The young conquer, and the old endure. What could go wrong?
In many ways, modern culture is an overhead, sophisticated one. It contains various precious anthropological strengths and insights. Contemporary culture has this surprising adaptability and openness to absorb, clarify, and unite.
And for W. Clark Boutwell, the average age has fallen to the teens. In much of the world, half the inhabitants are younger than his favorite dress shoes and the socks to go with them. For him, this is not a grand conspiracy nor an act of war, pestilence, or famine, but rather due to better food, better infant care, and western intolerance to war.
Boutwell added that Americans are told that their longevity is increasing yearly, which is more notable in many other parts of the world. During the last seventy years, life expectancy has grown in Ghana (for example) from forty-six to seventy-one years. This is also due to reduced violence, better health, more trade, and Western affluence. On this note, Boutwell wrote the Old Men and Infidels (OMAI) Book Series. OMAI is about two (2) countries that went opposite in the age profile. One retires everyone at forty (never to be seen again), and the other retires no one, despite their life expectancy of double our own. Thus, the Young have no youth, and the Old has not aged. Boutwell wants to explore this phenomenon and how it affects humanity’s attitudes to aging, faith, and truth.
Outline Of The Series
Book One: Outland Exile. The world is getting younger; Unity retires everyone at forty, just before they disappear. The world is getting older; everyone expects to work hard for most of their double lifespan in the hardscrabble outlands. The book is focused on Lieutenant Malila Chiu, an unknowing pawn in the stealth coup d’etat of General Eustace Jourdaine. Her enlightenment in the barbarous outlands showed her the ropes, this time bravery, and is more experienced.
Book Two: Exiles’ Escape. This book is based on Malila’s moral dilemma of trying to return to the outlands and stop a person in his plans to conquer the outlands.
Book Three: Malila Of The Scorch. Things have changed. Malila has now become an ambassador for the sentient plants of the Scorch, some of which are old friends/enemies of Jesse, the person who tried to conquer the outlands. Secrets have been revealed to save American lives.
Book Four: The Silence And The Gods. The Great Western Demarchy has gone silent. Looking for new allies against the Unity, America decides to determine its fate and send an embassy to its capital, including an old Scorcher.
About The Author: W. Clark Boutwell
W. Clark Boutwell is a cavalier of a certain age who has spent most of the time since he was 18 years old learning to be a physician, practicing his craft, and teaching it to others.
In the middle of his 7th decade, Clark was seized. This is because these things will happen to men of a certain age, with the conceit to write.
For his OMAI book series, what was initially planned to be a short story, an extensive work for a beginner writer, eventually morphed into a 2-book and then a 4-book series. He is enthralled by how the narrative of history is used, forgotten, abused, invented, denied, transmitted, warped, and generally dealt with rather shabbily. And to prove this, book five (Unity Ascending) is in the works.
Furthermore, Clark has lived with his wife (who tolerates him) for over forty years in rural Alabama near Montgomery. He is a believer, long-distance hiker, climber, lousy poet, traveler, and worse wit. And from his words: “You have been warned.”
