A new series in which each week I read a chapter from a novel I wrote as a teenager 15 years ago, and afterwards talk about it to see how little I have changed since then. This is a story of an alien invasion taking place on Earth directly after the First World War, a mix of Blackadder Goes Forth, Independence Day, and Un Chien Andalou. Yes, those natural bedfellows. And as you can imagine, this was not a novel that was published. Here, I present the awfulness of this novel for your amusement, and you can think of it as a How To NOT write a book. 

Today, we just look at the synopsis, with a bit more detail surrounding the creation Assterwork, and will jump into the first chapter in the next episode. 

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The first chapter of XBook, which is really more of a prologue, and a very long-winded one like that. You can hear my thoughts about it after the chapter has been read. You can also hear just how harsh publishers can be in a rejection slip I received from one publisher that was a bit crushing at the time. 

If you want to pass on your own thoughts and interpretations, or ways to improve this fledgling podcast, I am on Twitter at @DanielsNemesis and I am on Facebook if you search for DanielsNemesis

Chapter 2, and we finally get to meet one of our central characters! This time, it's Ginger, and he is trying to get some leave from the British armed forces. Riveting stuff, I know, but we do at least get to see some of the mechanics of how Ginger thinks and acts. And he talks to some people as well. What more can I do to hook you in? 

After I read the chapter, I shall then dissect it, and start to bring out some psychobabble as well. 

Feel free to tell me your own ideas and interpretations through Twitter - @DanielsNemesis, or on Facebook by searching for DanielsNemesis 

It's chapter 3, and we get to meet the second of our major characters, this time it's William. William is an alien, that's how revolutionary this story is, that we can see inside the minds of both sides of the main conflict! In this chapter, William finds a convenient way to describe himself to us. 

This chapter is a lot shorter than most of the chapters in the book. Is that alienist of me to give William less time to introduce himself than Ginger? 

After reading the chapter, I then dissect it, giving a bit of history and some vague psychobabble. 

I'd like to hear your opinions, ideas and interpretations, and comments. Let me know on Twitter at @DanielsNemesis, and Facebook, by searching for DanielsNemesis

It's episode 4 of this old novel by myself, Daniel's Nemesis, called XBook.

It's an alien invasion in 1918, just after the Great War has finished and we follow both sides of the action, from the human perspective as well as the alien perspective. Unfortunately, both perspectives are a bit skewed. Think Independence Day meets Blackadder Goes Forth with a touch of Salvador Dali mixed in. I did, and I wrote about it. 

Each week I read out a chapter and this time, Ginger is going on holiday with his girlfriend, unchaperoned. 

After I read the chapter, I shall then dissect it and start to bring out some psychobabble as well. 

This is not a normal Daniel's Nemesis podcast as I am not reading XBook. Instead, I have decided to go back to the earliest version of XBook called Christmas Day form 1998 to give you an idea of exactly how much this novel changed over the years.

I will alternate these episodes with the main XBook episodes, whenever I can. Some chapters were added later on, some removed, and some existing chapters moved around a bit, so I hope things are not too patchy.  

In order to catch you up, I shall put the first couple of "scenes" into one episode. 

William acts a bit like Captain Kirk onboard the Starship Enterprise, and he also covers some exposition. 

Yes, it's episode 5 of this old novel by myself, Daniel's Nemesis, called XBook.

It's about an alien invasion in 1918, just after the Great War has finished and we follow both sides of the action, from the human perspective as well as the alien perspective. Unfortunately, both perspectives are a bit skewed. Think Independence Day meets Blackadder Goes Forth with a touch of Salvador Dali mixed in. I did, and I wrote about it.

After I read the chapter, I shall then dissect it and start to bring out some psychobabble as well. 

This is not a normal Daniel's Nemesis podcast as I am not reading XBook. Instead, I have decided to go back to the earliest version of XBook called Christmas Day form 1998 to give you an idea of exactly how much this novel changed over the years.

I will alternate these episodes with the main XBook episodes, whenever I can. Some chapters were added later on, some removed, and some existing chapters moved around a bit, so I hope things are not too patchy.