Winner of the San Francisco Book Festival science fiction category and the Regal Summit Book Award.
In the Throes explores the awakening of intelligence and the coming into awareness of an evolutionary mishap on a forbidding apocalyptic planet.
The story follows eponymic Gruff, the first linguistic/metaphysical awakener of his species, as he navigates identity, mentation, and ontology in relation to the Gruff’s natural prey: humankind.
Combining the writings of Freud and the spiritual truths of Krishnamurti, author Mathias B. Freese depicts the Gruff as an evolutionary dark creature—disfigured, maimed, instinct-driven, and grotesque—until he attains self-awareness and transforms into a self of artistic expression and wisdom.
As the title suggests, the reader identifies with self-struggle as it surges toward awakening and is moved by the apotheosis that closes the book. The nuanced theme: each one of us is an artist if only we take our selves in hand and construct a life of artistic expression. The closing chapters sing to us of Isak Dinesen’s observation that an artist is never poor.
A metaphor of the evolutionary self, In the Throes is a time-processed journey into awareness—our destiny as a species.
Reviews
“This is a book that not only entertains but also challenges its readers to think deeply about their own journeys of self-discovery and the potential for growth and transformation that exists within us all. In the Throes is a testament to the power of storytelling to illuminate the darkest corners of the human experience and to offer hope and inspiration in even the most desolate of worlds. For these reasons, and many more, it is a novel that deserves to be celebrated and shared, and its recognition at the San Francisco Book Festival is a fitting tribute to the skill and vision of its author.”
– Andreas Michaelides
“This latest book by Matthias Freese is thought-provoking, superbly written, and would have Gertrude Stein standing up and giving rave reviews for his masterly use of the English language. The reader will identify with Gruff, a nightmare beast, who, driven by instinct and impulse alone, hunts, kills and procreates. An awakening takes place when the beast happens upon a petroglyph that stirs and sparks his primitive mind. From there, an intellect evolves, which results in his torturous questioning of the world in which he lives and his purpose for existence.”
– Gillian Galbraith
“This was one of the most thought-provoking and philosophical sci-fi novels I’ve enjoyed reading. The rich blend of world-building, mythology, and philosophy allows the reader to get lost in this distant world. The story’s natural progression evenly matched the development of Gruff both as a character and as a specimen of his kind, exploring the development of sentient creatures overall in an entertaining yet thoughtful way.”
– Anthony Avina
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