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STORIES
Kibi and the Search for Happiness
2010
Rini and the Old Slave
2010
Buna's New World
2011
First Taste of Freedom
2011
Neti's Temptation
2012
What're Friends For
2012
Sata's Strength
2012
Boro and Sata
2012
The NEBADOR stories were NOT written for everyone, maybe not even for most people. In other words, there's a chance you won't like them, and if so, that's okay.
If you strongly hold any of these eight common beliefs, and you want to keep those beliefs, then you should probably find something else to read:
There's no life anywhere in the universe but on Earth.
Humans are the wisest and most intelligent beings possible.
Young people shouldn't think about difficult topics like politics, love, and death.
The universe is a giant machine, without mind or purpose.
Stories should be pure entertainment. Learning is just for nerds.
Only people in my religion will get into Heaven. Animals certainly don't have souls!
Science (or Religion) is great, and Religion (or Science) is evil!
The Earth is just real estate, to be bought and sold and used however we please.
Are you still here?
How long has it been since you took a good look at the universe?
The whole universe.
Yes, I know, it doesn't fit very well into a human brain. If we try to look at it all at once, it can seem pretty huge and scary. All those stars ... very little air to breathe ... usually too hot or too cold ... and no pizza on most planets.
Because it's so big and scary, people usually divide it into lots of little boxes: one for the physical planets and stars, one for gods and angels, one for ghosts and fairies, one for UFOs ...
The only problem is, "universe" means "the whole thing"! If we divide it into little boxes, we can't see the many, many connections between the parts that make it ONE universe.
The NEBADOR stories are not limited to those little boxes, and have no loyalties to the people who argue for or against them. Science ... religion ... ghosts and fairies ... you know.
As we try to understand the huge universe around us, there are two man-made paths that offer to guide us, and both promise to give us a "place" in the universe.
The first path is wide and well-marked. It's easy to follow, as millions have gone that way before. It's lined with toys, candy, money, and all the other "goodies" people like. We seldom hear anything bad about this path, but occasionally someone further along yells back, "There's nothing here!"
There are also some narrow paths we can carefully tiptoe down if we follow all the rules someone wrote in a book. Those rules might help a few people to learn and grow, even if they don't stay on one of these narrow paths all their lives. Although many people are attracted to the power and status that these paths promise, most people eventually realize that they are too narrow, and only work well for the people who wrote the books.
The wide path does not require us to grow, and the narrow path forces us into someone else's mold.
There's also a third way, but it was not made by people so it's tricky to find and difficult to follow. It winds among faint tracks that come and go, sometimes follows a trail that few people can see, and occasionally even goes cross-country. No signs mark the way, and no book contains maps or rules. There's no proof that anyone ever went that way, but we hear rumors that a brave soul or two might have tried it, once upon a time.
The thought of taking that rarely-used path can be as frightening as looking up at the huge, starry sky. But that's the path the NEBADOR stories take: no well-marked road, just opportunities to keep learning and growing, every chapter, every day, right along with the characters.
And then the magic happens, and the universe becomes less and less scary with every step along the path.
When we start poking around looking for that mysterious third path, we discover it actually has four strands:
Physical -- Your body is your vessel, your "space ship" at this point, and you can only be comfortable in the universe if your body is in the best shape it can be. This is not so much about "doctors" and "health care," as they are not always available. It is very much about taking care of yourself, protecting yourself, never harming yourself in any big way, and when necessary, healing yourself.
Emotional -- Your feelings are important to successful living, if used wisely, but they can also completely destroy your ability to understand the universe. "Fear is the mind-killer" we learn from Frank Herbert in Dune, and that says it well. Most of the other negative emotions, such as anger, spring directly from fear. If your emotions rule you, you are a slave, chains or no. If your emotions are tools to use or not, as the situation requires, then you are developing one of the most useful senses: intuition.
