The Magnificent Ordeal relates to the lifestyle, the personal memoirs, of one Michael Ordeal. He has spent most of his life in the Far East, before retiring to an island in the Pacific Ocean called Nevahachi. Ordeal's goal in retirement is to screw himself to death, having nothing better to do. When he retires, he vows to do two things: Run with the wind and screw everything in sight. It doesn't work out that way. He hurts his knee and doesn't run as much as he thought he would. A number of things happen to Ordeal along the way. He is in many ways a product of the 21st Century. * The discovery / production of Viagra clears the way for him. Any fears of erectile dysfunction (ED) or old age are dissipated. * He is a rich man, having led a rather quiet, undistinguished life (unitil now). He can afford the finer things in life, that he may have done without as a younger man. * He has no children that he can leave his money to. Instead he decides to give his money to charity, to needy women who have taken to the streets and the gay quarters in order to make a living. * He has developed a certain prowess (in conjugal matters), during the years he spent in the Far East -- a character, a trait, that never leaves him, even in his old age. * The island has an abundance of fauna, in the local Red-Light Districts, that cater to his needs. In order to maintain the pace that he has set out for himself, he needs variety. This is not a love affair with a person but a process. He is basically a Dirty Old Man seeking out Dirty Old Women. * He has learned to disassociate the orgasm from sex. They are not the same. Sex can be done for its own pleasure(s), with or without the flow of juices. * He is a loner -- adrift, apart, from organized society. He does not fear social dislike / distaste with his behavior because he has no society to contend with. He is not pressured by what friend or peer think; he has none. On Nevahachi he is a foreigner in the local community. Ordeal populates the Red-Light Districts on Nevahachi. He is popular there because, at his age, he has a lot of money and not much stamina. His motto also serves him well: Speak softy and carry a big stick. The Journals begin to take on a life of their own. Ordeal the fornicator becomes more important than Ordeal the person. It becomes almost an obsession. He maintains a daily log, action-packed, blow by blow. And yet, the exercise keeps him in shape, the hormones keep him young. His initial goal is to achieve one sex act per day. He fails his first year. But then, in his second year, he succeeds. After that the sky is the limit. It is now thirteen years later, and Ordeal is still alive and well, and writing.