Book excerpt: This collection contains the fi rst fi ve books completed by John Patton ODell. They appear in the order they were written. The fi rst four books are volumes of poetry, ranging from epic to lyric. The poetry is emotional, spiritual, and at times religious. The fi rst and fourth books do not contain long poems, nearly half the poems in the fourth book were written as song lyrics. The fi fth book is a collection of short stories which house elements of drama, fantasy, suspense, and the supernatural. A touch of humor, also a focus on nature, can be found throughout the books.