suspects him of having something to do relating to Peter’s murder. So is this mysterious Feng Sherin an eidetic character? Psi he certainly seems to be! Is he a traitor or a true friend?
As may be expected of a book of such scope, atmospherics plays a major role in creating an air of constant fear, hunger and tension. As the little band moves on, only one person knows their exact destination, but will not divulge it. Nor is it easy to reach this destination in a straight line, because of the dangers along the way. Several persons of the group are killed by enemy action or murdered. Others go missing, or are kidnapped. Shelter is increasingly more dangerous when something is found.
This does not make for in-depth character building, but we do get delightful sketches of some of the more interesting persons like Feng Sherin. One thing did strike me as unusual - the emphasis on the fact that Bai Meiying is a lesbian. This may be because she is destined to be the future mother of a new generation. Given the multiple rapes she is subjected to, she would of course loathe the sight of any man. But I am disturbed by the implication that whether a woman is a lesbian or not, her natural vocation is to be a childbearer only. Never a lover, beloved for her own sake, or even a mother.
I also found the idea of homosexuality being equated with themes of cruelty, dominance, brutality, perversion and sadism unlikely and improbable. Men can be sadistic, brutal and cruel without necessarily being homosexual. Conversely, a man who is gay simply does not have to be a sadist or a pervert.
We are left within the borders of Mongolia, and to find out what happened to the Quest, the little band, Meiying and John, have to go to the next book.
In fact, it is all that, and much, much more. It started very slow, but that was only the gathering of the eagles, so to speak. Set in the time of the Japanese invasion of Shanghai and Nanjing in 1937, it begins with a disparate group of refugees banding together to escape from Nanjing for a safe haven .
From there, the novel takes on, as promised, the mantle of magical realism, schizophrenia and metaphysics, as they are guided on their journey by a Goddess, who takes possession of the mind of one of two Americans in the group, John Powers, and speaks to him, rather as an Oracle, in riddles. In some ways, this explains to me John’s growing weakness, almost despair, as he feels impotent to help any of his friends on their journey forward, so fraught with danger from all sides: the Japanese at their heels, Chinese warlords ahead of them, communists to one side, nationalists on the other and common highway thieves and murderers all around them, to say nothing of false friends or deserters among themselves, all of them united in their hatred of the foreigner.
From the world of espionage, comes the idea of eidetics - a code hidden in plain sight, like an image of say, a pyramid in the left eye of a copy of a portrait of the Mona Lisa. Here the idea suggests itself strongly in the idea of a Goddess of her taps or her voices, as well as the God’s, with the nightmares he sends. One prophesies that a son shall be born of John and the beautiful Meiying, one of their group. The other foretells the end of the human race. They speak only to John, and speak loudly, so the cause of John’s schizophrenia is clear enough.
In science fiction, paranormal phenomena, psychic powers, and extra sensory perception all go under the general heading of psionics, of psi. In this novel, there is naturally a lot of that, with the box-tapping, and friendly(?) men and women who appear and disappear apparently from nowhere, but who, in this novel, seem to be generally benevolent. Feng Sherin is one of these, and so is a woman called Lihua, who helps Bai Meijing until she is found one day with her throat cut.
Feng Sherin is a man who comes and goes as he pleases; he will not disclose anything about himself, and by and large, the group tend to distrust him, although he has appeared unexpectedly at times and rescued one or two of the group who was lost or in terrible danger. However, he cannot help when a friendly American, Peter Hedley, belonging to the group, is savagely murdered, nor can be help when the woman earmarked as John's future mate and mother of his son is kidnapped before their eyes by the Japanese. Nor can he find her thereafter.
Now Feng Sherin is a character in the historical Chinese novel, ‘The Romance of the Three Kingdoms,’ attributed to Luo Guanzhong. Feng (sometimes Fu) Shiren was known to be a traitor, and later was executed. So why the use of this particular name for such a character? John, indeed, suspects him of having something to do relating to Peter’s murder. So is this mysterious Feng Sherin an eidetic character? Psi he certainly seems to be! Is he a traitor or a true friend?
