What happens when a brutal crime threatens a mother’s love for her son? An old Florida family and those in their orbit get caught in a torrent of passion, a deadly legal system, and the mythology of the Everglades, which runs as deep as this story does. Propulsive, engaging, evocative, beautiful writing. Tom Holland, writer of Psycho II, writer-director of Stephen King’s Thinner, Fright Night, … Child’s Play
“From the courtroom to the swamp primeval to the underpinnings of the universe, James Jordan takes us on a wild ride. A hugely ambitious and thoroughly enjoyable triumph of a first novel. All I can say is “Bravo!”
T.C. Boyle Author of The Tortilla Curtain.
“I hugely enjoyed this remarkable novel. It blends human courage & cruelties with solid astrophysics and with Seminole culture & mythology – resulting in a richness that held me tightly in its grip.”
Kip S. Thorne, Winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics; Executive Producer, co-story writer, and science advisor for the movie “Interstellar.”
“The Speed of Life is a fast-paced, character-rich, thought-provoking novel that takes the reader from the heart of Western philosophy and civilization to the heart of millennial America. A fine storyteller, James Jordan knows his characters and where all their secrets are buried, and something more—the hope still strong in their restless, striving hearts. A remarkable debut.”
Aram Saroyan winner of the William Carlos Williams award for best poetry collection.
“The Speed of Life, by James Victor Jordan, is a ground-breaking, scientific/philosophical novel wrapped in a Carl Hiaasen-flavored thriller. Jordan relates cutting edge theoretical physics to ancient Seminole shamanic practices and produces a credible explanation of why and how old magical methods may have tangible effects in our world. At the same time, this novel is sparklingly contemporary, bright and crisp around the edges of its plot, and ingenious in braiding elaborate story lines to bring an extraordinary cast of characters together. And it fires itself forward at a break-neck velocity; this is not a book you will want to put down.”
Madison Smartt Bell, winner of the Pen/Faulkner Award and National Book Award finalist for All Souls Rising.
“Impressive . . . Descriptions . . . are primarily images that Jordan sears onto the pages.” Kirkus Reviews
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Jordan starts this novel with the character Estella, a mixed race judge with a 20-year-old son, who is on probation. Estella becomes the victim of a brutal rape (and Jordan does not shy away from gritty detail in this well-written, tense scene). Readers are therefore provided with different perspectives on crime to consider, that of the judge, the family of a perpetrator and the victim.
The story is told in the form of multiple vignettes, all rich in detail. Readers should be prepared for a lot of deaths (there is a pretty high body count in this story) but balanced with sprinklings of almost painterly, poetic descriptions throughout.
This is partly unfolding courtroom drama, partly the woven together histories of the characters, and all via a journey taking in eclectic aspects including metaphysics, quantum mechanics, religion, consciousness, astronomy and history. All in all this is quite a page-turner!
I struggle to define The Speed of Life by James Victor Jordan. Yes it is essentially a fast-paced thriller, investigating a brutal crime, but it is also so much more. A diverse cast of characters introduce Western philosophy, astrophysics, human nature, and American Mythology, for a rich and multi-faceted plot that it gripping and thought-provoking. Several storylines wind around one another and come together for a thrilling conclusion that will leave you wanting more from Jordan. Through The Speed of Life, I felt that I learned a lot about the human spirit, and how it is the relationships between one another can be so strong, yet so fragile. An excellent read that I know will stay with me for a long time.
The Speed of Life: An Illustrated Novel by James Victor Jordan is a heady mix of genres in one book. You have a thriller, physics and even spirituality. The book opens with a brutal rape of Estella and from there the story kind of jumps around as chapters veer from one character to another. Even with these disparate elements though, the plot evolves and everything begins to come together and finally make sense. It is a journey to come to the resolution in the book. The surroundings in Florida are accurately described, as one feels the humidity, explores the fauna, and even the slimy creatures that abound. Seminole culture and mythology are also explored, lending credence to the backdrop of the plot. Highly recommend for an entirely different kind of reading experience. The author has come up with something here that is completely unique and riveting.
4 Stars
When this book was recommended to me recently, I was quite intrigued by the title and cover- but to be honest, I really wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy it. But, my curiosity got the better of me and my trigger finger took action by one-clicking a copy to explore. I am so happy I took a chance on this book as I enjoyed every minute between the covers.
The Speed of Life: An illustrated Novel is the debut book by James Victor Jordan. If you are like me and wondered about the ‘illustrated’ part of the title, don’t worry, this isn’t like a picture book- but it does have several illustrations sprinkled though the story. I felt that the pictures helped to set the tone and mood of the story- whist adding a little intrigue.
