The following is a list of Mike's various literary offspring. Thematically the collection runs the gamut, dealing with the supernatural, philosophy, metaphysics, synchronicity, videogames, religion & spirituality, technology addiction, Hollywood, adolescence, enlightenment, reincarnation, modern art, literature, noir, humankind's evolution and our place (be it wistful or wacko) in the universe. That'll make for a good future Wikipedia entry.
The Atheist (2009) When an outspoken, celebrity atheist on the level of Richard Dawkins or Sam Harris has a near-death experience, he begins to question his beliefs, and must learn to balance his public image while privately coming to terms with the new philosophical and unanswerable scientific questions afforded him in the wake of his experience.
Cecil & the Silent Loons (2009) Eccentric movie producer Cecil Myman is obsessed with a film he saw as a child, a mysterious film now lost to all records and experts. To fill the void, he has set up a studio with one purpose: to remake over and over again what he remembers of the lost film until he gets it right. Unfortunately, this search to recapture his celluloid childhood could land him in the middle of a sinister plot involving the very destruction of the industrialized world.
Skunk Ape Semester (2008 - 2009) When zoologist and Bigfoot enthusiast Jeremy Fishleder's class on cryptozoology is cancelled for its "questionable science", he takes a sabbatical and, tired of his current life, plans for a new future. He connects with a fellow paranormal researcher who supplies him with a free van and resources, and, along with three recent graduates also uncertain about their future, he strikes out across the country in search of the unknown.
The Follower (2007 - 2008) Many spiritual stories or texts deal with abstract concepts or portray characters in distant times and distant places. This novel seeks to bring Buddha into the 21st century, featuring a web designer with an extraordinary secret with which he attempts to come to peace via meditation and the pursuit of enlightenment.
Moment of Conception (2009) What goes through the mind of a young, impassioned writer the minute before he begins his first novel? This short experimental novel is a 21st century homage to James Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, done in dry Menippean satire.
Too Much Dark Matter, Too Little Gray (2003 - 2008) A collection of short stories.
Two-Bits (2008) Written months before Mike's 25th birthday, this short, thoughtful pseudo-memoir is divided into 3 parts: Life's Work, which concerns writing and art, God 'n Stuff, which concerns the philosophy accumulated over a quarter of a century, and Romanticulosis, a section on dating and relationships. This is a literary snapshot of the first 25 years. The sequel will debut when Mike turns 50, after another 25 years have elapsed.
Database Divine (2007) A religious parody that skewers 'em all, Atheism included (yes, that's right -- yours is a religion, too). It seems tire-specialist Roger McKenzie has come upon quite a bit of classified cosmic information, making him a target for both Heaven and Hell. A bit of quantum physics ideas are thrown in for good measure, too.
Students of Synchronism (2006) An obesely wealthy Beverly Hills family....a small group of homeless persons....two middle-class filmmakers. What do they have in common? They are threaded together by fate, bound in the same 'life-team' that has them all affecting one another's destiny, much of the time unwittingly.
The Armistan Chronicles (2004 - 2006) A small idea becomes a personal and collective evolutionary milestone for several high school students who come together from different backgrounds and crafts to create their own videogame. In a world where videogames are blamed for everything from bad film adaptations to attention deficit disorder to the Columbine massacre, this novel is a passionate defense of videogames as a tried and true 21st century art form.
Negative Space (2005) This one can be about many things depending on how you look at it. It can be a dark comedy making fun of the heights some artists (or artistes) will go to get their message out, or a surreal mystery about the power of art to transcend the canvas and assist in personal evolution. Or it could also be about blessing the insatiable animal within you because such animal helps you measure your own spiritual growth. What do you know? It's all those things.
The Green-Eyed Monster (2002 - 2004) Two bestselling authors with a mysterious and supernatural "identical twin" kind of connection. One of them ends up dead at the other's hand. Through the ensuing investigation, we learn of their childhood, adolescence and their early careers, slowly unraveling the secrets behind the power of their work and their imagination, which may have roots in a dark authorial being beyond our time or dimension.
Vermin Street: Dry Spell (2004) Private Eye C.D. Blackrat discovers a sinister plot involving the mayoral election, the return of prohibition, and...the introduction of a lovable cartoon character named Rufus Rat.
Vermin Street: Life in these Walls (2002 - 2003) Meet Private Eye Cornelius Danger Blackrat, who will take you on a tour of the seedy and corrupted cities to be found in the walls of a house not unlike your own. Meet street gangs of cockroaches, Gerbil Mafiosos and more, and see for yourself what drives Blackrat to the Soaked Fur Tavern on a nightly basis. This is hardly your cute Disney film.
The Legend of Thorn Man (with Troy Ratliff) screenplay (2009) Part man, part gator, part blowfish - all terror! A campy homage to classic B-movie monster fare, with decidedly more blood 'n thorny situations.
Still Dead (screenplay) (2009)
A Portrait of Todd Stinton (screenplay) (2009)
© Copyright 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Mike Robinson. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author.