December 2023 Book Reviews

Robert Silverberg got things rolling again, though now I only have two of his SF books remaining!  I have not included his non-fiction books, but might add one in from time to time.  There are some of his early pulp fiction being republished now, too.  First published in 1998, this epic 488 page SF novel has undergone many reprints since.  The Alien Years takes two effective short stories and transforms them into a fairly wonderful novel, all things considered.  I have already voiced my opinion on writers who expand short stories into full length novels, so I was admittedly biased going into this read.  However, I emerged at the end convinced that for this time, Silverberg had scored a big win.  "The Pardoner's Tale" is a short story from 1987 that pits a human computer hacker against the might of alien invaders who have taken over the Earth, erected enormous walls around major cities (LA in this case), and are receiving a lot of help from humans who have accepted the aliens as their masters and work for them.  The second story comes first chronologically in the novel, as well as being written first.  "Against Babylon" from 1986 tells of the invasion day in California, and how tremendous fires are accidentally ignited from the engines as the aliens land their huge ships.  All in all it's quite a splendid book, and should make us think seriously about not attracting attention to ourselves from out there.  Let's face it--if aliens have technology to get here, they are going to be rather superior to us in many other ways.  And maybe their intentions will clash with ours.  Silverberg seals the door nicely in this novel, making resistance more a thought game that a real life killing game.  What if we can't resist?  Human ingenuity did not save us in this book, at least.  Could it ever happen?  You bet it could.

 

Renegade of Kregen is the 13th book in a very long fantasy series written by Kenneth Bulmer.  From 1976 comes the 192 page continuation of the story of Dray Prescott, a man who seems to get little rest and relaxation.  He has previously been stripped of his membership in an elite warrior society, and realizes that he will never get home to Delia unless he somehow regains his status.  He hatches a plan to capture an enemy king and his #1 striker.  Some of Dray's plans work really well.  This is one of those that doesn't.  One of the things about reading a series that is already published is knowing that the hero will never die, at least until the final volume.  So no matter what Dray has to put up with, we know that somehow he will come out of it okay.  But as we learn in this volume, not all of his friends and or family receive the same guarantee.  Someone very close to Dray dies in this book, and it is quite shocking.  And yet again he has to pretend to be loyal to an enemy by infiltrating it and serving the wrong side.  That part seems to go okay.  But with this sudden unexpected death at the end of the book, Dray has entered a new and deeper region of emotion than he is used to.  We can be certain of one thing; someone will pay dearly for his loss.

 

Next, I began another series by E C Tubb.  Galaxy of the Lost is the first book of the Cap Kennedy, Secret Agent of the Space series.  If that sounds somewhat juvenile, the first book really isn't.  From 1973 comes the 125 page first novel.  He seemed to toss these stories off at least one per month.  What a guy!  Cap Kennedy is an agent, or investigator, for F.A.T.E, Free Acting Terran Envoy.  He works with a small team, but has the backing of the major Earth intelligence and defence organizations.  In this first exciting adventure, he is trying to solve the mystery of why space ships are disappearing from space, leaving no trace behind of what happened to them or where they went.  Now this sounds like a typical SF pulp adventure plot.  But wait.  1973 is not the 1950s, and Tubb, despite his writing speed, is not a hack writer.  And besides, this is the post Star Trek years, so stories had to have some substance to them.  And Tubb (writing as Kern) gives us our money's worth (75 cents back in the day, and $3.99 Can. today).  The adventure begins like many another tale, even ones by Tubb.  But it quickly heads off into true SF territory.  An unmanned, very ancient alien device in another dimension is malfunctioning, drawing in ships from our universe, where they end up crashing and being used by scrap robots to feed energy to the machine.  Our hero and his small company of survivors go through quite an ordeal to find out this information.  I'm hoping more will be learned about this ancient alien civilization as more books are read.  Apparently the same aliens left some traces of their technology in our galaxy, but no one can make heads or tails of what remains.  Again, as with so many of Tubb's stories, this would make a terrific SF film, simply by adding at least one major female character (alas, they are all males here).  A good read, and a promising beginning to this new to me series.

