The Fourth Step, A Dream Amidst the Chaos: The Isometrics of Thought and Power of Projection

By Al Lucas

Paul recovers from an exploded brain and heart attack because God did not want him. Directly, he was concerned about finding a woman of his dreams rather than a commonplace whore. As well he was into undermining the financial structure of the world. He consulted Carmine, an old gypsy friend in Holland, one of the girls in his cell. She put him d

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lime Press LLC
• Release date: Aug 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781954304642

Al Lucas

This is the original 1st person version called High Steppin' off da Crack, first submitted as a 3rd person account under the name of simply Hi' Steppin' years ago. This 1st person version is more in keeping with an autobiographical style while still using fictional names as characters and was created before the 3rd person version, but lost, only to be found later after the 3rd person publication. It opens with an emaciated man standing on the day of 9/11 in the VA lobby, awaiting hospitalization for crack usage. One bizarre incident after another occurs leaving his sanity no longer in question. Being a Vietnam-era vet, he is screened and then followed up by two psychiatrists of Oriental persuasion who treat him rather realistically, to his chagrin. He is discharged with a nursing plan to attend Avon Park, a renowned dual diagnosis center in Sebring, FL, but first must go to SafePlace, a transitional housing facility in Tampa to protect him from the dealers while he awaits an opening in Avon. First, however, Paul decides to go home and have one more bout with crack, to get the high he never had, using his car as leverage. It doesn't work out so well. He thus attends SafePlace without a car. It should be noted, he has read to one of the psychiatrists his ongoing novel and continues to read or have read to any and all its contents. One person, a roommate, at SafePlace is so moved, he blows his brains out. At Avon, he is assigned a class coordinator, Manfred Mundane, an ex-military pilot, who is unsympathetic about Paul's writing skills. Getting kicked out for bumming cigarettes, Paul comes home with new verve. He will in fact attend AA and does. He fights his way out of bankruptcy and foreclosure blindly with no help from family or friends and miraculously incurs twelve years of clean time. The book ends with a surprise, reserved for the reader. It should also be noted, the narrative weaves between Paul's acid days in Morocco and his current plight. His journal is in the past tense; the book's outcome, in the present with both coming to an end in Paul's bedroom where reality merges in a sexual farce.

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The Fourth Step,

A Dream Amidst the Chaos:

The Isometrics of Thought and Power of Projection

Al Lucas

The Fourth Step, A Dream Amidst the Chaos:

The Isometrics of Thought and Power of Projection

by Al Lucas

This book is written to provide information and motivation to readers. Its purpose is not to render any type of psychological, legal, or professional advice of any kind. The content is the sole opinion and expression of the author, and not necessarily that of the publisher.

Copyright © 2021 by Al Lucas

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or distributed in any form by any means, including, but not limited to, recording, photocopying, or taking screenshots of parts of the book, without prior written permission from the author or the publisher. Brief quotations for noncommercial purposes, such as book reviews, permitted by Fair Use of the U.S. Copyright Law, are allowed without written permissions, as long as such quotations do not cause damage to the book’s commercial value. For permissions, write to the publisher, whose address is stated below.

First Published (2013)

Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN: 978-1-954304-64-2 (Ebook)

ISBN: 978-1-954304-65-9 (Paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-954304-66-6 (Hardback)

Lime Press LLC

425 West Washington Street

Suffolk VA, 23434 Suite 4

https://www.lime-press.com/

Pacific Book Review

Growing up can be a difficult thing. Adulthood is often sought after by the young, especially teenagers, until they realize the immense pressure and stress that being an adult can have. Yet with age comes maturity, for most anyway, and finding maturity is a means of finding oneself in the process. As actress Angelina Jolie once said, I do believe in the old saying, ‘What does not kill you makes you stronger.’ Our experiences, good and bad, make us who we are. By overcoming difficulties, we gain strength and maturity.

