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Raymond St. Elmo
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The Origin of Birds in the Footprints of Writing Kindle Edition

by Raymond St. Elmo (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 52 ratings
Clarence St. Claire is a programmer who cherishes an orderly life. His motto: ‘work is important; people, not so much’. His determination to be The Most Serious Person on the Planet is threatened when he becomes haunted by a mysterious manuscript from his past: 300 pages of possibly random bird tracks. Risking his career and self-possession, St. Claire dares to pursue the manuscript against the opposition of hackers, the NSA, the ghosts of famous writers and doubts of his own sanity.

Lost in a maze of bird-prints and their possible meanings, St. Claire determines to summon the late writer Jorge Louis Borges to help with the translation. He will dream Borges into existence, exactly as Borges wrote of doing. But this act stirs the opposition of a secret order of past writers, who may, possibly, have their own agenda. The duel between St. Claire’s reality and theirs leads to a final encounter in The Dark Library, before the dread conclave known as The Tribunal of Dreams.

‘Origins’ is a book about books, about magic realism and artificial intelligence, virtual reality and languages, and how sensible people wind up in strange situations by strangely sensible steps. It is built of the words books whisper to each other alone after the library has closed.

From the book:
There is a secret society of dead writers who live in the wall spaces between realities, in the silence of empty rooms, in the Schrödinger-uncertainty of unopened books. They call themselves the Tribunal of Dreams. Often they appear as birds. They peek out of mirrors and walk the shadows of libraries. They are old and sly and are not retired. They have vast plans. They have me barricaded in my bedroom and they painted my windows black. They are listening at the door now. Send help.
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  1. Print length
    387 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    July 30, 2016
  5. File size
    2.8 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01JE3V642
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 30, 2016
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 3rd
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.8 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 387 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 52 ratings

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Raymond St. Elmo

Raymond St. Elmo

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Raymond St. Elmo is a programmer of artificial intelligences and virtual realities, who has no time for literary fabrications of fictitious characters and world-building. And yes, that was meant to be ironic.

A degree in Spanish Literature gave him a love of Magic Realism. Programming gave him a job. The job introduced him to artifical intelligence and virtual realities; as close to magic as reality is likely to get outside the covers of a book. And yes, that was meant to be cynical.

The author of several first-person comic-accounts of strange quests for mysterious manuscripts, mysterious girls in cloaks whose face appears SUDDENLY IN THE FLASH OF LIGHTNING. And yes, that was meant to be dramatic.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
52 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's story thought-provoking and engaging, with one describing it as a magical tale. Moreover, the book receives positive feedback for its humor, being both witty and silly.

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9 customers mention "Story quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's story interesting and thought-provoking, with one customer describing it as a magical tale.

"An interesting book, for sure. Three hundred pages of bird tracks scribbled out in pen. Not something you see often nowadays. Joking...." Read more

"This book is an adventure... a metaphorical, magical tale that asks age old questions of purpose only to dig up age old answers in the form of never..." Read more

"...write a review that will even begin to summarize this wonderful, thought-provoking and satirical story that had me staying up late at night and..." Read more

"...he spends the rest of the book trying to retrieve these with comic, exciting and illuminating results...." Read more

6 customers mention "Enjoyment"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book delightful, with one describing it as a wonderful romp from start to finish.

"...It's in turns fantastic, nostalgic, funny, thoughtful, and bananas. Above all, though, it resonated with me...." Read more

"...What it comes down to is the author’s style. It’s classic, epic, romantic, philosophical, and silly! A pleasant combination...." Read more

"...know how to write a review that will even begin to summarize this wonderful, thought-provoking and satirical story that had me staying up late at..." Read more

"...This is the only indie novel I've ever found that truly deserves literary awards...." Read more

6 customers mention "Humor"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book humorous, describing it as witty and silly, with one customer particularly appreciating the author's voice.

"...It's in turns fantastic, nostalgic, funny, thoughtful, and bananas. Above all, though, it resonated with me...." Read more

"...’s bumbles and you’re part of every inside joke, sarcastic comment, sly remark, and insecure thought. He lets you in... actually he lures you in...." Read more

"...even begin to summarize this wonderful, thought-provoking and satirical story that had me staying up late at night and forsaking my children, job..." Read more

"...maybe just a little weird, but only in the most laugh out loud, funny way imaginable. Don’t take my word for it. Read it...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Lu
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and imaginative
    Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    An interesting book, for sure. Three hundred pages of bird tracks scribbled out in pen. Not something you see often nowadays.

    Joking. Although it does contain bird tracks. And much more.

    Raymond St. Elmo not only has a remarkable imagination but also the skills to translate that onto the page. His books tend to play with the narrative and blur the lines between reality and feverish dreams. They tell the story, celebrate the meaning of stories, and pay homage to literary heroes (JL Borges, Italo Calvino, Franz Kafka, Philip K. Dick, EA Poe) while making readers laugh.