 

From 1991 comes another adventure, The Revenge of the Rose, featuring everyone's favourite albino sword and sorcery hero.  This 233 page novel features a traditional story arc, with Elric having to retrieve a casket containing his father's soul.  And so he goes on a quest featuring a dragon, the lords of Chaos and their underlings, a family of clairvoyants, a poet (who lived in the time of Gloriana!), and Rose, Moorcock's answer to Red Sonja.  While the story arc follows a traditional path (including the inevitable battle between Elric and the main bad guy, Gaynor), the story ingredients are anything but traditional.  While in the same general league as Tolkien, Peake, and E R Eddison, Moorcock has always been more a sketch artist than a true old master.  He seldom takes enough time with his characters and situations, choosing instead to move things along almost at the pace of a pulp writer, forgoing details for action.  That is not to say there is no introspection or good conversation in his stories, but these features are not the main reason one reads Moorcock.  Having said this, Revenge of the Rose seems to probe deeper than other Moorcock novels, and along with the lovely plot twists, turns, and revelations, proves again that Moorcock can write literature when he wants to take his time and do so.  Besides being a very good writer, this novel shows off his incredible imagination, as the places Elric and company visit are certainly on another plane of existence.  If the story seems to begin like any other old tale of sword and sorcery, hang on a bit.  You will enjoy this epic tale, guaranteed. 

 

Usually, Malzberg's porno novels (written under various pseudonyms) are less about sex and more about literature.  A Bed of Money has more graphic sex than the other two put together, but still manages to come out strongly as literature.  From 1970, this 141 page novel, only recently re-released, concerns a certain Mr. Foster, another in the long line of losers who devote their life to the racetrack.  Malzberg's racetrack stories are incredibly detailed accounts of the psychology of players, getting so far into their heads that we end up knowing literally everything about the person involved.  I was never the least bit interested in horse racing until I discovered Malzberg.  The author's gift for black humour is also on full display here, as Foster relives many of his past sexual experiences, besides being involved in his current round with Dolores, a woman he picked up at a bar after finally winning big at the track.  She goes back to a hotel room with him, but of course has two male accomplices who soon make it clear that they want his $23,000.00 in winnings for themselves.  The novel has a certain madcap keystone cops element to it, but the rapid deterioration of Foster's mind after he wins is the real story.  Most people, myself included, might profess a dislike or disinterest in racetrack stories.  But Malzberg, if no one else, might convince you otherwise.  At least I am a full convert. 

 

Turning away from these five remaining Avon/Equinox SF Rediscovery Series authors, my first free choice read came again from the Delphi Collection of books on Kindle.  These books include the complete works of various authors, many of them early writers of SF and Fantasy.  They are professionally edited, and usually illustrated with original covers and any interior art that may have been published with the earliest editions.  It was time again for a novel by A. Merritt, the early 20th C. SF and Fantasy writer, who has as large a cult following today as Lovecraft.  I read The Metal Men, published in 1920. The same protagonist who appeared in his The Moon Pool from the year  before is back, this time wandering amidst the Himalayas.  This time he encounters an alien race made from metal, that uses the Sun's energy to grow and develop, that happened to find itself on Earth one day.  They seem to be under the control of a woman who was once human, but has now become a very different sort of being.

 

First published as an 8 part serial in 1920, it didn't come out in paperback until 1946.

Cover art by Glen White.   

 

Also involved is a Saracen horde led by Xerxes and his son, somehow surviving up here for over 2000 years.  Whatever.  Though much of the storytelling is merely wide-eyed description of the fantastic aliens, how they function, and what they do, there are still many fine and memorable moments from this early science based story.  The very earliest and best SF writers clung earnestly to real science to make their case for their stories, and though the science is a wee bit outdated, once can still be amazed at Merritt and how well read he must have been, not only in science but in ancient history! This is a movie in the making, and would be a truly stupendous undertaking.  Now that special effects are finally caught up to 1920s story telling, perhaps someone will take one of Merritt's novels and bring them to the big screen.  Even an animated version of this story would be welcome.  A fun read, though the descriptions at times give one a headache, like hearing about someone's long dream.

Steven Saylor writes fiction that takes place in ancient Rome, and is a master at it.  For a while, a long time ago, we carried on an e-mail discussion about Sword and Sandal movies.  It took me awhile to get around to read his books, but when I finally did I was hooked!  Roman Blood is the first book of his Rosa Sub Rosa novels, featuring the detective Gordianus The Finder, published in 1991.  More of Saylor's books get high reviews, and for good reason.  Along with fictional characters, Saylor uses real historical figures.  In this book, for instance, the young Cicero is the lawyer who defends the accused murderer.  He hires the (fictional) Gordianus to gather information for him.  Sulla the Dictator is ruling (an actual person), and there are several other real characters in the story.  But Saylor goes even further, taking an actual case of murder that Cicero accepted, and uses parts of his actual summation in the story.  The interweaving of fact and fiction is seamless.  The best parts of Saylor's books are his ability to bring day to day life in Rome to life in a way that even a good movie cannot.  This happens to be a very hot summer, with a merciless sun beating down upon the city every afternoon.  The flies, are there, the rats, the filth, the low life, a spectacular tenement fire, and or course the crime.  The injustices heaped upon slaves and the poor are also in the forefront, in case anyone wants to glamorize life in the Rome of around 70 B.C.E.  My only complaint about the book is the large number of violent and bloody episodes it contains, including several assaults on Gordianus.  Would someone who came so near death by misfortune so many times within just a few days still be happy to carry on his work for 15 more volumes in the series?  Not if he had half a brain.  Anyway, the series does not have to be read in any order, and all that I have read so far are very good reading.