This is one of those books that I really don’t know how to categorise- or explain it well enough to do it the justice that it deserves. The Speed of Life has so much going on in it, but in a good way. The book is quite a rich and vivid tapestry that encompasses so many different elements- and is a clever, smart, engaging, and multi-faceted feast of a story.
From Seminole culture and mythology, Shamanic practices, spirituality, and philosophy- the author pulls us into a tale of courage, cruelty, secrets, hope, drama, thrilling developments, intrigue, action and balancing it all with plenty of emotion. There was so much to wrap my mind around- it really is a thought provoking story- even now as I am writing this review, loooong after closing the book, my mind is still pondering the dynamic story the author created.
I won’t go into any detail as I really don’t want to spoil it for you- your really should grab a copy and discover all the intriguing details for yourself.
Well worth the read!
Thank you, James Victor Jordan.
The Speed of Life: An Illustrated Novel by James Victor Jordan
Wasn’t sure what to expect after reading the synopsis of this book but thought I’d give it a try.
Very detailed descriptions of events that tie the crime with all the other stories in the book. At times they just appear to be a story but as the book goes along you realize they are all tied together.
So much information is divulged, like a piece of a puzzle as the whole thing is complete once you reach the last page.
Found it exciting at times, lots of action but other times sad and depressing because of the brutualness of an attack. Understand why it happened as the investigators try to solve the crimes.
Like colorful illustrations throughout the book.
Wasn’t one of my favorite reads but has a lot of interesting educational stories about the area.
The Speed of Life: An Illustrated Novel by James Victor Jordan
Wasn’t sure what to expect after reading the synopsis of this book but thought I’d give it a try.
Very detailed descriptions of events that tie the crime with all the other stories in the book. At times they just appear to be a story but as the book goes along you realize they are all tied together.
So much information is divulged, like a piece of a puzzle as the whole thing is complete once you reach the last page.
Found it exciting at times, lots of action but other times sad and depressing because of the brutualness of an attack. Understand why it happened as the investigators try to solve the crimes.
Like colorful illustrations throughout the book.
Wasn’t one of my favorite reads but has a lot of interesting educational stories about the area.
Received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.
The Speed of Life will amaze the reader as they read about major events in lives the universe dictates that. It interweaves the lives of high school friends with in the banking and judicial system bringing them together many years later. The plot centers on a boy born in the middle of Hurricane Andrew and his connections.
I found James Jordan a unique author as he presents The Speed of Life through different characters. The links between family and friends are interesting as Andrew Good-Eagle Godfrey struggles with what he knows about the attack on his mother and how he knows it. I found this novel interesting as there are different dealings among the characters that twist relationships. Readers with a love of philosophy and astronomy will love this novel.
Do you like it when a book is written not just about investigating a crime, but it contains more than that? Then you should read the speed of life by James Victor Jordan. Yes, the story begins with a brutal crime – the rape of Estella, but then the story begins to evolve. There are a variety of characters, storylines, intertwined, relationships, physics and philosophy.
I enjoyed reading. I liked the author’s style and for myself I understood about human nature that relationships are really a fragile thing, you have to be careful. Nice characters and talented interpretation. Beautiful and unique plot. I was impressed that’s why I recommend everybody!
Don’t you just love it when you discover a novel that is completely unique, different from what you have ever read before? ‘The Speed of Life’ by James Victor Jordan sets itself apart from other thriller novels, but using an interesting structure and wide range of characters, ranging from a physicist, Native American, philosopher, amongst others, all of which are connected to the grizzly attack on a lawyer. You learn so much from the characters as you journey from the battle in the courtroom to the ancient tales of the Everglades.
A beautifully written piece of contemporary fiction, which manages to weave in seemingly disparate themes such as courtroom politics, mythology, family relationships, and even theoretical physics, to create a plot that is engaging, extraordinary, and unique.
This novel from author James Victor Jordan was different and ambiguous for me and I wish I could say otherwise but yes and that’s just me being honest. The novel’s main plotline was that of a multiracial woman (Estella) and her son, Andrew (part Seminole/part white/part black) and how Estella was allegedly raped by Andrew’s criminal acquaintance at Andrew’s instruction. The other plotlines involve astrophysics, multiculturalism, the legal system, and the affairs of a group of old-time friends all having an association with Andrew’s case.
I would love to see this book be a textbook in some college course because even though I didn’t fancy it that much I think it contains enough references to multiculturalism and the legal system that will benefit a group of students out there who are seeking degrees in those fields. I must say that I think this is the first novel of its kind that I have stumbled upon (the astrophysics section of it) and that it would be fitting in an academic setting. So those are my thoughts about it and you don’t have to take my word as everyone’s opinion is always different. Good day!
