Reader Reviews of this FREE Novel

Burt Kempner, Sarasota, Florida

Until I encountered Luke Soloman, metafiction didn't give me much satisfaction. All too often I found it precious, with authors more intent on showing off writerly parlor tricks than providing credible, sympathetic characters or a coherent story. But the eponymous hero of Sol Luckman's picaresque novel, BEGINNER'S LUKE, is delightfully down to earth: he's often restless, sometimes guileless, perpetually seeking, and, apparently, perpetually horny. BEGINNER'S LUKE is the first installment of a series of six Bildungsromans designed to show how Luke grows, what he gains and how he learns to perceive the world. Readers will have such a fine old time following his adventures it may not dawn on them for some time that they, too, are meant to question their assumptions about reality.

In Book I, the self-generated Luke, determined not to be a tourist in his own life, sets out on his travels and promptly manages to blunder into one mishap after another, including an idyll with the leaf-eating Folarian tribe that comes to a rapid and near-disastrous end and an apprenticeship as a beggar and dumpster-diver in crime-addled Perver City. He eventually seeks refuge in his past (real? imagined? does it matter?) and relives his transition from an alienated, marginalized teenager to a college man in hot pursuit of meaning and mating material in roughly equal measures. The lessons he learns make him wiser, but does that add up to contentment? (Get real: if it did, would there be a reason for Book II?)

Sol Luckman's writing makes BEGINNER'S LUKE a rewarding romp from start to finish. This is the sort of book that could easily have self-destructed in a lesser author's hands, but Luckman makes it sing. You'll like Luke often; you'll want to wring his neck on occasion. But what you won't do is forget him. What is life's purpose? Are things always what they seem? What's the difference between living and existing? Are we the hero of our own lives? When can we be said to have finally grown up? Luke Soloman will no doubt tackle these–and scores of other burning issues–as he continues his education in Book II of the series, THE TOY BUDDHA. I, for one, can't wait to go along for the ride.

An Amazing Book

Robyn Bridgett, Cape Town, South Africa

Amazing! I have tried writing short stories and it is really difficult unless you have an incredibly open imagination. Lack of inhibition and willingness to make subjective characters is first and foremost for any good novel. I couldn't put BEGINNER'S LUKE down. It was very intense reading because the stuff happening to Luke is at times so dreadful you can't imagine it getting worse or more adventuresome. But it does! Sol Luckman is a rare talent. I have only come across one other author who has made me look at humour in this way.

BEGINNER'S LUKE is a unique, unflinchingly original and thought-provoking story or set of stories. Combining mystical insight and a wonderful sense of humour, albeit very unusual, the author displays great imagination in compiling a story that could be seen as a definite reality in some circles and completely foreign and frightful in others. The technique of entering different “dimensions” from story to story is extremely fascinating. It's very rare indeed to encounter such a captivating novel, one that is quite unlike the thousands of adventures and dramas out there.

BEGINNER'S LUKE is unpredictable and full of surprises to the point where you laugh out loud and cannot wait to read the next bit. Some of the situations Luke finds himself in are quite eerie and shocking and leave you wondering whether they actually happened, whether some were aspects of his real life story or maybe stories he heard from friends over the years–as if he were walking around with a notebook, taking everything in and then combining it into a novel.

Even the sex scenes are very descriptive, real and blunt, as if you are there with Luke and can actually see it all taking place. I found the writing very easy to read and engaging. The experience is like being in Luke's mind, being in the story and not the reader. This inspirational and darkly fun novel is a “cannot put down” book that is definite movie material. I loved every minute of it and can't wait to read the rest of the novels in the series. And I can't wait to see it at the box office!

