The journey to understanding can take many paths, and when you get there, that’s it. What else is required but that you reach your own connection?

Unless, of course, you’re George Hamner, who through his background and studies in physics, metaphysics and religion, attempts to explain it all in print.

Really: All.

"I’m really serious when I say I’ve figured out how the universe works," said Hamner, who pulls together a dizzying melange of theories to explain the how, the why — the all — in his novel "Quaternion Organon" (Court Street Press, $21.95).

"How it ties together is a bit hard to explain, but I attempt to tie it all into one little book," he said.

In its 444 pages, Hamner footnotes, quantifies and draws from Newton, Einstein, Ouspensky, Larson and others, unifying and outlining their works through a fictional construct.

Somewhat like Robert Pirsig’s "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," Hamner’s "QO" sends his protagonists — two middle-aged men laid off from high-tech jobs — on a literal bike trip to underscore the metaphysical mind trip.

Like "Zen," it’s intended to edify as it entertains.

"Writing it as a story — a fairly thin story, I’m sure," Hamner said, laughing, "the idea is to hook the readers on the characters, so when it gets into the heavy science, they’ll stick with it."

But despite the fiction structure, "QO" is not easy reading, and the author knows it.

"There might be only 150 people in the world who can follow it all," he said, referring to the "heavy science" and mathematical formulae, mostly found in the back of the book.

"But the chapters are fairly short, and the book is broken down into six parts, so I’m hoping people will be able to dig out what they want."

What would the hard-working reader get for that struggle?

"The first thing, you’re not scared of dying anymore," he said. "It also gives you a good chuckle every time you read about the next physics ‘breakthrough.’"

The journey

Hamner grew up in Tuscaloosa with "fairly standard Episcopalian" parents who set rules and standards for behavior, but not for inquiry.

"There were no boundaries to the quest for knowledge," he said.

Although he doesn’t follow his parents’ religion — his own beliefs are closer to the eastern Vedanta, a relative to Buddhism — his parents have always tolerated his eclectic pursuits.

"They’re my biggest fans. I’m incredibly blessed to have grown up with the freedom to explore."

Hamner earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Alabama, but went for a more business-like approach to his career, later earning a master’s in business administration degree from Wake Forest.

As a U.S. Army Ranger, he served with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam, then went on to various engineering and management positions, rising to vice-president of GTE Corp., president and chief operating officer of Ioline Corp., Washington state, and COO of the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network.

Always, though, his love for physics and quest for knowledge bubbled under.

With the resources of the interlibrary loan system, the growth of the Internet and a New Age bookstore called House of Serendipity, Hamner began his quest for more.

The discovery

One major step in his journey came when he chanced on an almost-overlooked theory of physics proposed by Dewey Larson, known as the Reciprocal System of Physical Theory, or RS for short.

"There are only like about 12 of us in the entire world who study RS, because it’s so hard to read," Hamner said, laughing about what a terrible writer Larson was. Part of his reason for writing "QO" was to try and bring Larson’s theories to a wider audience. "If you truly understand something, you should be able to explain it simply and coherently," he said.

The two fundamental postulates of RS:

1. The physical universe is composed entirely of one component, motion, existing in three dimensions, in discrete units, and with two reciprocal aspects, space and time.

2. The physical universe conforms to the relations of ordinary commutative mathematics, its primary magnitudes are absolute, and its geometry is Euclidean.

But Hamner wasn’t content with exploring the ramifications of those ideas for his "QO." No, he adds on Quantum Field Theory, Jesus, the pyramids, Mu... the New Age/physics/metaphysics kitchen sink.

After struggling with several false starts, he finally hit on the fictional framework in Christmas of ’98. After that, the writing flowed; it took about 18 months from that point to complete the tome.

Hamner considered self-publication, as did the author of the similarly spiritually searching "Celestine Prophecy." But then he passed his work to the wife of a friend, who worked for New South Books in Montgomery, which produces the Court Street Press imprint.

The acceptance

Despite its lack of easy labeling — Court Street publishes the book as Science/New Age/Fiction — and the probability of its confounding more readers than it pleases, New South editor in chief Randall Williams took "QO" on.

"Clearly this was a work of scholarship, deep thought and serious intent that deserves an audience," Williams said. "As a publishing company — and myself, as an editor — we respect that."

New South/Court Street would like "QO" to find a wide audience, of course, but also expects to introduce the book to more esoteric readers and thinkers throughout the world.

"Part of the book is just on a storytelling level that any of us can follow," Williams said.

"Then the other parts, probably not a handful of people in Alabama can understand what he’s talking about. He is smarter than the average bear."

Williams doesn’t claim to follow everything in "QO" himself.

"I’d have to go study a lot more math and science to understand everything he’s talking about," he said. "But anybody can understand the significance, the narrative, the adventure."

It’s outside the bounds of most New South works, which tend to be works on Southern culture and history. But the press also supports Alabama writers, Williams said.

"This is George’s effort to explain to us what makes the world work, on spiritual as well as scientific levels," he said. "It’s an extremely ambitious undertaking, and in a way, an audacious thing. But the book’s there if people want to read and discover for themselves."

Finding the reader

Who will take a chance on "QO?" And who will, like the many who dove into Stephen Hawking’s "A Brief History of Time," throw up their hands in frustration around Chapter 3? "Well, the ideal reader will be someone who likes science and someone who’s read it all, but is still lacking. Someone who is on a pure spiritual quest," Hamner said.

How many seekers are there, really, who wonder how the universe works, who care why we’re here?

"The audience is me 10 years ago," Hamner said.

"Quaternion Organon" is available at Montevallo’s House of Serendipity bookstore, 645 Main St., or on Amazon.com and by order through most bookstores’ catalogs.

You can also reach author George Hamner at 556-9105.