January Books Read

 First, the news.  In weather news, we have been below 0C for six days now, with a few more to go.  That includes daytime highs.  Yet another major snowstorm mostly missed us, grazing us with a mere 1" of snow, while south of us got bombarded again.  We are riding high, with two weeks of serious winter remaining on our calendar.  We've had four easy weeks, and it looks like two more of the same.  Yes, it's now colder than normal, and about right for January, but nowhere near as cold as it can get, repeatedly.

 

I've spent a lot of the weekend on the phone.  I spoke at some length with Marion, John Hannah's wife, who was also a teacher at the college back in the day.  She is understandingly having a hard time just now.  It was good to speak with her.  We talked about John a lot, and the college and people we knew back then.  Marion is listening to a lot of music these days, saying it helps keep her grounded.  A memorial service is planned for John in Sudbury when circumstances allow.  I would really like to attend.  I also spoke to Maxime, our 2nd recent conversation since John's passing.  She lives in Moncton, NB and we had a lot of catching up to do.  She doesn't play piano anymore, which is kind of sad.  She was a fast finger wizard in her student days, and a very musical performer.  I allow spoke with my parents, who are also having an easier winter (in Sudbury) this year.  There isn't enough snow for much in the way of outdoor activities, something that is rare for that location, but happens sometimes.

 

Now on to books.  I read nine books by authors within the Avon/Equinox SF Rediscovery series, and two books not related.  I am currently beginning a new cycle, reading a (so far) excellent SF novel by Silverberg.  

 

January began with Ghost, a 1986 publication by Piers Anthony.  It is a unique and quite fascinating take on time travel, based on the people involved remaining where they currently are in space, and having the universe move past them as it normally would.  I've never encountered this kind of idea before.  Captain Shetland and his 6 person crew (3 females and three males) gets involved with a ghost galaxy beyond all time and space, a black hole, and the ghost of a crew member who commits suicide.  However, the book eventually becomes overly complex and riddled with useless and far-reaching ideas that should have been tamed a bit before publication.  Is he writing only for Mensa readers, who probably couldn't figure it out either.  Full marks for creativity and inventiveness, as is usual for this author.  But the storytelling, which begins in excellent manner, just falls apart about two-thirds of the way through.  The novel then becomes an intellectual exercise.  While not dry, it does become tedious.

 

Next comes a good old fashioned invasion of Earth story by Harry Harrison, from 1982.  There is a lot to like about this story, called Invasion: Earth, but one wonders how different it would be if the aliens had been handsome and godlike in their features, instead of repulsive to human perception.  This one is a page turner, and can be read easily in a day or two.

 

The Freedom Army by Kenneth Bulmer, from 1972, impressed me a lot.  At its heart it is a political espionage story, tempered with some humour, violence, double crosses, plot twists and turns, and a reasonably good ending.  Though a pulp book at heart, its frequent references to Moliere and Shakespeare, among others, set this one considerably higher than most of its genre kin.  Recommended for fun reading.

 

The Possessed by E C Tubb is revised from a 1959 story, republished in 2005 as a novella.  The action takes place in northern Scotland, at a secret base for satellite research.  Things have gone off the handle there after a sneaky invasion of an alien species on board a returned satellite.  This one would have made a great Quatermass serial. Unexpected violence and some hair raising story telling make this one worth reading.

Next up was Bright New Universe, by Jack Williamson, written in 1967.  This is a story about Earth seeking first contact, and proves to be an interesting socialist adventure story.  Earth is in a sorry state (much sorrier now),and the only hope appears to be getting some outside help from a superior civilization.  I couldn't agree more.  HELP!!!!

Next was my beginning a new series (for me) of Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion.  I read The Knight Of The Sword, the first book of Corum, a hero to readers familiar with Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E Howard, and Tolkien.  Prince Corum is the hero, the last of his once mighty race called the Vadhagh.  He has his work cut out for him when he begins to seek vengeance on those who caused the destruction of his race.  If you like these type of warrior/barbarian things (I do), you will love this one, quite original despite its origins and predecessors.  I am looking forward to more of these tales!

Next up was A User's Guide To The Millenium, essays from many sources and time periods by J G. Ballard.  Among other essays, it contains probably the best review of Star Wars I ever read.  Essays from 1966 through 1995 can be found.  Ballard wrote for the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Playboy, Vogue, and nearly every other influential periodical at least once.  I found the essays endlessly fascinating, and will be referring back to them often.  Some priceless (but very dry) humour often had me laughing out loud.  There wasn't very much of his writing and opinions with which I disagreed.

In The Enclosure by Barry Malzberg continues the winning streak for this unbelievably good writer.  A group of aliens have been sent to Earth with the express purpose of divulging knowledge to us to help us grow into a mature and well balanced civilization, worthy of entering the Galactic civilization.  By the way the aliens are treated, we have a ways to go yet.  However, it isn't just us that has been treating the aliens badly.  A terrific ending to this very claustrophobic novel.  A zinger of a story.

Lastly came Blish's short novel Midsummer Century.  A radio telescope scientist falls towards his death trying to repair the telescope, only to awaken 23,000 into the future, trapped inside the mind of an entity called The Qvant. That is quite a premise, and Blish delivers the goods in a taut story of the old school.  There is plenty of adventure, though much of it looks inward rather than outward.  A nice place to begin with this author, as it can be read quickly, and gives some small indication of his use of a them and style of writing.  A keeper.

At the completion of a cycle of books by the Avon/Equinox authors, I allow myself to read from my "other" pile of awaiting books.  I completed three more chapters of the Beethoven biography by Swafford.  I am now poised to read the chapter dealing with the creation of the 3rd Symphony, the Eroica.  I read the hardcover Bach 333 biography that came with our recent CD set.  There isn't much to tell about Bach's life, since so little has been handed down to us from posterity.  We don't even have all his music, and only one portrait of him exists.  However, at around 100 pages in length, I now have the best understanding possible today of how he lived and what he did on a day to day basis.  The 2nd half of the book contains about ten separate essays by scholars on various aspects of his life and music.  The book is well written and handsomely put together.  We are working on the CD collection, too.

I also read a book called The Game Is Afoot: Parodies, Pastiches, and Ponderings of Sherlock Holmes, edited by Marvin Kaye.  Published in 1995, the book's heart is nearly a hundred Holmes stories by different authors.  Not all of them work, and several I would have left out completely.  The absolute worst thing in the book is the editor's own overlong and very boring account of what makeup Holmes would have used in disguising himself.  Good grief, what a waste of paper!  Highlights include a Solar Pons adventure by August Derleth; a brilliantly reconstructed case mentioned by Watson in one of their adventures, called In The Island of Ufa, by Poul Anderson; The Moriarty Gambit by Fritiz Leiber, telling of a chess match between the two titans early in their lives; a good story by John Dickson Carr; and another by Robert Bloch.  All in all it was a fun way to extend my love of the Holmes stories.

We'll conclude this stimulating blog entry with another landscape painting.  Though I love and admire landscapes from many different styles and sources, my heart is truly with Dutch and Flemish paintings of the 1600s, in which the DIA is enriched many times over.  In fact, if it weren't for their extensive collections in this area I doubt I would have gravitated so heavily towards this aspect of art.

Landscape With A Carriage Holdup, ca. 1615-1618. 
Jacob van Geel, Dutch, between 1584 and 1585-1638 or later.

9.5" x 18", unframed.  Collection Detroit Institute of Arts.    

This is a gem of a painting, filled with fascinating landscape detail.  At first glance it resembles works by the younger Brueghels, and though Dutch in origin it seems much more related to its Flemish counterparts.  The landscape seems more fantasy based than real, though the crime being committed, and so close to the heavenly looking city nearby, is real enough.    The threatening looking trees on the left and the robbers gaining advantage on the right seem to be a warning to stay within the city gates.

Detail of the central action. 

 

Detail of the right side. 

 

The amazing prehistoric looking forest on the left side, lower.  

Candlemas is only two days away, amazing as that seems.  Not a big deal here, but it marks the halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox.  We get updated Tarot cards, and will present Brigid to the world again, in hopes that she can restore the land and get spring moving forward.  The light is returning, but we wait until February 14th, Lupercalia, to celebrate our local spring arrival and return of the light.  Next post will likely be Wednesday.

Mapman Mike