    It's easy to like the story's protagonist Clarence St. Claire, a programmer who cherishes an orderly life and has a fondness for languages. Socially awkward, rather shy, he finds fulfillment in developing artificial intelligence. He's doing well. He even keeps up the pretense of being serious. Not for long, though. A mysterious manuscript from his past returns to haunt him. Clarence needs to know if pages of bird prints contain hidden meaning or not. He goes as far as to dream JL Borges into existence to learn the truth. In consequence, he'll have to face a secret order of past writers.

    The Origin of Birds in The Footprints of Writing is a book about books, languages, magical and virtual reality. It's in turns fantastic, nostalgic, funny, thoughtful, and bananas. Above all, though, it resonated with me. It has more serious moments, but overall I found the tone light and humorous. Much of what happens, especially in the middle of the book, is insane and Clarence’s adventures made me think of a grown-up version of Alice in Wonderland. St. Elmo plays with literary references and fates of his characters (say, deceased authors) were written by themselves in their famous literary works. Here, though, imaginary blends with the real.

    After stepping through a Spirit Door, Clarence finds himself in the labyrinthine Dark Library and the narrative turns feverish. He meets dead writers, birds, hackers, discusses words and meanings. He even learns about the sexual life of books:

    "Sure, you can pretend it is just how the books talk to each other," he continued. "Umberto Eco described it as conversation going on across centuries. But no; it's sex. One book argues with another from an earlier time, and their argument gives birth to a shelf of little lesser arguers. Or a book inspires a painting that creates a discussion that leads to a piece of music that leads to a play that inspires a book that argues with all its parents. Kids. God knows they are all quoting each other, stealing from each other, passing the DNA along. And when translation and transcribing go off-track you get mutation. Maybe even evolution."

    At some point, this part of the book tried to tie together a lot of dreams. Though it never got to the point where it got confusing, I did not feel invested in all aspects of the story. But that's just a minor complaint.

    I loved this book and found it hard to put down. I know it won't appeal to everyone, but if you love books and languages, I urge you to give it a chance.
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  • An occasional guitarist
    4.0 out of 5 stars Lost (and found) in Translation
    Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    ...I can't remember how long I've been trapped in this library. I wander down one aisle after another, past long shelves lined with books. I pull one down at random. Hey, I remember this story--Lovecraft's "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath".

    Okay, maybe I'm dreaming. That's one explanation.

    Two aisles down, I see an old man with dark glasses running his fingers over the book spines. He turns toward me as I pass, but doesn't speak. It might be Jorge Luis Borges. Then again, it could be someone completely different who's virtually the same as Borges. It's impossible to tell for sure.

    Turning down the next aisle, I meet a gargantuan cockroach reading a cookbook. It nods to me in a friendly fashion, but I'm taking no chances. I grab a book and pretend to be absorbed in it while beating a quick retreat. It's an operator's manual for the Wang VS100. A few aisles away, I get bored and drop it. Who needs to relive the days when minicomputers roamed the earth?

    That's when I start hearing the voice. It alternately whispers and raves in what sounds like one of the Romance languages. What could it be? A mutter from Marquez? An echo of Eco?

    If nothing else, it means that there's somebody in here that's crazier than I am. Which is either comforting or not, depending how you look at it.

    At last, what the voice is saying becomes clear. It's actually speaking Esperanto, which is great, since I'm professionally comfortable with artificial languages. It's telling me that I must write a review of the next book I pick up. Only then will I be able to leave the library.

    I close my eyes and reach out at random. The book turns out to be "The Origin of Birds in the Footprints of Writing."

    =======================================================================================================
    This story starts slowly. In fact it starts with the back story, involving the hero working for the NSA (or, it occurs to me, some agency that only *appears* to be the NSA) and translating a strange manuscript filled with what look like bird tracks. Years later, the hero is located again, running the maze of corporate cubicles that software developers know only too well. Harder to escape, for him, is the obsessive maze he builds in his own mind, attempting to code up an artificial intelligence.

    Then he loses his mind, and that's when things really take off. The hero steps through a Spirit Door into an the otherworldly labyrinth of The Library. The narrative becomes a sort of fever dream, rife with dead writers, live birds, supernatural bureaucracies, vengeful hackers, and discussions of magical realism. The hero searches frantically for his long-lost translation of the enigmatic manuscript until...

    Well, until he finally finds it. Or possibly, himself. Is there a difference?

    Just to throw a couple more books in here for comparison (as if there weren't enough already), the overall arc of "The Origin of Birds" reminded me of Daumal's "A Night of Serious Drinking" and also Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum". These works, too, follow protagonists who descend into seeming madness while journeying through outlandish and/or occult realities, returning to the everyday world with a new appreciation of its own mysteries and wonders. For me, no matter how entertaining the trip is (and "The Origin of Birds" is very entertaining), there's always a bit of a letdown when reality returns and the magical world disappears. In a way, it's a variation on the 'it was all a dream' device (which brings us back full circle to Lovecraft! Will I ever get out of here??)

