From the Editor's Desk
Old Treasures and New
Randy Streu, Sr. Editor

When it comes

to literature, perhaps the only feeling equal to that of discovering a new favorite is that of rediscovering an old.  It is amazing, when we blow the dust off an old book, to find the extent to which we can still be surprised, enthralled, and entertained by the story within.

For me, such a feeling came this week, when, after over fifteen years, I carefully lifted the hard, cloth-bound cover of Stephen Lawhead's "The Paradise War."  Embraced by Lawhead's familiar, though daring, prose, I was again transported, first to the drizzling, gray terrain of Oxford, and then to the lush fields of Lawhead's Albion.  Transported, too, was my aging consciousness, back to the wonder of my youth.  Once again, as in my adolescence, I could hear the grating pretension of Simon Rawnson's voice; could taste the tepid dishwater tea at Motor Inn, and be shocked into stillness at the first sight of the Green Man.  And all of this before suppertime.

And it was here, in rediscovering Albion, that I made a new discovery: that in looking back on the books of my youth, I had very nearly lost a treasure to the skepticism of my own memory.

Has the thought ever crossed your mind: "sure, it was great when I was a kid, but I'm an adult now?"  Has such a thought kept your hand from turning over that cover?  Don't let it.

For years, I had seriously underestimated Mr. Lawhead, relegating his beautifully-told fantasy to the realm of childhood fairy-tale.  Cherished as a boy, certainly; but as a man?  Perhaps my younger self had better taste than my older ego dared attribute to it.

If the love of discovering new literary treasures inspired the creation of Digital Dragon Magazine, it is the fascination with rediscovering buried classics which led to the development of our latest column, "Time Warp," which will continue on next month. 

So as always, we present a bit of the old -- and a lot of the new.  With our fantastic feature story, exciting serials, and great new fiction by both new and established authors, perhaps you will discover a new favorite -- and one that you can rediscover again, down the road.

Happy reading!
Randy Streu
Sr. Editor

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