Cover painting by Antonio Basoli. 

 

William Morris created some of the best fantasy novels ever written (see my Ballantine blog), and was a huge influence on Tolkien and other writers who took up fantasy.  His earliest fantasy tale was published in 1889, called The House of the Wolfings.  Morris translated many of the northern sagas, and here he has written one of his own.  Told mostly in prose, there still is a good deal of rhyming couplets to keep authenticity.  The first part could easily be drawn from an earlier time in Middle Earth, when the men of the Mark were divided into clans though allied against trouble makers from outside their range.  Morris includes a magic hauberk, as well as women, men, and a boy who can "see" what might befall.  Once we realize that these Goths are about to fight the Romans, we are somewhat brought back to our own Earth.  The river that Tolkien eventually called the Anduin is here called the Mirkwood, since it runs in and out of dark woodlands, mostly bordering them.  The various clan houses are arrayed along this river north to south.  While the story focuses on the Wolfings, several other clans also feature prominently in the tale.  The story tells the story of the preparation for battle, continues with the several major battles that occur, and follows up with the aftermath.  All in all it is a rousing tale, filled with myth-making heroes and great deeds, including the bravery and strength of the enemy Roman legions.  Originally meant to be the first book of a trilogy, Morris did write one more, but not the third.  Looking forward to reading it!

 

Next to last came the second collection of detective stories by Arthur Morrison, the 1895 The Chronicles of Martin Hewitt.  There are six stories featuring the great detective, who mostly works alone, or in concert with the police, and are related to us by his friend and confident.  In "The Ivy Cottage Mystery," Hewitt solves a murder and a jewel theft, using much the same method as Holmes.  Indeed, this is one of the stories that might have led people to believe that it was Doyle writing under a different name, as was the case when the original series was printed.  In the next story Hewitt gets into 19th C. diving gear to solve "The Nicobar Bullion Case."  When a ship sinks off the coast of Cornwall carrying gold bullion, a crime of opportunity presents itself to one of the salvage workers.  Try to picture Sherlock Homes in diving gear and going underwater to look for clues.  Unfortunately, the whole plot is too far fetched to be believable, but it makes a nice change from the streets of London.  "The Holford Will Case" is involved with hypnotism upon an innocent though weak willed woman by the conniving nephew of her deceased step father.  She has been left the bulk of the estate in her father's will, but the nephew attempts to steal and destroy the will, which would leave everything to him.  Fortunately for one and all, Hewitt saves the day again.  "The Case of the Missing Hand" adds a touch of gruesomeness to the collection.  A cruel and conniving man is found hanged in the woods with his right hand missing.  Two brothers are arrested for murder, until Hewitt proves otherwise, and is able to explain what really took place.  Next up is "The Case of Laker, Absconded," a straight forward case of robbery.  That is, until Hewitt gets involved, proving that the man thought of as the guilty one is quite innocent.  Lastly comes "The Cost of the Lost Foreigner", about anarchists attempting to set off a series of bombs in London.  One of the gang backs out at the last minute, and they don't take kindly to his change of heart.  One never knew that bread could be so dangerous.

The last book completed in December was E Nesbit's first childrens' book.  Called The Story of the Treasure Seekers, from 1899, it is almost as much fun to read as the slightly earlier masterpiece by Kenneth Grahame, The Golden Age.  Writing as if a 12 year child had written the story, it is mostly a charming tale of five children trying to raise money to help restore the Bastable fortune.  Oswald Bastable tries to keep it a secret that he is the one writing the book, but of course his slips and oversights quickly give away the secret.  The children first try digging for buried treasure in their garden.  No luck.  One of them, an 8 year old, is a poet, and they try to sell his poetry to a major London newspaper.  Very minor results.  They kidnap Albert-next-door and hold him for three thousand pounds ransom.  A ransom note is sent to his family.  Alas, it just doesn't work out for them.  They try to sell mail order sherry.  Another flop.  But the best chapter of them all tells of the newspaper and its contents that the children create, in hopes of selling 100 copies at a shilling apiece.  Some very rich writing here, indeed.  All in all the short book is great fun to read, especially for an adult.  A 1996 British film of the book can be seen on Youtube--it will be reviewed soon in the next blog entry.  Unfortunately, girls are not rated very highly by Oswald as persons in this story.  He is a complete misogynist.  And there is a single use of the "n" word, which hopefully is expunged from modern editions (not used by the children, but by an adult)  Michael Moorcock used the name of Oswald Bastable as the storyteller for three of his connected alternate history novels, in an effort to help capture that time in the late Victorian period when men ruled in the house and beyond.

