Power-Nihilism: A Case For Moral & Political Nihilism by James Theodore Stillwell III (2017)

As mentioned over at The Nihilism Homepage, James Theodore Stillwell III wrote Power-Nihilism: A Case For Moral & Political Nihilism as an introduction to basic nihilism in a moral and political way, meaning that it breaks the reader outside of the kiosk of moralizing about what is "good" or "evil" and starts the process of analyzing power, consequentialism, preference, and other real issues in the question of will and how it is applied.

The initial reviews are encouraging:

As you read this book, leave your pride and preconceived beliefs at the door. Withhold judgement until you have finished it. Have open-minded skepticism towards what you read and I am sure you will see the foundations you once held dear slowly crumble away. James makes no apologies in this book, your worldview will be challenged and if you are fortunate enough, you will be set free from the chains of moral realisms. — Matthew Ray

James Theodore Stillwell III enters the fray with Power-Nihilism: A Case For Moral & Political Nihilism, a short book which affirms a Nietzsche- Redbeard view of nihilism as the need for the individual to not be ruled by the herd, and find meaning where it is relevant to the individual... Stillwell writes in an open style, merging contemporary idiom with philosophical language, that allows the book to introduce a dense concept and then breathe as it explores its depth at a more leisurely pace...

The book affirms the basic idea of nihilism through a study of morality which it rightly views as conditional. That is, if someone wants to survive, they must eat; however, there is no universal commandment that all must want to survive. With that in mind, Stillwell dispenses with the idea of objective and subjective morality, and focuses instead on the morality of survival and self-expression. — Brett Stevens

To these, it makes sense to add that this book is an easy and vivid introduction for those who have never experienced life outside the moral kiosk. When we remove morality, the question moves from being a social standard -- "what would the herd think of me?" -- to a realistic one, namely, "what will the results of this action be?" that both implicates the short-term as the socializing standard does, and the long-term as the ancients did. View Power-Nihilism: A Case For Moral & Political Nihilism as a quick kick to open the door to all thinking outside of the herd.

A first look at the book shows an understated but powerful cover. From the Amazon hardcover version:

The paperback version has a similar appearance, maybe looking more compact like the combat version that it is:

The first thing that most will notice about this book is that it reads easily without falling into mainstream-style self-help language, gushing big media emotional-speak, or even the horrible style of blog posting that has become popular over the past decade. This book speaks plainly, and gives you real-world examples instead of airy philosophical parables.

Its greatest strength perhaps lies in its willingness to systematically pound down the various objections and mistaken conceptions of nihilism which moving point-by-point toward a clarification of what nihilism is, since most people are baffled by the idea of a philosophy based in the idea of nothing or nothingness. It sounds like a self-contradicting failure, when in fact it is a gateway to seeing around the stupefaction of the herd.

As the reviews have it, Power-Nihilism: A Case For Moral & Political Nihilism opens up the door to further explorations in nihilism, including Nihilism:A Philosophy Based In Nothingness and Eternity, which shows us a path out of the modern befuddlement and into a world where we can again be both realistic and aspirational.