    I really like the boy meets girl theme, though. No matter how many thousands of years it's been out there, it never gets old.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Classic, epic, romantic, philosophical, and silly!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This book is an adventure... a metaphorical, magical tale that asks age old questions of purpose only to dig up age old answers in the form of never ending quests, that lead to more questions and before you know it, the answer is no answer at all, but a realization that the point of all of it is not that you found (or will find) an answer, but you had a hell of a time on the adventure while looking. Thus is life, right? It’s the journey not the destination.

    But Mr. St. Elmo has a way of writing that any other writer would envy. He does so much more than tell a story... He writes in such a way that you live through his hero’s bumbles and you’re part of every inside joke, sarcastic comment, sly remark, and insecure thought. He lets you in... actually he lures you in. His words flow in composition and you have no choice but to follow whimsically along under his spell. Word is he’s a fan magic realism...

    What it comes down to is the author’s style. It’s classic, epic, romantic, philosophical, and silly! A pleasant combination. Just like St. Elmo’s other stories, I enjoyed this philosophical quest, and I feel smarter for reading it... and that’s not something many fiction books can accomplish! To quote this very story I could say about this author: “... I only hesitate to count as friends because I admire their quality too much to ever imagine myself a peer.”
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • John Bayliss
    5.0 out of 5 stars Let Us Make a Book by Imagining It
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    What do you want to read today? An epic struggle of the small man against corporate bureaucracy? An exploration of the implementation of Artificial Intelligence? A satire on geek culture? A hypertextual homage to Jorge Luis Borges, H.P. Lovecraft, Italo Calvino and Philip K. Dick? A Kafkaesque study in paranoia? A surreal capriccio in the style of Charlie Kaufman? A riff on the themes of translation and transcription? An ingenious cyber-espionage thriller? A study in obsession? A masterpiece of magic realism? A manual on how to annoy famous dead writers? A two (often three) chuckle a page comedy? The book that Lewis Carroll might have written if Alice had been a street-smart millennial teenager?

    If the answer to any or all of those questions is ‘Yes’, then the book you must read is The Origin of Birds in the Footprints of Writing by Raymond St. Elmo.

    That is all.
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  • jennifer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Slightly mad, weird, and occasionally hilarious, search
    Reviewed in Canada on November 9, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This story is told from Clarence’s pov. To everyone else he no doubt comes across as unsocial, paranoid, and a bit of a dick. But, we get to see the Clarence that’s witty, awkward, and maybe a little bit unbalanced (in an endearing sort of way), the Clarence that doesn’t know how to interact with people that might be his friends or not, and who spends way too much time in his own head.

    We meet Clarence mid-spiral, he’s working as a programmer on the AI “Bob” (that will ultimately answer any questioned presented to him) and has become obsessed or maybe I should say re-obsessed with recovering a document of Bird Prints that he translated in the past for the NSA.

    What follows is a slightly mad, weird, and occasionally hilarious, search that… I don’t even know how to describe.

    At one point, I was reminded of this Tiny Toons episode from years ago, where Babs Bunny gets knocked-out at the art museum, and has a totally warped and comedic mad-dash through every painting of importance- the equivalent of a cartoon love letter to art, and its evolution.
    That’s how this felt, not like a cartoon (well maybe, the madcap spirit of the cartoon) but like an honorific to some of the best literary work in the past. Work that has shaped writing, and fantasy writing in particular to what it has become now.

    And though, I haven’t read all of the classics/authors referenced in this and I am no doubt the least qualified person here to even talk about this book and its inferences (after all I did just compare parts of this to a cartoon) but I loved the wry humor and the rambly kind of awkward/uncomfortable in his own skin, Clarence. And I loved his interactions with Steve and Kay– partners on the “Bob” project and possibly friends of Clarence’s, or could be spies for the NSA… or hackers.

    And that, I think, is where this story really shone for me- with this character who was a total mess but who persevered. And also with the underlying humor and conversationalist style to the writing it was such an enjoyable read, even when half the time, I wasn’t sure how much of the events in this were real, and how much of it was Clarence descending down the path to cutting off his own ear. But the whole time, I enjoyed this crazy, madcap story.

    Totally recommended.

    My favorite scene- The reading in the park.

    c/p from my goodreads
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  • Stéphane
    5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully imaginative novel
    Reviewed in Canada on August 22, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    A wonderfully imaginative novel, written in flawless prose, filled with witty observations and thought-provoking paradoxes. A pleasure for everybody (you do not need to be familiar with Borges, Calvino or Kafka to enjoy the playfulness of this story). Well done, looking forward to discovering Raymond St-Elmo’s other novels.
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  • Jennie E
    5.0 out of 5 stars A work of great imagination and humour
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 23, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A work of great imagination and humour, defying genre.
    A story about a quest, translation and meaning.
    A reflection on life, on words.
    Above all, it's good fun.
    Don't read at your peril!
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  • supergran
    1.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't get interested in this book so can't really leave ...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Couldn't get interested in this book so can't really leave much of a review. I thought it was confusing and didn't have a point so abandoned it halfway through.
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