FREE 24-25 June
Sign Changes
Sign Changes
by Bart
Hopkins Jr.
Sign Changes is a novel about ideas and the ways they have
changed us. It is about the way you came to understand the very words you are
reading now. About the origins of symbol use. Kpol and his tribe struggle to
survive an ice age 100,000 years ago and adapt to new ways. In 16th century
England, a young boy leaves the countryside to learn to read and print books.
In the near-present computer age, a man and woman prepare for the bombs they
fear will fall. And in the distant future, a new form of life comes into
existence. What connects them all?
Excerpt
The horses clop slowly through the London streets. Jack is sunken back
against his seat attempting to assimilate all that he has seen in the last few
hours. Haynes is quiet also, no doubt thinking about their meeting. Finally,
Jack says "He seemed quite nice."
The old man snorts, looks out the window. "That’s not the word I
would use."
"All this time," says Jack, "We’ve talked, you and me,
you’ve told me this and that about the king and his women and the jousting and
such, you never once said that you actually knew him."
"You didn’t need to know," says Haynes. "And I was serious
as could be about keeping your mouth shut and keeping your head. It wasn’t my
idea to bring you to that meeting, Jack, it was his. You know what that means?
He knew that I had brought you from the countryside; it had reached his ears.
This is a man who is the leader of a country, who has gone to war, who is the
head of our church. Yet a boy apprenticed to a printer has come to his
attention. He did not have me bring you for nothing, Jack. My guess is that he
knows my time can’t be that far off, and he wants someone else that he can
trust to do some printing quietly if he needs it. Mark my words, boy, that man
may be the smartest, most cunning man that I have ever met, so you use care to
keep his confidence, understand?"
"Yes sir," says Jack. "I understand."
"Have you ever heard a mouse fart into the wind?" Haynes asks
the boy.
"No sir."
"You want to be quieter than that."
Featured Review
By Stinky Pot
Prepare yourself for
time travel, adventure, survival and artful insights into the evolution of
communication, language and the written word. Bart Hopkins Jr. weaves four
stories from four different periods in time into a powerful, tightly sewn
tapestry of delight and enlightenment. See how the prehistoric tribe faces each
harsh day yet still manages to enjoy love of family and life. Feel the reality
of old England through a young man's eyes and see the initial sparks of the
written word grow into a powerful flame. Get ready for a love affair and tale
of modern day survival down among the refineries along the Gulf Coast of Texas.
Feast on the sci-fi flavored adventure that takes you to a special place. This
book grabbed me from the start and never let go until I turned the last page!
About the Author
Bart Hopkins Jr. loves the great outdoors, especially the mountains and hiking and climbing. He was a surfer until his forties when a combination of things teamed up to keep him out of the water. He rides the motorcycle every once in a while.
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