About the Book Stories, Legends, and Truths from the Blighted Earth is a book of fictional narratives and artifacts which progressively knit together a hidden world existing outside what humans perceive as our reality. Earth Mother is sentient, and all manner of life on our planet are Her children to whom She gifts sentience of their own. The "spirit essence" or soul is immortal, and all beings progress through many lives. Within this context, sentient life occupies a hierarchy, where the highest tiers are occupied by elementals and Guardian Spirits who are responsible for preserving and maintaining the Natural Order; while those affiliated, coopted, and corrupted by Chaos are continuously trying to disrupt, and ultimately destroy, the balance. There is no such thing as good and evil, just the continual struggle between order and chaos. The Blighted Earth's sentient existence, where all life on the planet is connected, reveals a hidden realm and provides a new understanding of our world through the provided stories and artifacts. These tales are described within the context of real-world events and historical conflicts as told from the perspective of various characters occupying the numerous tiers in the Hierarchy of Sentience. Many commonly understood theories of existence and spirituality are reimagined within a new model of the universe where humankind's place, and our importance within "the All" is very different from what most of us interpret it to be, including the definition of life and lifeforms. About the Author R.M. Tembreull spent his childhood roaming the pastures and forests of rural Michigan. He was exposed to the wonders of the wilderness through a variety of experiences including camping, canoe trips, hunting, and fishing. Later, he would experience much of the world during his twenty-six years with the Air Force. His greatest appreciation for the wonders of nature began when he became a certified scuba diver while stationed in Guam. There he met the love of his life, and they began exploring the underwater world together. Tembreull found the courage and time to start writing during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The author hopes his work will ignite the reader's imagination, instill a new appreciation of the natural world, and inspire others to act in preserving and protecting the life and natural resources of our wonderful Earth.