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

Quiet Holidays

Aside from the one visit that we were able to capture Amanda for, it's been a quiet holiday here at the Homestead.  Especially weather wise.  Lots of fog, very still and very damp air, creating warm dark days and a goodly amount of rain.  We managed one outdoor walk on the Greenway on Boxing Day, and it was a perfect autumn day for it.  Yes, it's still autumn around here, at least for several more days.  Going all the way back to last Friday, we had an all day Solstice Festival by the fireside, with an 8 hour wood fire, the first act of Wagner's Siegfried, plenty of food and drink, reading, napping, and other fun things.  On Christmas Day we watched Prime's Rings of Power, our second viewing of this epic adventure loosely based on Tolkien's appendices to LOR.  Amanda visited the day before Christmas, and we pretty much got caught up on news, enjoying a good visit, our first in far too long.  She is looking after her aging kitty, but is also reentering the world of travel once again with her boyfriend (whom we might actually meet someday!).  A week in Colombia is up next for them.

 

In other news, I talked with Alicia over the holiday, my niece.  She is a corporal in the Canadian Armed Forces, and on January 15th she will be on her first shift in the military police, which she recently joined.  We are all very proud of Alicia and her accomplishments to date.  We will be thinking of her on the 15th!

 

This is turning out to be an interesting period of time for encountering Germanic myths and legends.  Siegfried is Wagner's 3rd opera in his Ring cycle, based on northern and Germanic legends.  This is our 3rd or 4th time through the entire cycle, which we sometimes do all at once, but this time have separated the works by months. The hero has just reforged the broken sword of his father, and is off to the kill a poor dragon.  Tolkien based a lot of his material on the same legends used by Wagner.  And I happened to read a fantasy novel by William Morris this past week, too.  He actually translated several northern Sagas, but The House of the Wolfings, from 1889, is his fictional account of the Goths doing battle with the invading Roman army.  While loosely historical (the Romans never really did fully control the barbarian lands), the atmosphere is steeped in magic, gods, and myth.  We get a close look at how the Goth society was organized into clans, and how they fought together when their way of life was threatened.  They certainly were not simple barbarians, as the Romans thought.  It is a stirring novel, and the first part seems like it could take place in Middle Earth.  The river that runs through the countryside being invaded is called the Mirkwood.  More on this book in my monthly reading summary, coming soon.

 

Most influenced by this novel was Tolkien, and by coincidence we re watched Rings of Power.  We watched the first episode on Christmas Eve, and the rest on Christmas Day.  There are 8 episodes, and each one is riveting, spellbinding, eye-poppingly beautiful to look at, and filled with great acting, sets, costumes, arms and armour, and not to forget those Numenorean ships!  This first series focuses on Galadriel and her attempts to seek out and destroy Sauron.  Needless to say, she has her work cut out for her.  The series was ratings bombed when it appeared because (I kid you not) there are people of colour in major roles.  So trust no on-line ratings.  Still today it is being ratings bombed because, as everyone knows, only white folk live in fantasy worlds.  Next to Galadriel (who pretty much fits the blonde northern fantasy heroine in every respect), the best character is Arondir, an Elf warrior perfectly played by the handsome and statuesque Ismael Cruz Cordoba.  If you cannot imagine a dark-skinned Elf, then don't bother watching, please.  And everything to do with the Dwarves is so unbelievably good that even after watching it twice, I still can't believe it!  The mines of Moiria are extremely well portrayed in their heyday, before the balrog was awoken by the deeper mining activity.  Durin has a Black wife, so beware.  And Numenor has a Black Queen.  And there are Black Hobbits!  Oh, where will it all end?  Hopefully in a second season at least as good as the first one.  This is don't miss stuff for Tolkien fans.  It was a very fun Christmas Day!

 

In regular movie news, well, we often don't watch regular movies, as regular readers of this blog already know.  Our main sources for film viewing are three streaming channels: Criterion, Mubi, and Prime.  None of them are expensive, and we watch dozens and dozens of films each year, mostly on the first two, which feature foreign and experimental film.  Though if you dig deep, there are many great films, big and small, on Prime.

 

Deb's two choices from last week included one of the more interesting films we have seen of late.  You Are Here is a Canadian film from 2010.  It's pretty much impossible to give a plot synopsis, but it involves mysterious found video tapes, and other artifacts, that puzzle a woman.  She finds and collects them on long walks, then categorizes and stores them in an archive.  She eventually intersects with a strange experiment where people are being sent to seemingly random locations, and reporting back to a central control room.  This film could easily be a total mess if mishandled, but somehow the director manages to not only intrigue and puzzle us, but keep us interested as well. Deb thinks it has to do with early AI experiments, while I think it is an attempt to show how the human brain works if consciousness is removed.  Whatever the hell it is, it makes for a strange and somehow wonderful viewing experience.

