Book review: The Brentridge Gold: The Pleiades Portals Series by W. Lambert III

While I usually won’t read Westerns, the idea of one involving “Ancient Astronauts” intrigued me, because I love science fiction! The science fiction and adventure elements keep sneaking into the narrative, along with hints of possible supernatural activity. Still, author W. Lambert III stays tightly focused on the Western-style hero, David Brentridge.

In fact, David takes up most of the ink in this book. We often see only him, or just him with brief appearances from the other characters. Fortunately, Lambert makes David a unique and fascinating character who slowly reveals more and more about himself and his family through his actions, dialogue, and thoughts.

The people who keep crossing David’s path in one way or another might want the Brentridge gold, and he rarely can decide which of them to trust. Lambert even holds back from the readers why the gold involves so many secrets, far beyond any obvious fortune, but he gives us fascinating hints and glimpses through David and an ancient shaman. He also gives a fast-paced, unpredictable read.

Gay romance, gay relationships

Gay men, please read Home, a gay love poem from my book Holding Me Together: Essays and Poems. Just above Home, you’ll find a link that says “Email.” You can use that link to send Home to your partner and/or your friends, as a free e-card (electronic greeting card). It would make a great gesture, for Valentine’s Day, or any day. Please tell others about that poem! With certain people trying to pass legislation and even a constitutional amendment to discriminate against gay couples, we need to remember the love that exists within gay relationships.

Another honor for my books!

My publisher, iUniverse, recently added Holding Me Together and Degranon to their “Editor’s Choice” series, thanks to the StoneWall Society awards those books received. The Acorn Stories was already a part of that series.

Articles About Fred Phelps’s Westboro Baptist Church visiting Lubbock in Jan. 2004.

Some of the best and earliest coverage came from Fox 34, but their website is under reconstruction.

KCBD.Com: Kansas Church Brings Protest to Lubbock

Lubbock Online: Picketers Only Want to Provoke

ABC 28: Tech Radio Station To Ask For Donations Amidst Protests (Note: that event was cancelled, due to possible FCC problems.)

ABC 28: Controversial Minister To Demonstrate In Lubbock

The Austin Chronicle: Beyond City Limits

HubStuff: Hate is NOT a Family Value (In PDF file of Volume 2, No.3: January 9, 2004. May require free download of Adobe Acrobat. A follow-up article appears in Volume 2, No.4, January 16, 2004.)

KCBD.Com: Anti-Gay Group Schedules Protest in Lubbock

My Announcement from Rainbow: Lubbock

Texas Triangle: Boise Rejects Phelps’ Monument of Hate, Lubbock Next (Scroll to bottom of page.)



My comments:

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church marched with anti-gay signs (God hates fags, etc.) or anti-American signs (God hates America, Thank God for September the 11th, etc.), with at least one member literally stepping all over an American flag while dragging it on the ground. Pastor Fred Phelps, who kept bragging about his plans for Lubbock, didn’t even show up with his followers.

Though the invaders made themselves look bad, Lubbock made itself look good. The Westboro Baptist Church invasion only brought more unity and visibility to the local gay community, as well as more unity between the local gay community and the larger Lubbock community. RAINBOW Project outnumbered WBC tenfold (about 150 to about 15), protesting peacefully and sanely.

Metropolitan Community Church, PFLAG, Queers & Allies, and various others raised money for charities such as South Plains AIDS Resource Center (SPARC), the South Plains Food Bank, and the United Way, transforming all the attention on WBC into attention on more important matters.