Mental -- The human mind is a powerful but imperfect thinking "machine." Good thinking allows us to glimpse reality, and bad thinking keeps us in the dark (although we seldom know it). The universe whispers to us if we are listening, and for thousands of years, wise people have been keeping notes. Thinking errors are called "fallacies" in logic and philosophy, "delusions" in psychology.
Spiritual -- The realm that is beyond the mind is hard to think about, and even harder to talk about as our languages have few words for it. It offers no proof, and does not allow itself to be measured. It is experienced directly by some, and believed to exist by many. Others argue it doesn't exist. Some will kill over differences in belief, while others find this incompatible with the very idea of spirituality.
Walking down four paths at the same time might sound impossible, but luckily every "step" (every decision) in our lives usually moves us along several of them at once.
The journey from the "gutter" of everyday life, to the "stars" of universe confidence and personal power, is best taken a step at a time. It's okay if your steps are small, as there's no hurry.
Stories can help by letting us watch others who have attempted the journey. In many stories, people get lost in the creature comforts of the wide and easy path. In some, they are ensnared by promises of power and status on one of the narrow paths. In still others, the characters fail to reach the "stars" for reasons we will never know.
NEBADOR is the story of ten young adults who get the chance to take those scary steps down that difficult third path. Only five of them have what it takes to become respected citizens of a universe civilization that has no need of money, politics, or rule books.
The author knew from the moment the Muse handed him this "assignment" that he had to do more than just write a story and sell it to people. He knew that a few of his readers would be touched deeply and crave to begin their own journeys down that third path. For those few, even if they could be counted on one hand, he had to provide more:
Questions, Answers, and Advice
Any reader is welcome to write to the author, and he will give an honest answer to any thoughtful question. On the Ask Kibi page, advice comes from the author or one of his helpers from a character's point of view.
Deep Learning Notes and the author's collection of Fallacies
For a depth of information that could not be included in the story, and discussion questions on many levels, the Deep Learning Notes are available on the web site and in printed book form. They are also included in the trilogy print editions. The author's collection of Fallacies and other thinking errors, and his Thinking 101 essay series, can help any student of personal power to sharpen their wits.
Nebador Citizens
Readers who feel a special connection to the stories can become honorary Nebador Citizens, share something about themselves on the web site, and have priority access to the author for any concerns.
Letters to Readers
The author likes to be up front with his readers about his beliefs and motivations, so each book includes a letter that gives some insights into why the book was written. All of the letters are collected on a page of the web site so they can be read without having the books.
Reviews, Articles, Videos, Interviews, Talks, Comments, etc.
All of the reviews and other formal presentations concerning the NEBADOR stories are collected on one page of the web site, and comments by general readers on another.
Writing and Art Contests
For creative readers who would enjoy a chance to add to the NEBADOR stories, a yearly Writing Contest offers prizes and possible print publication, and entries in the quarterly Art Contest have found their way into the NEBADOR books as illustrations.
Dramatic Audiobooks
The ultimate NEBADOR experience (at least until someone makes the movies) is a Dramatic Audiobook, produced by a theater company with a full cast of voices, sound effects, and music.
Standing on Your Own Two Feet: Young Adults Surviving 2012 and Beyond
For readers who aren't afraid to take a critical look at the world they live in, and apply some of the personal-power values that the NEBADOR stories emphasize, a free book by the author gives an overview of what they need to know to get started preparing for little things like economic collapse and climate change.
The Youth Futures Essays
As both source material and post-publication updates, the author's Youth Futures essays explore many of the topics in Standing on Your Own Two Feet in greater depth.
Good journey to you!
Book by Book
Book One:
The Test
Spring 2010
Book Two:
Journey
Summer 2010
Book Three:
Selection
Fall 2010
Book Four:
Flight Training
Spring 2011
Book Five:
Back to the Stars
Fall 2011
Book Six:
Star Station
Summer 2012
Book Seven:
The Local Universe
2013
Book Eight:
Witness
2014
Book Nine:
A Cry for Help
2015
Copyright © 2009-2013
by J. Z. Colby
unless otherwise attributed