BEGINNER'S LUKE: Reading between the Lines

ME Bradley, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Mention crowds to many people and they will likely respond that they enjoy them in various forms: bars, sporting events, weddings, celebrations. If you are of the persuasion that crowds are the breeding epicenter of ignorance, sheep and hysteria, then you may be the type who would enjoy BEGINNER'S LUKE. Step outside your definition of normal and allow the quirky oddness of Luke Soloman to inspire new thoughts, laughter or disgust–they are all measuring sticks of a stretched mind. The age of the Internet has ushered in a potential for vast evolution of the human spirit, previously possible but on a much smaller scale owing to the difficulty of spreading the word of soul-expanding writings like BEGINNER'S LUKE. Wisdom can manifest in many forms; to discount all of them is cheating yourself; to open your mind and suspend your opinions will allow you to bask in the wonderful absurdness of a journey such as Luke Soloman's life.

It would be wonderful if everyone could be influenced by a logical, nonconformist thinker–but the harsh reality is not many can read between the lines to fully realize the potential of such thought. Reading between the lines is an art that all humans can benefit from. If everything were spelled out for us, what would be the value? If BEGINNER'S LUKE were on a top ten bestseller list, it would more than likely be composed of rehashed, retraced, conformist material. If you are unsettled or made uncomfortable by reading a novel like BEGINNER'S LUKE, then perhaps you are indeed onto something with the potential to expand your mind!

Some theories say we only use a small portion of our minds, that we have come as far (or as short) as we have while utilizing a relatively tiny amount of our intellect. If this is true, what could possibly be a catalyst to inspire further use of our untapped potential? One possible avenue for further expansion is the melding of what we perceive to be “real” or “truthful” and what we perceive to be “fantasy” or “fallacy.” BEGINNER'S LUKE weaves these two poles together to help the reader see the cage of conformity that we all, to some degree, dwell in.

Do not let it be said that success (a form of it anyway) cannot be found in the lowest common denominator–it can and is to a large degree found there every day. However, true wisdom is seldom found in the lowest common denominator. If this statement bothers you, good! May it encourage you to find “truth,” whatever or wherever it may be. One good place to start looking is in the unique thoughts and adventures of Luke Soloman. Step up to the challenge. If you try hard enough you can be as free as Luke, letting evolution flow into and through you …

A “Drummond Light”: BEGINNER'S LUKE

Michelle Lawrence, Tempe, Arizona

In BEGINNER'S LUKE Sol Luckman has captured the mind's meanderings, the inner dialog wound to every man, woman, child or animal, whether admitted or denied, that desires to:

A. Be someone else
B. Go back in time
C. Face the struggle with one's own meaning and purpose
D. Not take it all so damn seriously
E. Actually live rather than exist
F. Indulge in illegal substances/activities
G. All of the above

From page 1 BEGINNER'S LUKE is wildly entertaining and inspiring. Writing with twists of eccentricity and modern stylings, Sol Luckman has opened a door to a literary land of freedom. Bordering on science fiction, this exploration of man's often ignored core loneliness compelled me to “read forth” as if on a quest to discover and rediscover parts of my own perspective on society, and myself.

An enlightening promenade sketching the outlines and beginnings of both an altruistic and egotistic soul search, the book's highlighted character, Luke Soloman, is a “Drummond Light,” that is, a character of mesmerizing star quality. A rare fictional persona that is true to “real life” in an imaginary way that makes the reader evaluate and reevaluate his/her own drifting superhero.

It almost feels as if BEGINNER'S LUKE is a compilation of journal entries, complete with the innermost confessions and intimate desires of a man realizing and living out a series of daydreams, nightmares, fantasies and everything in between. Provocatively rich with vivid characters and descriptive emotion, BEGINNER'S LUKE is a flavorful page-turner that not only satisfies the hunger for poetic intellectual stimulation, but also introspective humor. I am delighted that the story continues …

Peeling off the Layers: BEGINNER'S LUKE

Roseann Gabrys, Wyandotte, Michigan

Solo Man, a.k.a. Luke Soloman, peels off the layers of identity to reveal or maybe even expose the naked truth of the inner individual–the only One. And the zip strip he uses is the words that make up his thoughts and via the tool of writing, using those words to make up a reality for all of us to explore. It's not just any ol’ words either, it's an amazing and articulate collection that makes you want to strap on your dictionary for a Personal Flotation Device as you push your craft off toward the other side.

