The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything - William Connor Magee
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear - Mark Twain

“A wondrous adventure to places, within yourself and beyond! This multi-dimensional tale takes you into a fascinating history touched by fantasy and great legends. The challenges of finding one’s meaning is intricately woven with ancient wisdom and intrigue—sparking our inner worlds with a revelatory light. With story-telling magic Dr George has crafted a book that entertains at the same time as it provokes and astonishes.”
— Kathryn Brimblecombe-Fox, Artist & Author of ‘For Everyone’ 

Story Upon Story - Layer upon Layer

While this book has several sub-stories it also plays with a number of key themes in the fascinating journey that is life. Each themed layer speaks to a slightly different audience. Dr Blair-West wrote it with the hope that most readers, while enjoying the storytelling, would relate to at least a couple of these themes on their journey through the book and through life. Here are seven of the themes in the book, the others you can find yourself ...

THEME 1: How to find meaning and purpose
The premise of this book is that true happiness can only be found through coming to understand what is meaningful for each of us and then pursuing this amongst the demands of day-to-day life.
    This theme was inspired by The Alchemist. Dr Blair-West felt it did not quite go far enough into the 'how to' of pursuing ones dream and finding one's personal meaning.  In therapy this is something that he helps people make sense of on a daily basis. As the story progresses our protagonist, 16 year-old Francis Bacon realises that as cool as it sounds to be a knight in shining armour, he is not that suited to it (small pun intended). He is, however, confronted with being asked some hard questions and told some uncomfortable truths that force him to change direction.

THEME 2: Success relies upon first pursuing one's meaning
However we might wish to define 'success', true sustainable success, in any pursuit, must be built on our values and what is meaningful for us - which, in turn, provides the passion that drives our purpose. While our purpose in life will evolve, no one is truly a success in their life if there is no passion in their aspirations. If you bring passion to your game you will ultimately be chosen over those who do not - no matter how much smarter or experienced they may be.

THEME 3: Overcoming fear - nothing holds people back from finding meaning and true happiness more than fear
When it comes to pursuing one's meaning, there is no more destructive force than fear. Understanding fear in the pursuit of overcoming it - the very process off enabling one's courage - is a core theme running through this story.

THEME 4: Good and Evil are not as black and white as some might think
While fear is often a huge signpost on the path to finding one's purpose, evil personifies what is typically feared. As this tale unfolds our 16-year-old protagonist finds himself - literally - between Archangel Michael on the one hand and ex-Archangel Lucifer on the other.
    The last time these two mystical supermen met, it was a battle for the kingdom of heaven. Lucifer has waited a long time for this day, and not just to get Michael to unsheath the Sword of Truth. Lucifer wants to be heard, to argue why his role is as important to humankind as is that of Michael's as the keeper of truth.

THEME 5: Asking better questions
Rather than ideas, humans think in questions. At its best this is variations of 'Why is that so?' at its worst: 'Why am I not good enough?' Most people have heard of the importance of learning how to ask better questions, but what this means in reality is not always clear. As the story unfolds and young Francis is required to ask a better question, precisely how to do this is explored and elucidated. 

THEME 6: Romance and capable women from history
Dr Blair-West's experience of women was shaped by a mother who was active in politics, Secretary of the state chapter of the Save the Children Fund and pioneer of dedicated kindergarten's for indigenous children in Australia. His father worked long hours as a family doctor leaving his eldest son (GBW) to work with his very capable mother in running a family of six. 
    Francis Bacon's love interest, Queen Marguerite, his brilliant mother and the physician who takes on the role of caring for him on Mont St Michel, are powerful, successful, intelligent women in their own right. Queen Marguerite's character is based on research of her life, including her own memoirs. She was a woman of wit and learning who enjoyed men of similar intellectual capacity. And then there is Queen Elizabeth who plays a major role in the backstory ...

THEME 7: Who really wrote Shakespeare?
While most authorities accept that Shakespeare (or Shaksper, as was his real name) did not write the great works, there has been long debate over who did. By introducing the reader to Sir Francis Bacon's formative years - the undisputed greatest genius of the time, this story approaches the debate from a different angle - a psychiatrist's perspective. In the Afterword, Dr Blair-West goes into great depth, for those who are interested, into this debate with information that comes from his own research. This research included a trip to the UK and uncovered information that other writers on the subject appear to have been unaware of ...

THEME 8: A code of chivalry and guidance for young men
Some young men of today have become a little lost in a world of female emancipation where they are out drunk and often out classed mentally and sexually by women of their age. As the father of a teenage son (and an older daughter), Dr Blair-West felt the need to provide some guidance for these youths. Through the experiences of the 16-year-old Francis Bacon, and the men he looks up to - including the greatest knight of all time - guidance is offered through a 'code of chivalry' to help young boys make sense of what true chivalry - personal integrity - was about. And then there are the insights on how what we think is cool is not necessarily what we should do!

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