 

Leaving Mubi Dec. 31st.
 

She also picked a Hollywood film, but one that seems to rise well above the typical melodrama I was expecting.  A Letter To Three Wives dates from 1949, and was directed by Joseph Mankiewicz.  A beautiful woman, whom we never see, lures the husband of one of three women to run away with her.  We get the marriage story of all three couples told in flashback, as each woman, who has received a letter from the mystery woman, reflects on her marriage, and whether or not it is her husband who has left.  The film, though showing a melodramatic core, is filled with more snappy lines and witty dialogue than most Oscar Wilde plays.  Sight gags are also part of the fun, namely the house of one of the women that sits next to a busy railway line.  Each time a train passes, the whole house shakes and all dialogue and action by the inhabitants has to stop.  Starring Jean Crain, Linda Darnell, and Ann Southern as the three wives.  Recommended.

 

Leaving Criterion Dec. 31st. 

 

Lastly comes my first pick of five, as I get my two regular picks for the week, as well as the end of the month film festival choices, three of them.  Back in 1989 we saw a most strange little film called The Magic Toy Shop (1987) at an alternative movie house in downtown Detroit.  We were regular patrons of the Tele Arts programs, though not many other people were ever seen to attend.  It was a bit ahead of its time for Detroit, I think, even though DFT often packed the theatre with slightly more mainstream European films.  Anyway, this film is only available on a very bad print on Youtube, but we finally watched it.  Based on a story (unread) by Angela Carter, it is a very scary look at a domineering man (a very scary Tom Bell) who runs a toy shop and marionette theatre.  His wife and her two brothers help out, but when he accepts three suddenly related orphaned children into his home, things really begin to go awry.  This is one of the strangest movies every made, and likely seen by the fewest people.  It is a horror movie at its heart, but also a very unique fantasy and dark fairy tale.  The toyshop life reeks of severe patriarchy, and the ultimate downfall of the owner will test viewers ability to believe what they are seeing.  As the children say after watching a mind numbing version of "Leda and the Swan" on the small family stage, "I don't like that play."  DO NOT MISS seeing this most unusual film.

Available to watch in a bad print on Youtube. 

 

In the meantime, we are looking forward to seeing the sun again someday.  Perhaps.  As for clear nights, forget it.  We never saw the sun anywhere near or around Solstice, nor this week's full moon.  But on the bright side, I have yet to shovel snow so far this year.

 

Mapman Mike

 

Winter's Non-Arrival

It's more like mid-November here at the Homestead this week (and next).  No snow anywhere to speak of.  Green grass, plants still growing in the garden.  Anyway, Happy Solstice!  Our all day fire was still on for Friday, beginning at sunrise and lasting till sunset (8-5).  It's going to get warm in here, though.  We have a ton of good food laid in for the holidays, both of the snack variety and the full meal kind.  More and more plant based items appear at the grocery stores nearly every time we go there.

 

Thursday we managed another walk on the trail.  It was a crisp autumn day.  Tomorrow will be similar, but it will be a crisp winter day.  Go figure.  We also stocked up on birdseed, and Deb managed to buy paint for the room redecoration (new windows, after all) on sale for 60% off the regular price at the same store.  She is currently stripping a 5" border from around the top near the ceiling before repainting the walls and ceiling.  Wednesday was Wal-Mart day.  We usually do our shopping there when a prescription refill is needed at the pharmacy.  We were expecting horrible crowds, but it was a actually quiet and a mostly tolerable experience.  Tuesday was Deb's infusion day.  All went well.  Before that we ate at Copper Branch, a plant based restaurant with a wide and delicious menu that is about two minutes walk from Deb's doctor.  We came home with a mint chocolate nanaimo bar and a wonderful cinnamon bun.  We'll be back in two months, when her next infusion is due.

 

I am off from Iaido for a few weeks now, and even longer if the weather does turn nasty.  I plan to practice in the garage a few times, though.  I have finally relearned all of the material from black belt level.  If I can polish that up a bit, I can move on to relearn all the material for 2nd degree black belt.  Then I'll be back to where I was five years or so ago.

 

In film news, Mubi sent us a neat little retrospective of all the movies we watched last year on the channel.  There were a lot of them.  They show a short clip from each movie watched, and categorize it as drama, comedy, fantasy, etc.  We just finished watching another one from that channel.  It has been many years since we've seen The Bicycle Thieves, from 1948.  The movie still packs the same punch, about the dehumanizing of the human spirit when someone wants to work but cannot find a job.  The man in the film does find a job, but it requires a bicycle.  No bike, no job.  His bike is in the pawn shop.  His wife gathers up their sheets and then cash them in to get the bike back.  The shot of their sheets being stored is one of the most unforgettable shots in cinema history.  The first day on the job someone steals his bike.  The largest part of the movie shows him, his friends, and his little son (probably the best son any man could ever hope to have|) searching fruitlessly for the bike.  A powerful film, and still relevant today in too many parts of the world.

