The Chronicles of Louis Brandon – Intro and Preface – I might be taking a sabbatical of sorts…

John Dee painting originally had circle of human skulls, x-ray imaging reveals – Enigmatic Tudor polymath known in his day as ‘the Queen’s conjuror’ is subject of exhibition at Royal College of Physicians – The Guardian

Goofing around with my old computers I came across a sci-fi/fantasy novel I began around 1997.

In those days I was living in an old, run-down apartment that used to be the Ottawa train station master’s home. It was a noisy and sometimes volatile place. Not exactly an ideal abode to begin a creative venture. But then again, maybe it was.

On the plus side, I could be myself without worrying too much about what my ‘conventional’ neighbors thought because frankly, most of the people in that building were anything but conventional. Myself included.

Quite possibly this book was ripped off in the early stages but I’m not sure. It seemed as if some weird rascal did break into my apartment, knocking to the floor and damaging a theology book that sat on my desk. Again, I don’t know. But I still have that first draft on a floppy in case anyone tries to illegally publish my work. These days, I wouldn’t surprised!

The first draft was written on a Toshiba 286 laptop with WordPerfect 5.1. Don’t worry if you don’t know what that is. It was a long time ago. We had internet at the university and public library but not in my apartment.

Today it’s a lot of fun going over this, trying to make it more authentic yet readable.

Feel free to comment. This is just the Preface. The actual tale takes quite a dramatic and stylistic shift.

Being my first novel, I would appreciate constructive criticism. I’m not sure how much I will post online. Maybe all, maybe some of the manuscript. My goal is to sell it to a publisher and hopefully write many more Louis Brandon novels.

Because the formatting is hard encoded by my word-processing program, I’ll just post this as is, without spending hours removing all the formatting, fixing italics, etc.

* * *

The Chronicles of Louis Brandon, Time Traveler

© 2023, Michael William Clark. Toronto, Canada.

* * *

Part 1: Louis Discovers his Ability

Time is a mystery to be unraveled in time

–Dr. Louis F. Brandon

If the future and the past do exist…

they are not there as future or past but as present

–St. Augustine

Time is on my side…

–The Rolling Stones (Norman Meade)

* * *

 Preface to the Reader

By the noted mathematician and alchemist, Dr. John Dee

Louis Brandon has a peculiar ability. He is able to transport himself to any time and place in the known cosmos. Yes, Louis is the world’s first time traveler. He undergoes his journeys with no fuss nor bother. He requires no machine. Just ability.

As you, dear deader, shall soon discover, this ability is not entirely under Louis’ jurisdiction. But before we relate the tale of the celebrated Dr. Brandon, a brief sketch of the events leading up to his marvelous gift is in order.

Louis Franklin Brandon discovered his penchant for time travel while still a strapping youth; he had not refined his talent until his mid-twenties.

Louis’ childhood was not so unusual, it was marked by the ordinary experiences most youngsters undergo in the 23rd century. School examinations, get-togethers, fondness for young ladies, and so on.

But one element did separate him from his peers. In his tender years, he began to experience what he rather inelegantly called “time slips.” These slips could occur while Louis was simply walking down a secluded road or, perhaps, enjoying the fields and pastures outside the city.

Profound thoughts would enter his young mind: Time is One; the past is alive; the future exists now.

Not giving too much thought to his insights, he mostly kept them to himself. However, after several years they became more frequent and pronounced.

During adolescence, Louis grew alarmed. A gulf was forming between himself and his friends. Not so much a physical gulf, although some of his companions did move away from the town of his birth to study at the university or take up careers.

Rather, it was a psychological gulf. Slowly it dawned on Louis that he was either gradually going mad or, more optimistically, receiving some great teaching. Fortunately, perhaps providentially, he chose to see himself as a gifted person. As a result, a whole new vista began to open up before his eyes. The possibility of time travel carried great potential for a seemingly boundless amount of amusement and discovery.

The following pages provide the details. Suffice it to say, dear reader, that Louis acquired his talent gradually. In the beginning, he traveled only in mind, his body remaining fixed in his own time and place. After years of trial and error, he knew the moment had arrived for his first full-fledged voyage into another time.

Do enjoy the tale and thank you for reading.

Eternally yours,

Dr. John Dee (Prague, 1583)

» Chapter One »

© 2020, Michael William Clark. All rights reserved.

Did you miss part of the story? Find it here!