Eetoo

by Robby Charters

  Utz (fictional) A non-human creature that's approximately twice the size of a human, has knees that bend so that the feet come to the front like a bird's, and the crown of the head consisting of a translucent dome. The cranial dome can glow to show various emotions and dispositions, and can impart various feelings, good and bad, to those close by. The Utz also has more than one vocal/listening organ. Besides the usual sense organs on the face, they have two tactical like tubes, through which they can listen and speak, thus hold more than one conversation at a time. Their brain capacity is such that this sort of multi-tasking is no problem for them. They also sense other things, such as the presence of various forms of life in other parts of the galaxy. Their mating call can be picked up by other Utzes throughout the galaxy. The Utz and the Groki are both sub species of the same genus. The Utz differs from the Groki in that they are larger, their life-cycles are slower, they live longer, and there are far fewer of them than the Groki. They tend to take things slower, have a deep regard for life in every form. (see also Groki)

  Yakov: (Hebrew/factual) Correct Hebrew for 'Jacob.' For some strange reason, came to be translated 'James' in English versions of the New Testament.

  Yehuda: (Hebrew/factual) Correct Hebrew for the name 'Judah' or 'Judas', or the region of 'Judea'.

  Yerushalayim: (Hebrew/factual) Correct Hebrew for 'Jerusalem'.

  Yeshua: (Hebrew/factual) Correct Hebrew for 'Jesus'. Just a note, while we're on the subject: In the past century, it was thought by many that the 'Jesus of history' and the 'Jesus of faith' were two different fields of study. The two were thought so far apart that it necessitated those following the 'Jesus of faith', if they were to take their faith seriously, totally ignoring any research into the 'Jesus of history.' However, in the last few decades, the field of study known as 'Jesus Studies', has made a few turns, especially since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other treasure troves of literature. The gap has been narrowed to the point that the 'Jesus of History', the actual Yeshua ben Yoseph of Natsaret, can now be recognised and honestly embraced as one and the same as the one who came to establish the Kingdom of God, and is still in the process of doing so to this day. It's no longer necessary to ignore portions of the Bible in order to do so, although in some cases, we need to see some passages in a new light. The trend is towards understanding the New Testament as being centred on the Kingdom of God, and acknowledging the underlying Jewish culture. Some good sources for this study are such scholars as E.P.Sanders, Gezer Vermes, David Bevin, Pinkas Lapid, and many others.

  Yisrael: (Hebrew/factual) Correct Hebrew for 'Israel'.

  Yohannan: (Hebrew/factual) Correct Hebrew for 'John.'

  Yohannan ben Zakkai: (factual history) A first century rabbi who lived a long life. He was a pupil of Hillel, and a contemporary of Gam'liel, and his son, Shim'on ben Gam'liel. His teachings reflected the more pragmatic stance of the school of Hillel. (see: Hillel; Gam'liel; Shim'on ben Gam'liel) He was in Jerusalem during Jewish revolt against Rome, but was able to escape by pretending to have died, and was smuggled out of Jerusalem in a coffin. The Jewish Zealots, who were trying to prevent anyone's escape, allowed his coffin to pass, since he was so highly respected. He then went to the Roman General, and asked for permission to start a school in Yavneh (Jamnia in Greek). Many other rabbis who were able to escape from Jerusalem before the final destruction, joined him there, and helped him to lay the foundation of what has become Judaism in its present form. He was succeeded ten years later by Rabban Gam'liel's grandson, Gam'liel ben Shim'on.

  Yohannan the Immerser: (factual history) The man known in Christian circles as John the Baptist (see immersion).

  Zavdai: (Hebrew/factual history) Correct Hebrew for 'Zebedee.'

  Ziern Sector (fictional) A sector of the Milky Way galaxy that includes the planet Nefzed. The Ziern Sector has a Groki majority, making it a non human-friendly sector. (see sector)

  Zotite (fictional) see: man made planets This is the fourth dimension, characterised by vectors and coordinates.

  Zuyun (fictional) see: Teknesh

  Suppliment to the Table of Contents:

  A Running Synopsis and Other Notes

  Part One: The Shepherd

  Eetoo, a primitive shepherd boy living on the planet Klodi-Famta, realises his mission in life: to search for the golden tablets of Sim Thep that will complete his tribe's knowledge of the truth. They are located on the forgotten Planet of Red Earth, the birthplace of humanity.

  Heptosh, travelling from the planet Tok, is on a reconnaissance mission to find out what happened to the Klodi civilisation which had become silent twelve years earlier. His ship breaks down.

  Heptosh and Eetoo meet. Adventure ensues. Their chief danger: the bionics. They were once human, but on transformation they lost their souls, and they seek to seduce other humans into becoming bionic.

  Part Two: The Pupil

  Eetoo goes to live on the planet Tok with Heptosh as his guardian. Eetoo, a primitive, has a lot to learn about cosmopolitan interstellar life before he can go on his search of the golden tablets.