 

 

Leaving Mubi Dec. 31st. 

 

 Before that came Perfect Blue, an animated film from 2000 by Satoshi Kon.  A young girl leaves her budding pop singing trio to become an actress.  Another very violent animated film, this one really manipulates the viewer.  We watch many entire scenes, only to find out that the girl has either dreamed them or imagined them.  She is being stalked, too.  And there is a mass murderer on the loose.  And she gets some pretty hideous parts for her start in acting.  A bit too convoluted for my taste, and much too manipulative.

Showing on Prime Video. 

 

Before that, Deb chose two from Criterion, both films leaving this month.  The most recent view was Grand Illusion, Jean Renoir's 1937 film about WW1 prisoners of the Germans, trying constantly to escape.  Starring Jean Gabin as one of two men who finally get an opportunity to make a dash for it, the real star of the film is Erich Von Stroheim.  He is the German commandant of the prison, and proves to be, like one of the captive officers, a soldier and a gentleman.  It's strange to see a German officer portrayed as being an actual human being, instead of (as per WW2) a sadistic torturer.  His performance is flawless.  Hailed as one of the truly great films of all time, it did not seem to make it on the Sight and Sound top 100 list.  The script is amazing, as are the settings and the handling of many characters within a scene.  Still gripping from end to end.  Highly recommended.

 

 

Leaving Criterion this month. 

Last comes another gem of a film, called Summer 1993, directed by Carla Simon in 2017.  Frida is six years old (I had guessed 7, based on the actress used, who might have even been 8).  Both her parents are dead, probably from AIDS.  She is adopted into her uncle's family, her mother's brother, and raised by him and his wife.  They have a little girl already, around 3 or 4.  Frida shows no emotion at all during the film, until the very end, which must have been a challenge for the director and the little actress.  In many ways she is just a typical kid, often doing stupid and thoughtless things; however, she does have her problems.  Obviously autobiographical (there is a dedication at the end to her 2nd mother), the film can be challenging at times to watch, as there are situations that could have ended differently and more tragically.  Overall it is a very good film, with the little three year old stealing many scenes.  It also makes me happy that I don't have to deal with kids any more.

Leaving Criterion Dec. 31st. 

 

Mapman Mike

Centennial Windows Strikes Again

Almost $5 thousand dollars later, we have now replaced all the windows in our living space, including four in the basement, seven on the main floor, and two upstairs.  It has taken a long time, and plenty of moola.  The final two windows went in this morning, pretty much sealing up the house against both heat and cold as much as is possible for us to do.  Along with the two new doors, we could probably safely switch to heat pumps when the time comes for a new furnace.

We have also stacked enough firewood to run the fireplace all winter if we needed to.  We bought two wood stands from Amazon.  The 8' one is filled with split firewood, and the 4' one with kindling and smaller logs.  Both have sturdy tarps covering the wood.  Ice storms will become more common as our winters get warmer (today was 54 F!), and ice storms often bring power outages.  Freezer and refrigerator contents can be stored in the garage if it's cold enough.  So we are ready for the worst, of course hoping it never comes.

In an unexpected surprise Christmas present, I enjoyed two wonderfully clear though cold nights out with the telescope this week.  Tuesday it was 27 F when I left, and I was starting to get a wee bit chilly.  But Thursday night it was still 36 F when I left.  I could have stayed out for at least another hour, but the windows were coming early next day.  I did happen to catch a few bright Geminid meteors, too.  Now I'm beginning to wonder if I might get a few nights in January with the telescope.  It's usually far too cold, but perhaps this will be the year. 

We are now less than a week away from Winter Solstice.  We are stocked with food, drink, and enough TV to last through the winter.  Solstice will be an all day wood fire, plenty of snacks, and perhaps Siegfried, the 3rd opera in Wagner's Ring cycle.  Christmas Day (not celebrated here at the Homestead) we plan to watch Prime's Lord of the Rings all over again, our 2nd viewing.  We are eagerly looking forward to the next series. 

