Interview with E A St Amant

Book Reviews

The Circle Cluster, including, The Great Betrayer, The Soul Slayer, The Heart Harrower, The Aristes, CentreRule and The Beginning One . . . A stunning and gripping epic. By book 3, I was so enthralled, I couldn’t wait to finish reading to the end of book 6 to follow the future of the characters and the outcome of the story. Strongly built characters with whom the reader will interact; there are some you cheer for and some you want to see get their comeuppance. Susan Alsbury

The Theory of Black Holes . . . The pleasure and inspiration in the book’s pages are rich. Fascist Sunlight, Shotgun Socialism and others like them awaken a sense of political vigour and anger, but the real gems lie nearer the mark of someone who has been a lifelong poet. Rebecca Roberts

How to Increase the Volume of the Sea Without Water . . . E A St Amant has a way of keeping the reader guessing, thoughtful, with an awesome ending – an excellent read – I urged you to read it. Litsa Kourbetis

Stealing Flowers . . . Una is an intriguing character; her subtle presence, calm kind words and wisdom left this reader with the desire to personally meet with her, or the muse that inspired her character. E A St Amant’s work reads beautifully - the descriptions are rustic and vivid, you truly feel as if you are a part of the story: seeing what the characters are seeing, feeling what the characters are feeling. Lisa D’Alessandro

Five Years After . . . Phenomenal . . .an edge of the seat book . . . Written in a fashion defined by the many characters and the excellent manner they are all brought together . . . a mind teaser, and just as you think you have it figured out, wham, it swerves, or reverses, or throws a curve and just plain fools you: you can’t and won’t figure this murder mystery out, I guarantee it. Jason ter Schmitten

The Molecular Structures of Jade . . . is awesome, I liked the way it was written and it was completely different than what I expected after reading Dancing in the Costa Rican Rain. A great book with a unique writing style and surprise outcomes. A bang-up collaboration between the authors without any style conflicts. It makes you think about life, its meaning and how every life is different; shows the strength and weakness of the spirit and how people overcome self quarrels in order to do the greater good. It somehow defines the distance people will go for what they believe is right. A full mixture of action, adventure and mystery and I would hardily recommend it. Luke Rossborough

Five Days of Eternity . . .An excellent work. E A St Amant weaves an enthralling thriller within a humanistic fabric . . . a roller coaster ride with numerous twists and turns . . . a clever well-paced story with vivid description and eloquent styling. The invention that could save mankind from deadly viruses such as AIDS could also destroy the soul and lives of its creator and beneficiaries. The symbolic snake/dragon unravelled from biting its own tail is a search for fundamental aspirations of the human spirit . . . highly recommended. Kin Wu Young-Tai

Dancing in the Costa Rica Rain . . . E A St Amant captures a perfect pitch from his democratic centralist’s perch and tilts his pen at the crooked windmills of both left and right . . . engaging and unforgiving . . . it follows the story even up until present . . . informative . . . a political chronicle that is also a page-turner. Eddie P Murrey

Fog Walker . . .First of all, it was a captivating read; of the four books I’ve read of E A St Amant so far, I enjoyed this one the most. Dancing in the Costa Rican Rain is a marvellous read and its quality is obvious, nonetheless, this exceptionally descriptive and unexpectedly dark tale took me to a place so unusual that I was positively impressed. Its black humour combined with farcical and sometimes outright evil capers will leave you in awe. You’ll love and hate the characters he has created, be glad to see them go, feel sadness in their passing and wonder if you’ll ever be safe in a small town again. Robbie Morra

Five Years After . . . The murderers remain hidden in plain sight . . . remarkable . . . poignant . . . and a little frightening. E A St Amant has created the perfect blend of conspiracy-thriller and murder-mystery. Paul MacNight

Five Days of Eternity . . . I’ve read three of E A St Amant’s books and enjoyed them all. Power, greed, murder, good versus evil, love, suspense . . . Five Days of Eternity has it all . . .a thought provoking look at mankind’s future as scientific research progresses towards a cure for many diseases and conditions. Deborah Cooke

Stealing Flowers . . . Made of an humanistic fabric; very good – excellent. Wayne Peterson

The Circle Cluster, including, The Great Betrayer, The Soul Slayer, The Heart Harrower, The Aristes, CentreRule and The Beginning One . . . I purchased this rather intimidating looking 6 book series with a healthy dose of skepticism. Since then I’ve been converted. Beautiful. It starts as a chase story and like a snowball rolling downhill gathers everything into itself faster and faster until it crashes into the Beginning One himself. A masterpiece. Mark Banyan