  Part of Eetoo's education includes travelling to corners of the universe where no one knew humans existed -- let alone intelligent life.

  Eetoo makes new friends. There are non-humans, as well as fellow humans. He meets Tsaphar, a beautiful girl about his age. They fall in love, but there are obstacles.

  Of the non-humans, Neuryzh the Utz is a lover of life in all forms, and has profound wisdom in how to enhance it. He becomes a mentor to Eetoo. Blazz the Groki would rather see humanity exterminated. His kind have experienced the dark side of human nature in the days of the ancient Nephteshi Interstellar Empire. Sparked by pointed comments by Blazz, Eetoo begins to ponder the dilemma of humanity.

  All the while, Heptosh, with Eetoo and others, must fight the bionic menace, as well as the various other manifestations of human greed and ambition.

  No one can remember the location of the planet Nephtesh, the first planet to be colonised by humans when they left the planet of Red Earth. However, the only way Eetoo can reach Red Earth is from Nephtesh.

  Part Three: The Adventurer

  Eetoo and Tsaphar arrive at the planet of Red Earth and find a land of paradox. It's the age of the Roman Empire, and the Holy Temple still stands in the city of Jerusalem, where the adventurers must go to search for the Golden Tablets.

  Their experience vividly illustrates the dilemma of humanity as they encounter stark contrasts in living conditions, observe the various and exotic sects, experience the heroism of saints and sages, and the treachery of villains. They also meet the one whom many hope in as the Messiah of Israel. Evil is black indeed, but the good shine as lights.

  The parts of the narrative set on the Planet of Red Earth (our earth, actually), are influenced by recent studies of first century history in light of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Pseudopigrapha, Rabbinical sources, as well as readings of Shalom Asch's The Nazarene.

  The author's limited knowledge of Quantum Mechanics influenced some of the technologies referred to throughout the narrative.

  There is a glossary at the end of the book.

  There are four narrative points of view:

  Eetoo -- narrated in first person present tense, but preceded by a short description in omniscient present tense prose, displayed in italics

  Heptosh -- narrated in third person past tense

  Neuryzh the Utz -- narrated in first person past tense

  Tsaphar -- narrated in third person past tense

  Scenes from the latter three always open with the name of the narrative point of view in a heavy font.

  Also by Robby Charters:

  The Wrong Time

  Download a free copy when you visit my website: www.RobbyCharters.co.uk

  An Anthology, containing some flash fiction, a novella and three short stories:

  The short stories:

  * A filmmaker of the future, using a new untested medium, gets tangled up in his story in T
he Filmmaker and the Sceptre;

  * Relativity works in mysterious ways in The Last Shall be First;

  * Geoffrey literally finds himself in The Wrong Track

  The novella: "I thought all this stuff about time warps and things was silly scifi stuff. I'm not a fan of Star Trek or any of these other things -- which I thought was for people who couldn't get a life, who sit in their parents basement with their chemistry sets and oscilloscopes. I thought I was a level headed, successful, morally responsible member of society. Until one day I stepped into the ... Wrong Time"

  The flash fiction: From a physics class of the future: what is a "flong"? in The Flong Files

  and more...

  Readers Comments at Amazon:

  "...Kudos to the author for a readable, well-researched, original and inventive collection..."

  " ...is a thoroughly intriguing and enjoyable collection of short stories by Robby Charters, tied together with a ribbon of twisted time..."

  "...fantastic. Thoroughly entertaining, retains interest, and had a great grasp on scientific theory..."

  Pepe

  In a world of flying magnetic trains and floating cafés, he lives in an abandoned construction site with his sister, cleaning windscreens at a busy intersection while his sister begs. He doesn't know who he really is. That fact could cost him his life – or it could be the key to the future of Cardovia.

  The evil general and president-for-life, a paraplegic whose mobility depends on a neuro-computer system controlling an army of robots, wants him eliminated. The general's secrets are well-kept, except to a mysterious mystic old Japanese man who has hope, and a 13-year-old hacker who accidentally witness one of his heinous crimes.

  For Pepe, it's a “coming of age” as he discovers his past, and the dimmest images of his dreams begin to materialise. Before the end, we see things falling apart as hope plummets into oblivion, while all are perusing what might be a lost cause, when suddenly a forgotten fact pulls it all into a satisfying conclusion.

  "Books this good usually don't show up on my radar... Excellent nerd sci fi totally deserving your money."

  -- Ezekiel Carsella at Books N Tech

  "Pepe was an action packed ride that I enjoyed from start to finish. Mr. Charters has a way of creating a near future in exquisite detail, and I felt like that really made the story."

  -- Paige Boggs at Effectively Paige

  "...One of the best teen novels I’ve read in a long while, I really enjoyed this..."