In movie viewing news, I begin with the most recent film.  Donnie Darko is a cult SF film from 2001, showing on Criterion until Dec. 31st.  Well acted by its main teenage protagonist, Jake Gyllenhaul plays a  highly intelligent teenager who finds it difficult to relate to the everyday world, especially school.  Still, he mostly manages to keep his head down, but when he speaks out, he really goes all the way, often getting into trouble for it.  He is awakened one night by a person in a scary rabbit suit (named Frank) and led from his house.  He awakens on the green of a local golf course next morning, to find out that his house has been struck by a falling jet engine.  He also learns that the world will end in just over 28 days.  The film is fun to watch, impossible to predict, and generally avoids tropes (except for the inexcusable reason for not meeting up with Miss Sparrow).  Highly intelligent production, and strongly recommended for SF fans.  There is supposedly a poor sequel not involving the director, but he is working on trying to make one.

Showing on Criterion Channel until Dec. 31st.  

The Spine of Night is a decent animated fantasy feature from 2021, though extremely violent. A sacred plant gives knowledge and power, and of course totally corrupts the user.  A naked woman priestess fights the evil it brings, and there is an awful lot of it to fight.  Backgrounds are stunning, and the animated characters are good, even though they do not match very well.  The story is a bit convoluted, encompassing many generations.  This might have been better as a series rather than a one shot feature.  Still good enough to recommend.  Not for the kiddies.

Now showing on Shudder. 

Those were my two recent choices.  Deb's main choice last weekend was Tesla, from 2020.  Tesla, the man, is probably one of the least interesting characters one could imagine, and thus one of the hardest to make a film about.  An undisputed genius, he seems to have had very few emotions, and cares only about his inventions.  He would be a good candidate for an AI life form.  The film puts his life into perspective, as the film also deals with Edison, and indirectly with Marconi.  Tesla's greatest dream of instant communication across the planet remained unfulfilled due to lack of funding.  The storytelling method is unique, mixing period and contemporary comment as told by the daughter of John Pierpont Morgan, who obviously had feelings for Tesla.  Her father funded Tesla up to a point, then withdrew his support.

Now showing on Mubi. 

Now that the new windows are installed in the TV room, Deb is setting out to repaint the room.  I wish her the best of luck with the project, and look forward to its completion.

In reading news, I have completed my required reading for the month, and am currently embarking on my "free" reads.  First up is a 1920 SF by A. Merritt, The Metal Monster!

Mapman Mike

 

 

Downtown Detroit Day

We had pretty much lost touch with the downtown scene over the past few years, but are slowly getting it back again.  We mainly wanted to revisit the restored Book Building, an amazing skyscraper from 1926 that just recently completed a top to bottom restoration.  Here is an historic postcard of the building.  We visited last Friday.

 

Detroit Historical Society collection. 

 

It had been abandoned for some time before Dan Gilbert became involved.  Now, it looks brand new, with the entire exterior being cleaned, the interior brought back to perfection, and the 476' skyscraper once again holding its head high in downtown Detroit.  The tall portion is now apartments, while the broader and lower part is a hotel, with rooftop bar.  In the corner area facing us, ground floor, is a very beautiful and fancy French restaurant (my own photo to follow).  The lobby has a small cafe/bar, and there is comfortable seating for all, with some great table top books laid out to peruse.  After checking out the public areas we sat and had tea at the cafe.  Of course the lobby is now decorated for Christmas (with books under the tree, gift wrapped), but it is still stately.  Original ceiling bas reliefs are restored, as is the original clock.  There is marble everywhere.  An unfinished room houses a historical exhibit about the building and the area.  Before the stock market crash, the other side was to house an 81 story tower, twice as high as the one standing today.  Imagine that!  Well, the blueprints are there to see.

 

Meanwhile, the tallest new skyscraper a few streets over is nearly at its highest, while other new buildings not quite so high seem to have popped up overnight.  Of course downtown was busy on a Friday afternoon, and all decked out for Christmas.  People were ice skating, and the decorations and lights were pretty much endless, even though we saw them in daytime.  Here are some of my photos from inside the Book Building, and of the newest addition to the skyline.

 

Deb sits and enjoys tea in the lobby of the Book Building.

Looking up in the atrium of the lobby.  Notice the bas relief ceilings, and that stained glass roof.

 

Glass ceiling of the atrium, which gives a golden light to the lobby area.

One panel of the ceiling.

 

The original lobby clock is also restored, though it was too dark to see the three golden cupids beneath it. 

Through the door shot of the art nouveau French restaurant in the Book Building. It was closed at the time.

 

This incredible 1937 Cadillac was parked in front of the Book Building on Friday. 

 

A shot of the David Stott tower in downtown Detroit, another restored favourite of ours, along with the much higher new Hudson site building going up near it.

We hope to return next Friday to see a group of avant garde silent films at the DIA with live music.  In local movie watching news, there are two to report.  Going from most recently watched, Deb's leaving choice this weekend was Star Dust, from 1940 and starring Linda Darnell.  How are stars made in Hollywood?  Well, talent scouts head out across the nation looking for undiscovered beauty and singing and acting skills.  A teenage girl from small town Arkansas is given her big chance, but internal politics get in her way.  Darnell shines as the girl next door who wants to make it big.  Also starring John Payne and Roland Young, and directed by Walter Lang.

