More information about The Madness of Mr. Butler...
Thaddeus Butler is a dreamer, a scientist, and an observer. He entered the world of Aridus the same way as everyone else: on a huge raft filled with food and no memory of anything from his past. Like everyone else on Aridus, he is taught to obey the laws of the land, for they keep God pleased and just. The three most important laws are: 1) attend God’s daily service, 2) do not go into the Great Water, and 3) do not question the written word of God.
The problem is that Mr. Butler cannot help questioning the written word of God as it exists on Aridus; not with his preternatural ability for solving mysteries about the nighttime sky. He sees distance, movement, fire, love, action, and art in the stars. Everyone else sees God (the sun) and the goddesses (the moon and stars). Lucky for Mr. Butler, he is the oldest man on Aridus, and everyone lets him be in his secluded hut to carry out his crazy experiments, assuming they will simply find him dead one day.
The Madness of Mr. Butler is the story of Thaddeus Butler’s calm, quiet existence being upended suddenly and violently.
He is visited by an old friend seeking shelter because she is on the run from the King...
He sees a star split in two with half landing on Aridus, and feels compelled to seek the fallen body...
He finds a strange helmet with a voice claiming to be God’s inside, and manages to get it stuck on his head...
He is pursued night and day by his self-appointed apostles as well as the king’s personal assassins...
In a matter of two weeks, he has his life threatened multiple times, is thrown in jail, is mistaken for a prophet, and is offered sexual favors in exchange for his healing powers...
The only thing that is stable and predictable for Mr. Butler at the start of this novel is his descent into insanity.
But perhaps, in the end, everything happened just as it was meant to be...
The Madness of Mr. Butler is a comedic drama/space opera in a rather unconventional sense. It is written in multiple short chapters with action switching back and forth between several character perspectives. The pace is quick and every chapter will leave you wanting to read "just one more" until the entire novel is suddenly finished.
And once you are finished reading The Madness of Mr. Butler, you will realize it is a book about beauty, loneliness, discovery, love, friendship, God, the pursuit of happiness, laughter, and how much an old man can take before he goes completely and utterly mad...
Pre-order your copy today! I guarantee there is no other space opera like The Madness of Mr. Butler!
Thank you to everyone who has already ordered! If anyone else is on the fence still, please let me know if you have any questions. And if any and all of you can spread the word about my novel, I would greatly appreciate it! Just copy and paste this message into an email, send it to a friend or fifty, and I will be eternally grateful.
Thank you for your time, and I hope everyone has a remarkable day!
To order The Madness of Mr. Butler: www.inkshares.com/books/the-madness-of-mr-butler
To read Mr. Butler’s diary for free: thediaryofmrbutler.wordpress.com
Love to all,
-Michael.
