Welcome
Welcome or welcome back to Ooter's Place, the online home of author Karl El-Koura. Primarily a writer of fiction, Karl works in a wide variety of genres, from science fiction and horror to mainstream and detective fiction, as well as in lengths ranging from short stories to novels. Almost all of his work can be classified as theological fiction—a Christian deeply interested in the "big" questions, Karl's stories explore issues of theology and spirituality even when he doesn’t consciously intend them to do so. For those who care to know, Karl is a Greek Orthodox Christian.
On this website you can check out his published books, read some of his short fiction, view his bibliography, or catch up with the latest news and articles on his blog. So stay awhile, have a look around, and feel free to contact Karl with any questions, comments, or feedback you may have. Thanks for stopping by!
Featured Book
The Lost Stories: A Series of Cosmic Adventures
Biblically Inspired Science Fiction Humor
Featured Short Story
An Important Lesson
His sixth-grade class was packed with future lawyers and dentists, movie stars and writers, presidents and prime ministers. And what about him; what did Bradley Thompson want to be?
Featured Recommendation
G. K. Chesterton was a man who discovered the secret to a happy life—I doubt one can read much of his work without coming to that conclusion. The most natural reaction to his body of work, I think, is amazement: to wonder what secret this man discovered that allowed him to take so much delight in a sheet of brown paper, for example, or where he found the energy to defend his faith in a land growing faithless with so much gusto and wit.In Manalive, a short novel full of events as improbable as the name of the story's protagonist, Chesterton shares his happy secret with the rest of the world—a world that has grown old and weary because it has grown melancholy.The novel starts with a gust of strong wind blowing across England, a wind that extinguishes candlelight and plunges a young boy in darkness, and startles a young...
Latest news
The Redeyes (at MindFlights.com)
(posted on 20 May 2012)
"The Redeyes"—a story about killer robots, Jesus Christ, and a convict who holds the key to freedom for a group of survivors—is now available at MindFlights.
Confused Expressions #13: Knowledge is Power
(posted on 16 April 2012)
The expression "knowledge is power" isn't confused in and of itself; I agree that knowledge can be powerful. The confusion arises because, in most instances, the speaker seems to think that's the end of the story, as if the single-minded acquisition of knowledge or power is all that matters, as if that acquisition of knowledge or power makes one more powerful. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Without the wisdom to use it appropriately—how to use it and when to use it and why—having lots of power can be much worse than having no power at all, because it may be the power to blow yourself up, or (even worse) the power to blow up your friends, your neighbourhood, or your planet.
No one thinks a little boy with a big shotgun is powerful, for instance; everyone thinks he's a danger, and as much to himself as to anyone else. But the same shotgun in the hands of a hunter is a powerful tool, because presumably the hunter has the wisdom to use it well.
By itself, knowledge is interesting at best and dangerous at worst. Knowledge is power in any good or useful sense of the term only when it's governed by wisdom.
The Lost Stories: Serialized
(posted on 7 March 2012)
The Lost Stories: A Series of Cosmic Adventures is being serialized on Wattpad. The introduction from the book is up now; the plan is to post the first story this Friday (March 9) with new stories to follow every Friday after that (see schedule below).