Atheism, Scepticism and Philosophy . . . A much needed and refreshing voice of reason. It is multi-dimensional and thorough at refuting the irrational, whether it be philosophies, ideologies, beliefs, religions, politics or what have you. A lot is tackled in these pages . . . a provoking work which also weighs in on morality, personal freedom and human rights . . . the author casts a wide net to find his opponents . . . a great read for sceptics, fence sitters and the free thinkers alike. Adam D’Alessandro

Dancing in the Costa Rican Rain . . . E A St Amant successfully develops characters who are caught in the whirlwind of a historical event; the settings, descriptions and issues from the first pages infatuate you, pull you in to the swirl of the people and places, so that your mind is transformed into a sort of sponge effortlessly absorbing the gripping narrative. You’re going to enjoy the ride and be informed while you’re getting to where it sends you: the Sandinista revolution and the Contra reaction studied under a magnifying glass. Robbie Morra

Five Years After . . . A wonderfully written whodunit with an ending you wouldn’t expect and can’t foresee. Deborah Cooke

The Theory of Black Holes . . . Truly, a deep work of art. David Kingsberry

Perfect Zen . . . If you grew up having older brothers, then it’s the perfect novel to recapture those childhood memories. The author artfully conveys the playful, carefree attitudes of these six, young and older, energetic friends and captures the mischievousness of their shenanigans. Lisa D’Alessandro

Five Days of Eternity Reminded me of works I’ve read by Robin Cook or Dean Koontz, an all round page turner with a fascinating peak into biochemistry and microbiology that was both straight up and rivetting. Shannon Oliver

Murder at Summerset . . . Mirrors the post French revolution expression, ‘Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.’ In spite of technological advances that allow life to survive on other planets, human being’s quest for power hasn’t changed over a century’s time. Another thriller from E A St. Amant that spans our solar system and even the universe. Deborah Cooke

Restrictions . . . Awesome . . . nasty . . . those are some bad dudes . . .demented . . . perverted . . . gay . . . beyond description . . . Half Nut was spooky and Eddie was downright evil! . . . an excellent read. Ashley Crowley

Fog Walker . . . I imagine that the King is truly one of the funniest creepiest evil-characters ever. He is memorable but wicked in every sense. Bonavista is surely a hell on earth, and in quiet loveable Northern Ontario, who would have ever guessed? Paul MacNight

Book of Mirrors . . . Masterfully fantastic and sadistic. I found it extraordinarily scary and uncannily twisted; a dark piece of work with a compelling alternate possibility into the supernatural. Robbie Morra

Restrictions . . . In 15 years I haven’t read a book like this . . . it just blew me away from first to last . . . a page turner . . . it grabbed me and sucked me in with its arsenal of twists and turns . . . an excellent novel. Jason ter Schmitten

Atheism, Scepticism and Philosophy . . . Amassed with information . . . I took a long time with it and I was glad I did. For a whole year it became my companion at university. It examines several points: that reality can be definitively grasped, that reason is the only worthwhile means of seeing it, that we can be creative, that we have real freedom of choice and that the right to liberty is guaranteed by our ability to do all this. The book is like having a voice of reason in your corner. Chris Zlatseal

Murder at Summerset . . . Rivetting . . . exciting . . . . I pray they never invent an inviolable test like the Cavanaugh Truth Audit and hope that our democracies will ever be safe from the likes of President Mark Hudson. Laura Coulter

Spiritual Apathy . . . Can the advice of an educated professional be enough? Or correct? E A St.Amant squares off against a study and a perspective that motivates an in-depth reflection of both personal management and societal obligation. Spiritual Apathy is both controversial and inspiring. Marko Markovinovic

How to Increase the Volume of the Sea Without Water . . . Brilliant . . . E A St Amant gets a big hug from me for being so bright . . . I loved it. Sara Chambers

Perfect Zen . . . Witty . . . I loved the characters. E A St Amant does a good job in making Toronto appear idyllic . . . a great read. Litsa Kourbetis

Five Days of Eternity It had the edge of your seat thing of Five Years After and the swift relentless pace of Restrictions but with romance, fun, mystery and intrigue . . . an absolutely phenomenal read and begs for a sequel. Jason ter Schmitten

How to Increase the Volume of the Sea without Water . . . The successful Jessie Basle is a fantastically strong role-model, the perfect exemplar for the young heroine, Nat Ruckert, or for any other rational, ambitious, young woman. Lisa D’Alessandro

