The guide of time

Kindle

Arts are a formal phenomenon, thus style is its most important feature, but also jeopardize its inner sense with superficiality; that explains why flaws are not so important, and even a way to improve development and evolution. That said, The guide of time could be as mediocre literature as it's been the norm; with a very simple argument, mixing mysticism and adventure in a proved formula; granting a little success without mannerisms or shrillness, as it's been the expectative over the market for arts.

Truth is that The guide of time comes to more than this, even if this was what it looked for; because with that modesty, the author doesn't interfere with the real function of literature, and gives us a perfect reflection over the reality. Nobody need to believe in mysticism, you could be a scientific investigating quantum and discover its relationship with the old philosophies; and then understand that literary traditions were not constructed over a problem of style and form, but as a reflection (thinking) to understand reality. That's why the more important books of antiquity are not those of history but mythology, and religions were developed to work with that.

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Then, the value of this book is to get back that function of literature as a reflection of reality; even if that wasn't the idea of the author —which is irrelevant— and its multiple flaws of style and argument. None of that is important, because the book success is that construction of a perfect parable about reality and its inner determinations; no matter if that metaphysical statement is a real fictional history or a way to rationalize the dynamic of quantum. Indeed, it is so complex as a subject that still philosophers argue about it, from Hegel (dialectic) to Heidegger (Dasein); as if early cultures have had the time and the experience to explain all that, as we don’t have it today.

It will be a great mistake to try to read this book with that in mind, since its success depend on the naivety of the reading; but it’s still good to know why this book is so good, besides the experience of follow the plot, which is beauty in its naivety. So, when you come to a flaw as the end of the first book to jump to the second, give it the space to flow; at the end, when you summarize the whole book you’ll smile with gratitude and joy.