Greetings Brother L,

Much, much thanks for your swift, technically challenging and socio-politically perceptive response to "The Maãt Mystery: in search of the missing link". I would have liked to hear a little more of your emotional/psychological reaction but nevertheless, yours is a very astute analysis of what you saw.

I do intend to respond directly to a few of the points you have made but only after posting all the responses I receive to the various lists and my web site for discussion - unless of course, you object to your review being published.

If you have any additional points please feel free to write.

Thanks again and may the Ancestors guide and protect you on our way.
Love and Life

SR

Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 00:23:10 +0000

Greetings Brother L,

Finaly, here is my detailed response to your comments.

Thank you for the thumbs up on technicality.

You are right, if this was a film a great deal of the dialogue would necessarily be moving dialogue with visual enhancement. As a novel dealing with mental movement in terms of the psychological, emotional, spiritual, political and motivational state of the characters, I did not see the necessity to indulge in visual stimulation.

Most of the scenes in Africa are external and a few of the American and English scenes are also external.

When reading my book bear in mind that it is a real life, Naked Truth novel. This means that characters and events are presented to the reader as he or she would meet or experience them in real life but with the added bonus of being able to read some of their thoughts. Whereas some authors would give you a complete rundown of the character's special or not so special characteristics, historical background and idiosyncrasies before you even meet them, this author lets you see and hear what the characters do and say first and in most instances gives you enough information in their behaviour and speech for you to figure out who they are, why and how come they are who they are. The characters are all recognisable, complex entities who cannot be represented by the usual cliched thumbnail sketch of their backgrounds. So information about each character is presented as it becomes relevant as the story progresses. That's life. You very rarely know anything about a person before you meet her or him.

What is unbelievable about the "antagonists"? Is it unbelievable, for example, that one could be a crooked, multi-billionnaire, drug-dealing career spy, masonic master and king-maker?

In "Amistad" Global Europe is using the African characters to put across pro-European message to African people. Bearing in mind that Africans were excluded from the courts, they could have made an "Amistad" story without any African characters at all and it would not have damaged their intended message. In "The Maat Mystery" I am using a few European characters in a subordinate role to put across a pro-African message to African people. I don't see how this could damage the tale at all. I am not writing for European appreciation.

> So you write a thriller, and slip the message in, hoping > they get it.

You're right. But the story itself is also part of the message.

> But what do you lose?  Complexity for one--

If I had a choice between someone who understood what I was saying because it was put so simply and someone who didn't get the message but really, really appreciated the complexity of my prose and my stylistic approach, which one do you think I would choose?

> the concept of > ma'at SHOULD be the center of the tale (based on the title) but though I > am familiar with it I don't really SEE it much until the end of the book.

The concept of Maat is not a mystery. The title "The Maat Mystery: in search of the missing link" suggests to me a mystery with some connection to Maat and a search for something or other that is missing. It doesn't suggest to me an exposition on the
concept of Maat.

This work is not about AIDS. The information presented in relation to AIDS, brief as it may be, is an important part of the overall message and there was no intention to gloss over any of it. Nor is the "incompleteness" of Europeans what we are referring to as the missing link. The fact that that part of the message has gotten through to you does not suggest any glossing over.

ALL who read this work will be affected by it (including yourself, my Brother :-). Hopefully it will be positive and for the better.

I am not trying to convince anyone to change their lifestyle. I am trying to inform people so that they can take control of their lives and make informed decisions for themselves - even if they choose consciously to continue their old lifestyle. One of the decisions the latter group can make is to find more information.

Remember: Knowledge is the key.

   * Without information you die
   * With the wrong information you kill yourself
   * With the correct information you live forever

Anybody who will be put off by a simplistic presentation of Maatian principles is someone who has no understanding of the simplicity and the accessibility of those principles, has no desire to understand them but likes to pretend that he or she has
some secret, sacred and mysterious knowledge of Maat and is therefore intellectually and spiritually superior to ordinary folk like you and me. I am not writing for them and I don't need their endorsement.

My Brother, thanks again for spending your precious time reading and then writing your very valuable thoughts to me. I did not accept all of your observations as valid but I hope the few I rejected does not give the impression of disrespect or lack of gratitude on my part. If I have misinterpretted or misrepresented your words in any way please forgive me and correct my mistake.

May the Ancestors guide and protect you on our way.
Love and Life
SR

Date: Sat, 27 Dec 1997 18:28:13 +0000