Every now and again I’ll come across an book I’m excited to go through and read from the start, and this is certainly one of them. It starts off pretty dark in the first twenty or thirty pages, and Jordan isn’t shy about the details.
The cast of characters alone catapults this book to the top of my list of books by new/non mainstream authors. Despite being brought into many character’s lives, we still manage to have a solid story circulating around an attorney who’d been attacked.
As others have said, being in Florida I find that the author did a great job of capturing the essence of the state when putting this book together. I’m always proud to see my home state represented well, and this book does just that.
I think the smart way that the varied cast is tied together is one of the books greatest strengths.
‘His grandmomma taught him the ways of her Seminole and African ancestors— respect for the earth and his elders.’’
California author James Victor Jordan is a practicing attorney, having earned his JD from UCLA as well as a Master of Professional Writing degree from USC. He is a descendant of Eastern European shamans and writes fiction to explore justice, multiculturalism, spiritualism, and nature. His short stories have been widely published. He lives in Santa Monica, California.
Far too seldom do we encounter debut novels the explore arenas of thought that stimulate our exploration of our own possibilities/potentials. James Victor Jordan is that rare persona who on his first outing in a full length novel finds aspects of story weaving that capture our attention on every page. In his brief bio he sates he is a descendant of shamans and for those who wonder, ‘a shaman is a person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of good and evil spirits, especially among some peoples of northern Asia and North America. Typically such people enter a trance state during a ritual, and practice divination and healing.’ Perhaps that is one major source of James’ inspiration. But there is far more to this mixture of adventure, court proceedings, existing shamans, the hormonal pitfalls of adolescence, confused tales of responsibility all tied together with superb art work – apparently from the hand of the author. It all works splendidly and breeds a need for more books from this fertile mind.
The synopsis simplifies the complex story and provides a stimulus to curiosity to read the entire novel – ‘Estella Verus – part Seminole, part black, part white – a federal prosecutor in South Florida, is the victim of a home invasion during which she is beaten and raped. The perpetrator leaves a note saying that Estella’s son, Andrew, sent him to do it. When Andrew is charged with complicity in the crime, Estella is desperate to talk to him in her efforts to discover the truth, but while she’s still in the hospital recovering from her injuries, Andrew’s lawyer has her served with a restraining order, preventing her from talking to him to protect his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.’
And as fascinating as the story is, the prose illuminates the world James has created: ‘Andrew’s going to the beach, looking good, shades covering his brown eyes, wearing his hair too short. On his way out the door, he says, “Be home before sundown, Momma.” He’s not allowed to drive at night. The latch clicks, and he’s gone. My balcony – my refuge when I weary from the demands of meting out justice – is cantilevered over a garden catching the light of the late-afternoon sun dancing and splashing over double hibiscus, second-bloom wisteria, and wild myrtle. I sip a lemon daiquiri. A fragrance of honeysuckle wafts in the air. A ruby-throated hummingbird flits from flower to flower to flower on a bottlebrush bush. In the rose beds, a golden rat snake crushes the last breath from a squealing young squirrel. A turkey vulture, majestic in flight, repulsive in sight, cawing, its fishhook-tipped talons extended like the fingers of an open hand, flaps its wings—spanning six feet—slowly, gracefully, as it descends to the upper fronds of a stately cabbage palmetto. Yesterday, when I cross-examined the defendant – formerly revered as “The Queen” by her elderly clients – her crown rested uneasy as she stammered, contradicted herself, and failed to reconcile her testimony with the story she’d told on direct. The incredulity of the jurors was palpable, an unmistakable harbinger of a loose swift sword. Her victims’ life savings were invested in a collapsed Ponzi scheme that paid for her chartered-jet excursions to Lake Como and ski vacations in Gstaad. The satisfaction of her victims with the judgment will be transitory, a brief respite from their anguish. But to turn the other cheek is to ignore moral imperative, and to disregard morality is to court extinction. This judge is fond of metaphor. A trial is a jigsaw puzzle, she told the jurors. Each piece of the puzzle is a piece of evidence. There is no order in which the pieces of the puzzle must be assembled. But you can’t see the puzzle’s entire picture until you have all the pieces. When all the evidence is presented, you will have all the pieces of the puzzle. Then following my instructions, it will be your job to put the puzzle together. You can only reach a proper decision after you’ve seen the entire picture.‘
Only a few moments and we are pulled into this tale. Character development is superb, with each character growing in reality like a paining of a figure on a canvas. This is excellent writing from a man who has the gift.