User talk:Davidhillery

BLongley 14:34, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

The First Degree synopsis
Just a note that I have moved the synopsis part of the Wiki article that you contributed yesterday to the Synopsis field of the title record -- see Help for a description of what goes in this field. I then removed the article from the Wiki and copied its body to the space below for reference purposes. Thanks for contributing! Ahasuerus 22:03, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

The First Degree is the first novel written by David Wayne Hillery. The novel fits the literary genre of Speculative Fiction, but also would be considered to fit into other genres, including Science Fiction, Christian Fiction, and Martial Arts Fiction. The book was published in 2010 by Dorrance Publishing Company in Pittsburgh, PA. The book is about a martial arts student who is removed from a normal mundane life as an Engineer and family man in Texas by aliens from outer space. The aliens, who appear to be friendly, convince the book's main character, Demetrius Adrien, to go on a mission in a spacecraft out to another planet. After preparation, departure and accomplishment of this mission, as well as the onset of and responses to other unexpected events, Demetrius returns home to Earth. However, the story continues when Demetrius discovers that there have been complications due to his space mission which affect him and his family. He devises ways to solve these complications with the assistance of computer technology and resources which he has acquired from his recent trip to outer space. He also makes use of martial arts training in the course of his adventure. At the end of the story, the main character's world seems to be restored to its normal state, but with some improved conditions.

The story has within it some speculations about the nature of God as a being who may be in the world and galaxy. The main character, Demetrius Adrien believes in God, and expects his belief (and God himself) to make a difference, or to have an effect on the things he does. The nature of the alien people he meets also seems to tell the reader about the nature of God, as the aliens also work their lives with a belief in the same God as Demetrius, whom they believe to be very real. Other items of speculation for the reader involve the nature of good and evil, and concepts related to causes and effects of decision-making, indifference to God, and other issues.

One example; Demetrius is confronted with a reason to kill another human being, seeing that he is certain to get away with the act without being caught, and then has to live with the consequences of his decision. The novel also speculates on the subjects of time travel, space travel faster than the speed of light, and artificial or man-made intelligence in the apparent sentient mind of a sophisticated computer. All of these speculations are included in the form of an adventure story. There is also, in the background, the Korean martial art Taekwon-Do, and how it adds to the life of the characters who participate in it.

The book's author, David Wayne Hillery is a Black Belt in Taekwon-Do, and acheived the rank of Fifth Degree Black Belt on September 25, 2010 in Houston, Texas. He is also an Engineer licensed in the states of Texas and Mississippi. He has plans to write and publish a sequel to The First Degree, which may be entitled The Second Degree, but he has not yet presented the manuscript to a publisher.