Welcome

It’s not often that an author publishes two books at the same time—especially two books so very different from each other. To be honest, it happened more by accident than by design. The Least of Men is fiction and is a sequel to my fourth book, The Shieling. I had never considered the possibility of a sequel until several months after The Shieling was published when numerous readers suggested it. It didn’t take me long to agree and to begin working out a story line that would continue the saga of David and Catriona. Alternating between San Francisco, the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, and the Island of Guernsey, the same themes of love, fidelity, honor, and integrity that were so much a part of The Shieling, are carried through in The Least of Men. For reasons that will become obvious after you read the book, it is dedicated to my seven brothers.

Retired Ground, sub-titled A Climber’s Odyssey, is based on a travel journal I kept for over fifty years. Drawing on the works of poets, philosophers, theologians, and mountaineers, it details the extraordinary transformation mountains brought about in me. Over a long climbing career, time after time, year after year, I would stand at the summit of some remote peak, filled with reverence and awe as I gazed on the beauty of the world spread out below me. Those dimly understood moments of transcendence started me on a lifelong journey to uncover “the last reality that underlies mountain beauty”—a journey that ended one remarkable night on top of a mountain on the Isle of Skye.

As always, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy both The Least of Men and Retired Ground. I look forward to hearing your comments. Feel free to contact me anytime at Mike@michaeljcollinsmd.com.