Restrictions . . . At first it seems about lust, violence and deception of the worst kind, yet in there lies a perplexity, for it is all offset by witty and downright hilarious dialogue taking place between outrageous characters who will stay with you as long as a tattoo. Yes, it’s about tattoos, and as well, about the war in Iraq, obesity, excess in America, drugs, art theft, betrayal of the most unsavoury kind, all sorts of physical gratification and sex you’ll want to forget or maybe even remember. Robbie Morra

The Circle Cluster, including, The Great Betrayer, The Soul Slayer, The Heart Harrower, The Aristes, CentreRule and The Beginning One . . . A great epic with good characterization, a well developed universe and lots of action. Phil Miller

Book of Mirrors . . . Although I haven’t read the author’s other books, this must be one of his best. It’s poetry in motion . . . fast paced . . . exuberant with a spooky alternative mythology. I super liked it. D R Vincent

Murder at Summerset . . . An excellent back and forth between here and there. The libertarian Europa and the swiftly devolving American fascist state are at odds. E A St Amant shows you how and why. I’ve read a lot of the fantastic and I’m thoroughly convinced this is one of the best hard sci-fi stories to come out in a long time. Alex Bedford

Fog Walker . . . In a town in northern Ontario one crime of hate and rape leads to circumstances with far-reaching effects. The book’s symbolism and relentless plot twists brings the reader to the full reality of the depths, decay and undercurrent of much of the human heart. Nine young men so painstakingly brought to a full characterization in the tale are all lost in the deluge of blood revenge. Wayne Peterson

The Circle Cluster, including, The Great Betrayer, The Soul Slayer, The Heart Harrower, The Aristes, CentreRule and The Beginning One . . . If I were stranded and had my choice of fantasy stories to choose from, the Circle Cluster would be one of them. I thought it was a metaphor, sublime and mind expanding, but once I was well into the story, I was completely swept away. Jack Claire

Book of Mirrors . . . Heaven and hell unite to stop a unitarian-like avatar who wants all formal religion on earth banished. The ancient members of the first tribe, the angels, come together in an alliance with the forces of the devil using human go-betweens to outmanoeuvre their opponents, who just happen to be working for the best interest of mankind. Wayne Peterson

Stealing Flowers . . . After Perfect Zen and How to Increase the Volume of the Sea Without Water, I read my third novel of E A St Amant, an exceedingly informative and absorbing story. I loved Una. The creepy cults and belief systems portrayed in this work are well researched and I must say, it freaked me out how effectively they recruit new members, manipulate facts and abuse the truth to keep them in their collectives . . . an outstanding read. Litsa Kourbetis

Dancing in the Costa Rican Rain . . . So far I've read Stealing Flowers, Fog Walker and Book of Mirrors. I fully intend to read all of E A St Amant's books. This work was enlightening in regards to the politics of Central America and equally critical of both sides of the conflict in a original way that I have never before seen. It educated but wasn't highbrow; it entertained, had a common vernacular and was funny. I felt miserable for both the Conservatives and the Liberals; the Somoza family were terrible despots and the Sandinistas were fanatics . . . as the author says, 'Poor Nicaragua'. Wayne Peterson

How to Increase the Volume of the Sea Without Water . . . What a surprise; rivetting, philosophical and terrific. It's a lot about women, religion and sex; I thought when I started it, it was perhaps mostly for women (a coming of age sort of thing filled as it was with female issues), but by the time I finished it, (and this took less that a week), I realized it was equally a guy's book, structured, fast-paced and with an intricate plot. Super. If one had to name why it is so rivetting, it is that there are no gaps in the account of Natalie Basle's becoming. While her story is propelled forward by incredible heroines like Jessie Basle and Catherine Ruckert, and equally, by bad guys like Ricicot Decoté and Kelsey Kratten, in the last analysis, it is Natalie herself who is so important; her predicament is the predicament of many caring and intelligent young women in our society. Ashley Crowley

Spiritual Apathy . . . Reconstructing mental illness in Toronto for all the acrophobic backwash, too funny, too sad. The paranormal and insanity are the current cherished suburban myths which replace the hard boring facts of modern times. E A St Amant certainly makes you wonder. It's yet another challenging and wonderful read. Wayne Peterson