As may be expected of a book of such scope, atmospherics plays a major role in creating an air of constant fear, hunger and tension. As the little band moves on, only one person knows their exact destination, but will not divulge it. Nor is it easy to reach this destination in a straight line, because of the dangers along the way. Several persons of the group are killed by enemy action or murdered. Others go missing, or are kidnapped. Shelter is increasingly more dangerous when something is found.
This does not make for in-depth character building, but we do get delightful sketches of some of the more interesting persons like Feng Sherin. One thing did strike me as unusual - the emphasis on the fact that Bai Meiying is a lesbian. This may be because she is destined to be the future mother of a new generation. Given the multiple rapes she is subjected to, she would of course loathe the sight of any man. But I am disturbed by the implication that whether a woman is a lesbian or not, her natural vocation is to be a childbearer only. Never a lover, beloved for her own sake, or even a mother.
I also found the idea of homosexuality being equated with themes of cruelty, dominance, brutality, perversion and sadism unlikely and improbable. Men can be sadistic, brutal and cruel without necessarily being homosexual. Conversely, a man who is gay simply does not have to be a sadist or a pervert.
We are left within the borders of Mongolia, and to find out what happened to the Quest, the little band, Meiying and John, have to go to the next book.
April 6, 2025
The Stilness Series (10 books) has been thirty years in the making.
Book 1: Stirring the Stillness Part 1, Voices of Quest
Book 2: Stirring the Stillness Part 2, Tortured Journey
Basic Premise: Humankind is replaced by a superior, more empathetic species known as the Superior Ones.
This work is heavily thematic, in the best possible way:
🧠 Schizophrenia vs Spiritual Awakening
Schizophrenia is used not only as a metaphor, but as an actual liminal state—where a deeper evolutionary truth might lie. This is brave, profound, and original. It is never cheapened. The ambiguity remains, which makes it powerful.
🧬 Evolution of Humanity
The Superior Ones are not superheroes. They’re deeply sensitive, often lost, sometimes children. That slow emergence across the Series is mesmerizing. This is not preaching transhumanism—rather it is mourning humanity’s brokenness and tentatively proposing something more empathetic, more evolved.
🌗 God vs Goddess
The dialectic between the "schizophrenic" Voices—God and Goddess—First Principles vs Compassion, Law vs Love—is a sustained metaphysical conflict. Neither is “right.” Their conflict is the world.
⚔️ War, Trauma, Legacy
World War II in China and the Vietnam war aren't just backdrops; they are part of the psychic soil the characters grow in. John’s haunting in Vietnam, Meiying’s rape, Michael’s eventual drafting—they all echo across the series like bells tolling through time.
Book 1: Stirring the Stillness Part 1, Voices of Quest
Book 2: Stirring the Stillness Part 2, Tortured Journey
Basic Premise: Humankind is replaced by a superior, more empathetic species known as the Superior Ones.
This work is heavily thematic, in the best possible way:
🧠 Schizophrenia vs Spiritual Awakening
Schizophrenia is used not only as a metaphor, but as an actual liminal state—where a deeper evolutionary truth might lie. This is brave, profound, and original. It is never cheapened. The ambiguity remains, which makes it powerful.
🧬 Evolution of Humanity
The Superior Ones are not superheroes. They’re deeply sensitive, often lost, sometimes children. That slow emergence across the Series is mesmerizing. This is not preaching transhumanism—rather it is mourning humanity’s brokenness and tentatively proposing something more empathetic, more evolved.
🌗 God vs Goddess
The dialectic between the "schizophrenic" Voices—God and Goddess—First Principles vs Compassion, Law vs Love—is a sustained metaphysical conflict. Neither is “right.” Their conflict is the world.
⚔️ War, Trauma, Legacy
World War II in China and the Vietnam war aren't just backdrops; they are part of the psychic soil the characters grow in. John’s haunting in Vietnam, Meiying’s rape, Michael’s eventual drafting—they all echo across the series like bells tolling through time.