At first, the storyline seems a little trite or maybe juvenile, but as one continues to read, it becomes obvious that's the intention. It's all background, a sort of history that one needs to connect with the character. And the criticism seems validated when the rest of Luke's writing class (Creative Writing 101) has the same superficial reaction to his “story.” Digging in, it starts to get deeper.

How often do we take things at face value, without understanding how something seemingly simple has serious significance? How much do we overlook in our everyday experiences as we search only for the extraordinary? What might appear to have little merit but could be the fulcrum that moves the mountain? That's part of the point–we miss so much by assuming a superior stance without realizing there's always a lesson–that there's always something to learn.

And Luke's story has a mighty moral: we're making it all up! Our imagination is both seed and soil, water and sun. It's how we cultivate our circumstances and fashion our future. Luke takes us on a tour of time and quaintly confuses the quantity and quality of something we've all come to take for granted, the timeline that creates cause and effect. It reminds me of a quote I've seen attributed to a number of individuals, including Tom Robbins: “It's never too late to have a happy childhood.”

The BEGINNER'S LUKE Series fits first and foremost into the category of adventure; the fact that it's also educational is a sort of furtive free lunch. (Who says there's no such thing?) So, gentle friend, read it and weep, but be well warned, those might be tears of joy.

A Profound Awakening: BEGINNER'S LUKE

Alyce Mooreland, Los Angeles, California

I won't call myself a failed novelist because though I've written a handful of stories, even published one, I never seriously tried to write a novel. Oh, I've never been short on ideas. Plots come like leaves on a tree to me. I just somehow along the road of life became a mother instead of an author. So I was a little surprised, at myself, to find my old dream of writing reawakened by an iconoclastic little novel entitled BEGINNER'S LUKE I received out of the blue–literally, from cyberspace as a PDF–from an old friend I hadn't heard a peep from in years.

I met the author, Sol Luckman, during my sophomore year of college, when he was a senior getting ready to enter what we both rather scornfully referred to as the “real world.” I remember roadtripping together to DC, smoking on the terrace during intermission at the National Symphony, feeling the unexpected warmth of the early April night, watching boats drift by like phantoms on the Potomac as we discussed what we agreed was a general “watering down” tendency in American fiction.

Sol was a writer born out of time, a beat poet who'd arrived on the scene a generation too late, the kind of guy who worked on stories in DC bagel shops, writing with a green pen for spring in a coffee-stained journal. As a boy you just knew he'd slain the dragon, stood tall on his horse before the Ring Wraith at the gate of Minas Tirith, seen things just beyond the light, just below the water, fed the flames of Beltane's fires and carefully gathered the mistletoe. I figured, frankly, he'd make an utterly unreadable novelist.

How very wrong I was. BEGINNER'S LUKE, the first book in a series of six, is that rarest of birds: an inspiring comic novel composed almost entirely of one-liners. Reading it was like having a string of accidents: page after page I kept running into myself. The self I planned to be anyway before the creative part of me became a bug in amber, suspended indefinitely, a life on hold, to be continued … The experience of reading BEGINNER'S LUKE was a profound awakening to the knowledge I still have my own story, or stories, to tell.

BEGINNER'S LUKE isn't for everybody, let me warn you. If you're so inside the box you've forgotten what sunlight looks like, if you're one of those benighted empiricists who demand numbers, statistics and facts ad nauseam, who prefer microbiology to mythology, meatloaf to filet mignon, kraut to caviar, go read E. Annie Proulx or Richard Ford.

But if you're willing to bust a gut laughing, mostly at yourself, distinguish between what you are and what you can be, and in the process fire up your belief in your ability to create the life you desire and deserve, do yourself a favor and give yourself the gift of Luke. Just remember: it's only the beginning.