"Part lyrical prose, part musings of a wandering backpacker, part mystical quest, Painted Oxen is a story of many parts: becoming and unbecoming, seeking and finding, and ultimately, of leaning so far into mystery that falling through to the other side of a dream seems like it might not be so far out of reach. Thomas Lloyd Qualls' words may be fiction, but they invited me to be more than the reader of a story - suddenly I was part of the story, intent on figuring out what all the layers might mean and accepting the invitation to hold truth and mystery close to the bone as one essential whole. Read it, and embark on a journey that will continue well after the last page." "What would happen if Paulo Coelho and Alan Watts had a love child? It might look a lot like Thomas Qualls's new book, Painted Oxen. I am rarely challenged by modern fiction: challenged to keep up, to stretch, to imagine, to feel. Somehow this writer weaves mystery, ancient wisdom, and one hell of a sexy story into a book that makes you wonder, makes you think. I need to meet this guy someday." "A Boundless, Golden Beauty Poem of Life “Enchanting! Qualls takes you on a journey like you’ve never traveled before. Follow two men who live centuries apart through places and cultures in India, Tibet, and uncharted dream worlds. You’ll encounter people ‘able to skip the pleasantries of how’s your day and get right into the meat of things.’ You’ll be glad you did.” |
"Who is the teacher? Who is the student? Who is the traveler? Who is the guide? Surrender yourself to this well-traveled tale, with its spices and sounds, bustling streets and windswept high mountain passes. Amidst the shifting faces, dreams, times, and places, a multidimensional tapestry of lessons unfold. When you begin, you are a greenhorn; a fool on a search. By the end, a change occurs within heart-mind. Painted Oxen is literary alchemy, but the journey won't end when you put the book down." “Part travelogue, part dream journal, part meditation, Thomas Lloyd Qualls’ Painted Oxen is less a work of literature than it is a work of alchemy. Dreams and reality mingle here until the reader does not know if they have dreamed the book or the book is dreaming them.” "Reading Thomas Qualls’ “Painted Oxen” I am reminded of a quote by T. E. Lawrence, “All men dream but not equally.” Qualls’ multithreaded narrative explores the crisscrossed yet meshed realities of the senses, the spiritual quest and the dream realm. The reader is also a select disciple on this pilgrimage and reciting the alchemy contained in these pages is softly and inescapably transmuted at the end." "Thomas Lloyd Qualls’ Painted Oxen is a work that challenges the reader to participate in a journey that is at once rooted in the quotidian, mundane struggles of the modern traveler and in a timeless interior journey. It is, like any good book, an invitation to participate, and not merely about a single story but about a connected web of stories. It asks questions rather than gives answers. Set partly in present-day India, it speaks to the contradictions and struggles of the privileged Westerner traveling in the developing world—indeed, I found myself reminded of my own time as a backpacker there. But of course, the true setting for Qualls’ is in the soul of the reader." "Lit by ancient starlight, we follow Thomas Qualls along the sacred river through the heart of India. Reminiscent of Kerouac’s On the Road, we meet fellow travelers seeking transformative knowledge, mercy and grace. Painted Oxen entertains, informs, and delights." |
Accolades for Waking Up at Rembrandt's
Best Novelist Honors, Reno News & Review
Best of Northern Nevada - 2008, 2009 & 2010
Best of Northern Nevada - 2008, 2009 & 2010
“Reno novelist Thomas Lloyd Qualls is a psychonaut. His luminous debut novel, “Waking Up at Rembrandt’s,” strikes literary gold, mining the depths of his character’s complex interior landscapes through an unlikely amalgam of poetry, prose and spirituality... The immediacy evoked by [the author’s] use of second person narration acts as connective tissue binding the reader to the plot lines... reminiscent of David Foster Wallace...” |
Waking Up At Rembrandt's" is an impressive debut novel showcasing an undeniably talented and imaginative author... The text is lyrical and engaging from beginning to end as author Thomas Lloyd Qualls demonstrates an ability to paint with words the way Rembrandt was noted to paint with pigments. "Waking Up At Rembrandt's" is highly recommended reading and will leave the readers looking eagerly towards the author's next literary project." |
Thomas Lloyd Qualls is a writer of great sensitivity, passion and spirituality. His first novel -- WAKING UP AT REMBRANDT'S -- is an exquisite blend of fiction and poetry. He brings his characters to life as he takes them out of Rembrandt's Café into the greater world, lets them have their adventures, then brings them back enlightened. He breaks all the rules, but makes it work. It's a good read; I heartily recommend it. Waking up at Rembrandt's is an artful weave of metaphysical storyline with poetry; of awakenings and raw themes. It is not to be missed. |
I really enjoyed reading WAKING UP AT REMBRANDT'S. I don't normally read fiction any more, and I found the story to be very engaging. I still think about the characters, months after reading it. Dipping a toe into this work is pretty much impossible; once you open it, you get drawn in and it doesn't let you go. The range of creative effort on display here is a bit breathtaking...a skilled writer with an appealing way with words. This story is well worth sharing. |