Murder at Summerset . . . An exhilarating murder mystery set in twenty-second century . . . it is a thrilling suspense mystery novel that left me with a tingling sensation of excitement as I sat on the edge of my seat tearing through the pages. With the story centred on a series of murders in the small mining community of Summerset, Sam and his crew must find the culprit before their community is lost forever. One thing that makes the story so ingenious is that the identity of the killer is so well concealed from the reader that when the revelation finally occurs, it hits hard and unexpected. With such a shocking ending, the book almost begs to be re-read once the ending is known . . . the book can not be talked about though without taking a moment to mention the intriguing political battle being fought on earth simultaneously to the Summerset murder mystery.
Opening with the capture of the U.S. President Hudson by Rising Sign agents, the political fractions at war add a whole other level to this book's already captivating plot. From a mad prison break out and spreading of a deadly disease to shady elections, assassinations, kidnappings and plenty of killings, the crisis on earth can be summed up with many words...but none of them being the word "dull". The two stories, while being separate, are woven together in such a brilliant way that both compliment each other . . . finally, if the plot is not gratifying enough for the reader, the constant action is sure to thrill and please even the most critical of thriller seekers. The book opens with action, and does not die down. As a reader of action and thrillers, I am always disappointed when I have to endure a dry spell in a work where a period of nothingness occurs.
This book does not however, have such a period. Each chapter, and each part with in each chapter, is written to be enjoyable in of itself as well as in the larger picture. A well worth while book?one that I would highly recommend to any who wish to delve their mind into a fictional world filled with high paced adventure. Andrew Hume

Atheism, Scepticism and Philosophy . . . I have studied philosophy as a minor during my undergraduate years and I did not know what to expect with Atheism Scepticism & Philosophy. I must admit to having been somewhat fearful that some sort of crank world view would be presented. I had long noticed that both libertarians and Marxists can sometimes slip into a sort of quasi-religious dogmatism. And too often ‘radical’ thinkers slide too far to the left or to the right. St Amant’s book was not such a doctrinaire screed. In fact, on the whole I was impressed with his line of reasoning. E A St Amant’s main thesis seems to be that reason tends to be democratic, and irrationality tends to the converse. As a general empirical observation, it seems to me true that irrationalism and tyranny go hand in hand. St Amant seems to be quite a bit more anti-cleric than I am. There is something of a trace of Dawkin’s style in St Amant’s critique. But still, his religion slamming was the most enjoyable part of the whole book. If nothing else the critique of religion-in-general was hilarious. It was hilarious because true. Those aspects of religion that can be criticized in this manner indisputably deserve it. I may take some issue with some specifics of E A St Amant’s conclusions. For in general I am less offended by irrationalism, or rather have come to expect it. But it is okay to disagree. Disagreement is good thing. And may it ever be so. Reason is about dialogue. It is about keeping the arguments going whilst there are still questions unanswered. It is about not issuing fatwa on your opponent just because you are losing the argument. Those who would squelch dissent seldom, if ever, speak from reason. But let us not play their game. Keep all things reasonable. Just like St Amant, let us argue with humor and flexibility of spirit. I must in passing confess a fondness for Kant. I also have an antipathy towards Ayn Rand’s overstatements. My main problem with Rand was that she too often put the logical cart in front of the empirical horse. In my way of thinking, empirical observation should always be allowed to trump pure reason. Because reducing everything to tight-logic is Platonist at its most hokum. In other words, forcing facts to fit one’s metaphysics is irrational. Also I was delighted to find that at least someone else, besides me, has judged Ayn Rand harshly for her misunderstanding of Kant. D David White

The Molecular Structures of Jade . . . captures the complexities of Buenos Aires, weaving a story that twists and turns like the streets themselves. The suspense is maintained throughout, all the while intertwining a healthy dose of wit and humour. Laura Filmus

Dancing in the Costa Rican Rain . . . is a good adventure with strong political views, extremely informative of the history of Nicaragua. The characters are well depicted and I learned the political views of some of the surrounding Central American countries. Though the Central Americans are similar in their aspirations, they seem to change as soon as you cross a border. An enjoyable tale . . . not suited for those with narrow-minded political views . . . a suspenseful story while also incorporating intelligent humor. Luke Rossborough

Stealing Flowers . . . E A St Amant moves you through a story about one person’s misfortunes, caused entirely by his unburnished orphanage. Born at the bottom, learnt in the streets of New Jersey, sexually abused and finding himself at eight years old all alone in the world, he defies the cherished tragic outcome oft generated by our liberal prejudice. Driven in part by a need to repay the unconditional love given him by his adopted family when he was already too old to expect it, he triumphs through self-determination, seizing the opportunity to become one of the most accomplished men in the world. Shannon Oliver

Days of Eternity . . . a terrific read . . . a pace hard to keep up with and even after you’ve figured out much of the puzzle, the story still keeps going strong and continues to captivate. Laurie Murray

Book of Mirrors . . . I loved it. Klara Lomardi