May 23, 2025
When I read the "About this book" in my mind I was thinking of "The Stand". A group of people hear a voice/voices "Her" and go in search of "Her" while carrying a mysterious gold statue that they really have no idea why. It is China in the 1930s, war is still going on, and the leader of the group is hearing another voice telling him that he will be having a child with one of the other travelers in his group. This seems a bit off of the story line, and it is not clear if John is following the voice of "Her" as the others hear, but is falling into his fear of having schizophrenia and maybe the voice isn't real. In any case, we follow a very long and somewhat tiring journey with this pilgrims who ultimately may find answers or lose each other and themselves because they just don't seem to have a good plan about where they are headed and why. This novel was long, tiresome, and took me several attempts to finish (but I did finish), but was confusing, had too many characters and the story lines branched off in directions that didn't make sense to me.
Disclaimer - I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway.
Disclaimer - I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway.
October 16, 2025
It is the 1930s, and China is plagued by war. John Powers is leading a group of pilgrims who are beset on all fronts by enemies, including the Japanese army, communist rebels, and Nationalist forces. They carry with them a statue of mysterious origin, and they are looking for Her, a powerful being who will help to guide them. John begins to hear a voice which tells him that he must conceive a child with one of his allies. What does it all mean?
This novel belongs to several genres. It’s fantasy, historical fiction, and mysticism rolled into one. The author has a vivid imagination and marries all of these elements together wonderfully. The concept is original, the writing compelling, and where the novel is going will keep the reader guessing until the very last page.
This novel belongs to several genres. It’s fantasy, historical fiction, and mysticism rolled into one. The author has a vivid imagination and marries all of these elements together wonderfully. The concept is original, the writing compelling, and where the novel is going will keep the reader guessing until the very last page.
October 22, 2025
I really like this book.
I really liked this book. Set in the 1930s, when China was ravaged by war, a group of pilgrims are attacked by different factions, from communist rebels to nationalists. The pilgrims carry a statue of mysterious origin; this powerful being guides them. Our protagonist, John, begins to hear voices urging him to have a child with one of his allies. This is where the story takes a turn we didn't expect. The author's work on this book is incredible, as it is rich in imagination and the development of characters like John. This book had me hooked from beginning to end. Definitely a book worth reading. Highly recommended for lovers of adventure and fantasy books.
I really liked this book. Set in the 1930s, when China was ravaged by war, a group of pilgrims are attacked by different factions, from communist rebels to nationalists. The pilgrims carry a statue of mysterious origin; this powerful being guides them. Our protagonist, John, begins to hear voices urging him to have a child with one of his allies. This is where the story takes a turn we didn't expect. The author's work on this book is incredible, as it is rich in imagination and the development of characters like John. This book had me hooked from beginning to end. Definitely a book worth reading. Highly recommended for lovers of adventure and fantasy books.
October 24, 2025
If you are looking for a gripping novel to immerse yourself in, this is the one to choose. ‘’Stirring the Stillness’’ is the first book of the Voices of Quest series. Here you will immerse yourself in the world of John Powers and his journey through China, trying to save the human race. With an epic fantasy tone, this novel creates mystery, depth, and historical richness. One of the things that you are going to find in this novel is a descriptive and symbolic voice when it evokes temples and paranormal things. Plus, the plot twists create a roller coaster of emotions filled with danger
August 10, 2025
It really took creativity to hatch such a plot. The narrative is set in the manner of a son writing about his father who is strangely burdened by the voices of this Precious Object to conceive him with the most unlikely partner, a lesbian who plays piano very well. The war raging between China and Japan adds yet another layer of intrigue.
August 14, 2025
Captivating
A captivating start to a visionary saga. The mix of historical setting, mystical voices, and high stakes journey kept me hooked. It’s thought provoking, full of intrigue, and layered blending war drama with metaphysical mystery in a way that makes you eager to continue the series.
A captivating start to a visionary saga. The mix of historical setting, mystical voices, and high stakes journey kept me hooked. It’s thought provoking, full of intrigue, and layered blending war drama with metaphysical mystery in a way that makes you eager to continue the series.
May 20, 2025
Great start to series.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews