My first book after reading my monthly allotment of Avon/Equinox authors' works was one from my miscellaneous shelf. It was called Changing Planes, by Ursula Le Guinn, a book Deb appropriately purchased at the Detroit airport on one of our excursions. It is a volume of short stories, mostly anthropological in nature, about various other planes of existence. One can learn to get to these planes only after being stranded many times in airports. Acquiring the knack is worthwhile, as it alleviates the boredom of such places by allowing the traveller to visit other places and other cultures. It is a very funny and witty book, and well worth seeking out. Don't look for deep plots or depth of character. It seems like a type of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, only more restrained and informative.
Next came my introduction to the writings of Algernon Blackwood, one of my Delphi Classics purchases for Kindle. Blackwood's ghost stories influenced writers such as Lord Dunsany, H P Lovecraft, and William Hope Hodgson. I read his first collection of tales, called The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories, from 1906. While several of the stories are pretty standard haunted house yarns (a murder was once committed there, therefore an evil presence still lingers), a few are really quite surprising and good. "Keeping The Promise" is a plausible tale of two students who made a pledge in blood when they were younger that the first to die would come back to see the other one. Other unusual and worthwhile stories are "Wood of the Dead;" Smith, An Episode In A Lodging House;" and "The Strange Adventures of a Private Secretary in NY." I am really looking forward to more by this influential author.
One of the more difficult things about undertaking the collecting and reading of (and blogging about) the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series, was not going into further depth with some of the incredible writers I encountered. I was focussed on the series only, and not reading beyond it at the time. Fortunately, a few authors had several volumes of their works published in that series, but some did not. Now, as I come towards the end of my Avon Equinox project, I find I have time and inclination to go back and read more of the Ballantine authors. One of the authors whose writing I fell in love with was Ernest Brahma. Lin Carter published 2 of his Kai Ling books, as well as a Kai Ling novella and another short story. Kai Lung is a Chinese story teller from long ago, and he could be found unrolling his mat under a mulberry tree in various towns and cities throughout the season. He passes a wooden donation bowl around, then sets out to tell a tale. This month I read the first such volume, called The Wallet of Kai Lung, from 1900. The very first story is called "The Transmutation of Ling", and was the novella that Carter published in the Ballantine series. I reread it joyfully, as it is one of the best of the author's stories. He writes about a China that never was, an ancient China that he conjured up in his imagination. The many Kai-Lung stories that he wrote are highly imaginative, very witty, and sometimes brilliant in their messages. Somehow, the stories are never racist or condescending, and can be read easily today. This first volume, overall, is not up to the same level of sophistication as his later books in the series (from the 1920s), except for the novella, though there are a few stories that make reading the volume highly worthwhile.
Song of the Lion, by Anne Hillerman, marked my second female author project for this month. Anne is Tony Hillerman's daughter, and she has carried on his Navajo mystery series, with the same characters and locations, but focusing more on a female officer introduced by Tony but not developed. She takes that character and runs with it, and I'm sure her father would be proud of her accomplishments. Though we have been to NM 38 times, we have not been to Shiprock, the area where many of the tales take place. But readers learn a lot about Navajo life by reading the books. This story takes place in and around Tuba City, AZ, and the Grand Canyon. An easy read, it was my choice for my day of recuperation last month from a minor medical procedure I had undergone. I finished it in one day.
Another fabulous Ballantine author whose writing I fell in love with was James Branch Cabell. Thanks to Delphi Classics, I now have all his works on Kindle, with original covers and interior art work. I read his very first novel, The Eagle's Shadow, which sounds a bit like a Navajo mystery story. It isn't. It is a drawing room comedy, with such subtle and delightful humour and turns of phrase, that from the outset Cabell was obviously a very fine writer. The silly plot reminded me of a book by Wodehouse I read not long ago, and would make a fine comparison between the two works (the first Jeeves book). Both authors are very good at storytelling, and both are hilarious. But Cabell is so sly and subtle, his prose so low key and unintrusive, and his characters so finely carved, that there can be no mistaking the two writers. Both are essential reading, but Cabell will be a major revelation to someone who has never encountered him before. Before being published as a book in 1904, it was serialized in The Saturday Evening Post.
Last up for March was another book from the shelf, one I've had for many years awaiting its turn. The Necropolis Railway, by Andrew Martin, is a murder mystery story set in London in 1903, specifically in and around Waterloo Station. It follows the exploits of a young Yorkshire lad who wants to drive trains, fast ones, and gets hired on as a cleaner in London, the first step to becoming a driver. He cleans engines that are used to run funerals out to Brookwood Cemetery, southwest of the city. The book gives vivid descriptions of working class life in London at the time (gruesome), and a lot about the funeral railway. In fact, this book sparked renewed interest in the history of that railway. A fun read, though mostly for the environment of the time.
Before leaving off, I will include a few more pictures from our summer of /82 trip to Spain. these next images are all from Segovia. One of my favourite pics from that trip was the one of the aqueduct. The other two are what I call "here and there" photos. First, from the Alcazar looking out towards a Norman church, then back to the Alcazar from the inside of the church.
Signing off for now. Looking forward to a visit from Jenn G. on Monday. There will be ale tasting with snacks, and some fun conversation.
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