  -- Sheila Deeth, Vine Voice at Amazon

  The Zondon

  Some enemies are so powerful and strategically placed that the only way one can fight them is through Wisdom. And there are times, while fighting those enemies, one is faced with a choice – a test of one's character – one moves forward by listening to the heart, all the while the brain is screaming for the alternative. Should the initial result appear a disaster, the brain says 'I told you so', but later one realises that that was exactly the right choice – the test passed with flying colours.

  Seven people, born in every corner of the world: each has been plagued with doubts, dreams and obsessions since childhood that don't make sense. They each had a twin who didn't share their obsession, and made their lives miserable. Ernie Magawan is one of them, and is the first to make the self-discovery.

  Though born on earth, they are in fact, Zondon, from a planet clear across the galaxy, here on a mission that they must complete. The future of the human race, and of the galaxy depend on it. Those memories are awakened through contact with a mysterious green crystal.

  On 'awakening', Ernie Magawan realises that he must find and awaken the other six. The action adventure takes him on a roller-coaster ride from the archaeological site in Egypt where he found the crystal, to the streets of Bangkok, to the mountains of Afghanistan, to Jerusalem, to a nuclear silo in North Korea, and finally the Golden Triangle. On the way, he and his growing team rub shoulders with international terrorists, Neo-Nazis, migrant farm workers, and a mystic rabbi, as well as their ultimate enemy, a formidable creature, also from across the galaxy, in the guise of a powerful international financier and terrorist boss, who has been waiting for them all their lives.

  Armed with extrasensory powers of mind control as well as access to vast political resources, terrorist organisations and WMDs, he is the hidden hand behind all diabolical conspiracies.

  The Story of Saint Catrick

  Dr. Catrick is a professor at the Feline University in Catropolis. As a young cat, he had a life changing experience that set him on his mission in life, to proclaim that animal species can and should live in harmony. All the while, the rodents are rising up against cat rule. Catrick and his friends encounter political agendas, prejudices, and countless other reasons for not doing the obvious.

  Allegory

  Imagine waking up in a strange pace. you have no memory of how you got there, nor who you are. one thing becomes increasing clear: this isn't the same world in which you went to sleep. it's ... Allegory

  Readers Comments at Amazon (avarage of 41/2 stars out of 55 reviews):

  "...I was so involved that I could not put the book down. It is definetly a book you find yourself in..."

  "...Worst book ever. I hated the whole thing. Don't buy it unless you're a Jesus freak. Terrible. Awful book, really bad..."

  "...This story made me to pause my life and have a look at what we are doing at the moment..."

  "...strange, but well written. It made me think about things I hadn't thought about in a long time..."

  "...If you've read and like/love C. S. Lewis's book "The Great Divorce", you'll enjoy this book..."

  The Eurasian

  The world of the late 21st century is divided between Greater China, the Western Block, the Islamic Block and the Southern Free States of Africa and South America. The Western Block is dominated by the multinational corporations, who have created a paradise for its citizens -- so everyone thinks.

  Mickey O'Brien is the Eurasian, half Asian and half Irish. He has a problem with that, because all his friends are fully Asian. However, no one has actually met each other -- only their virtual projected images they show on their on-line classroom environment. He and his classmates meet each other for the first time as they go on a class trip to America. It turns out they all had things to hide.

  In America, they accidentally discover what the Multinationals have been trying to hide. Their hover van is hijacked, and they are left trapped in the great American outback, a vast area of what was once U.S.A., now divided between countless republics. Some are Nazi, some are militant Christian and other redneck cowboy states, some Native American Nations, Mafia kingdoms, etc etc. The wild west is again wild. Once having stumbled in, can they ever find their way out again?

  It's a story of finding out what's real, and discovering true faith as they become involved in an espionage war trying to prevent a Nazis takeover.

  Pappa Gander: the Less Better Half of Mother Goose

  At long last, Pappa Gander gets a few words in edgewise. Read some of your old familiar nursery rhymes rewritten his way, plus a few other rhymes, limericks, some haiku, and stories...

  Jack and the Beanstalk -- did you ever wonder what happened to the cow? or the beans from the beanstalk? What did Jack do later in life? Find out in Jack and the Beanstalk, the Whole Story, Plus the Sequel...

  The Adventures of Jack and Jill -- a hilarious blend of a lot of familiar rhymes. Pappa Gander gets things a bit mixed up here, and ends up with a second version of Jack and the Beanstalk, but with the Seven Dwarves instead of the giant...

  Snow White, from an alternative universe where things happen a bit differently...

  Robby, the author behind Pappa Gander says: "My poetic inspirations were Roald Dahl, Shel Silverstien and Ogden Nash. Also included are some of my cartoons, largly influenced by Gary Larson (Far Side). Some of the rhymes were done strictly because I found words that rhyme in an amusing way (amusing to me, anyway)."

&nb
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