In author Al Lucas’s The Fourth Step – A Dream Amidst the Chaos: The Isometrics of Thought and Power of Projection, the author explores the misadventures and thoughts of antihero Paul Undres once more. In this narrative, the author explores Paul’s analysis of maturity, showing his recurring nonsense and witty dialogue amongst those who would listen to him while exploring the life Paul never knew he was missing out on when he dreams. The novel showcases Paul’s heavy back-and-forth inner struggle with the world and reality itself after the struggle with tobacco nearly cost him his life, at least mentally, in the third book. From seeking to cause anarchy and chaos in the world on behalf of God; to dreaming of having children and finding his own inner masculinity in the face of confusion and doubt; the author explores the rolling thoughts of a man struggling with his own mental health and sobriety.

The way the author explores maturity and reality in this narrative from Paul’s perspective is incredible. Reeling from the explosive finale of the last novel, this latest entry into the series focuses on Paul’s downward spiral as his attitude towards humanity and the world takes a turn. From his early moments plotting the destruction of the world on orders from God; to his love-hate relationship with the members of his writing group; to even the focus on getting his manuscripts reworked and published; the character undergoes a series of transformative moments that take him personally on a whirlwind journey.

This is the perfect read for those that enjoy thought-provoking drama blended with witty characters and humorous writing that plays on serious subject matters. As a fan of the genre and character building, it was engaging to see the antihero Paul’s transcending growth throughout the narrative. The story, and the series overall, almost feel like representations of the five stages of grief at times. With this narrative delving into themes of anger and rage, as well as acceptance, Paul comes to an understanding of his role in life and his journey thus far.

An entertaining, humorous, and heartfelt story of addiction recovery and character growth, author Al Lucas’s The Fourth Step – A Dream Amidst the Chaos: The Isometrics of Thought and Power of Projection is a must-read novel and next entry into this growing series. A deep look into the evolution of an addict’s mind and the hidden beauty in a seemingly nonsensical stream of consciousness, the author wows readers with deep insights into the human mind and reality as a whole.

Table of Contents

1: Farcical Beginnings

2: The Mistress

3: Running for Life

4: Revisiting the Play

5: Reaching Out

6: The Covenant

7: Two Societies

8: Bruce at Best

9: Critics All

10: Sara

11: Biblical Trespassing

12: The Nuclear Core

13: The Living Call Center

14: Connie

15: Not Dying, Just Not living

16: Peer Pressure

17: Pocket Change

18: The Reviews

19: The Pinball and the Passion Play

20: Public Policy

21: Old Buddy Brandy

22: The Merits of Reading

23: The Imbeciles

24: Christmas and the Family

25: More Christmas Spirit

26: Videos

27: Smarts

28: The Glue That Holds It Together

29: A Prelude to Science Fiction

30: Dreams Are Made of This

31: In the Church

32: What’s in a Name?

33: Gender Preference

34: The One Small Problem

35: Voices

36: Down on Their Luck

37: Lucky but Lonely

38: It All Comes Together

39: The Unchanging Nature of Politics

40: The Third Coming

41: The Wife

42: Madam President

43: Foreign Policy

44: Campaign Cohort

45: More Epistles

46: Sheer Misandry

47: Wake Up

1: Farcical Beginnings

Paul had died in the Third Step. By all appearance his face had been covered in the sand, his brains all over the place. How could he piece it together? Everyone thought he was dead, but he fooled them all. By some virtue of God, he came together again. Everyone at the wedding was shocked. His slatternly bride to be, exclaimed, Lordie!

He argued, debatably, that existence was a farce. It was more than a farce though. It was a persistent farce. The fantasy carried him far, far into the reaches where he returned to this world because of the rejection by God.

He didn’t like thinking of himself and the consequences of his actions, but it was at that moment of reuniting with the world that he rid himself of the terrible addiction of nicotine. He never touched a cigarette again. He was a prophet foreseeing his own demise should he indulge again.

Bent on the destruction of all living things, he marveled not as to why God had rejected him, but that he had. Alas, it was the thought behind it. He had considered himself unfit. Now that he was back, was he meant to destroy everything in the name of God? He didn’t really care. He was not the working man. Many anarchists feel that way, but they are blind to the purity of the working man, those that relied on physical labor. Realistically life, no matter how hateful, is the school of hard knocks. Paul had learned his lesson about giving in, now to apply it. The nagging thought of the debt owned taxpayer, however, prevailed. He