 

Leaving Criterion this month.

Before that, my films was also leaving soon, from Criterion.  It was Mel Brooks' High Anxiety, his spoof of Hitchcock films from 1977.  Also starring Cloris Leachman, as a demented nurse at the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous, where Mel Brooks will become the new head.  While many jokes misfire, since there is at least one a minute viewers don't have to wait long for one to click.  A highlight is Mel singing the title song in an impromptu night club performance.  There are Hitchcock references everywhere.

 

Leaving Criterion this month. 

 

We are currently watching Tesla, from 2020.  More on that film in the next post.

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

More Tilda Swinton

But first, this message from Lone Mtn. Homestead.  It's shaping up to be a relatively quiet week around here, though there has been excitement.  First of all, Phil, our neighbour behind us and across the creek, earlier expressed interest in purchasing our land on his side of the creek.  He also promised to split a ton (at least) of wood back there from a tree we had taken down last year.  Then I never heard again from Phil.  One day I saw him burning leaves back there (apparently it's still a thing with some people), and went back to talk with him.  He farms 1600 acres just outside of Amherstburg, and the harvest had just been completed (good for corn, poor for soy beans).  He was just recovering from long Co-vid, a bout of illness that lasted three months.  Yes, he was still interested in the property.  Yes, he was still going to split the wood and deliver it to me.  Well, on Sunday the wood began arriving.  Lots and lots of wood.  I gave nearly half to my next door neighbour, who also has a fire place.  It just needs to be stacked now, which might happen soon.  We have ordered an outdoor firewood shelf and it should arrive Thursday.  So we have firewood again.

Also last Sunday was our piano group meet up, though only three of us were able to meet.  We met at Jim's house in Chatham, over a one hour drive from here.  It was foggy and raining, too.  But it turned into a decent afternoon.  I played a prelude and Fugue by Bach (Eb+, Bk 2), and the 2nd movement of the Beethoven Sonata, Op 10 #3.  We are off till January sometime.  

I had to skip Iaido that Sunday night, so I went Monday night instead.  Sunday is just open training, but Monday is a formal class.  It was well attended and I enjoyed a good session.  Deb is leaning towards returning, too, which would make it even more fun.  Not so much for the classes, but for the open training.  That morning we also had a meeting with our newest financial planner at the bank.  All of of our investments are now in one institution, something I have wanted for some time now. 

Today was our longer outdoor walk, and we finished up the final segment of the Greenway trail from A'burg to MacGregor.  It takes about 7 weeks to complete it a segment per week, weather permitting.  We didn't walk last week because it was the day after a minor snowstorm.  On the topic of storms, we and a lot of other people are in for a doozy this weekend.  We will get heavy rain and howling winds, followed by a drastic temperature drop.  Can't wait.  Last week we had 1.4" of rain spread over several days.  It is pretty damp here just now, and a few farm fields were underwater today on our walk.

Not much else should happen this coming week.  Lots of piano practice, reading, cooking, eating, and watching films.  Beginning with the most recently watched film, I just finished We Need To Talk About Kevin, starring Tilda Swinton.  Deb quit before the end of this modern day horror story from 2011, and from the UK.  It tells, in fragments that jump around in time, the story of a psychopathic teenage male who commits a mass killing at his high school.  I never would have watched this if Tilda hadn't been in it, and I doubt if many people make it to end regardless.  Of course she shares blame for the killings, but her husband never believed anything was wrong with the boy, as "Kevin" acted totally normal with his dad, saving his darker leanings for mom.  The very end is quite good, as some kind of empathy and reconciliation at last seems possible.  Mom is the only survivor, as Kevin killed his father and little sister, too, before heading over to the high school.  A tough movie to watch, especially if you are the parent of a secretive teenage boy.  It's a hard one to recommend, unless you are a Tilda fan.  She is, as usual, totally amazing as the mother who puts up with a bit more than a normal mother would from her first born.  Perhaps if she had secretly recorded some of her interactions with Kevin when he was small some intervention could have happened at an early age.  But hey, it's only a movie, right?  These things don't really happen, do they?

Leaving Mubi soon. 

 Backing up one film, Deb picked Frances Ha, from 2012.  A young woman ("undatable") is trying to get a job in the core company of a dance troupe.  She is living in an apartment with her best girlfriend.  When her girlfriend moves out to a more upscale neighbourhood, Frances' fortunes turn sharply around.  Her address keeps changing to a lower and lower area.  She does not get the job with the dance company.  Her girlfriend gets engaged to a rich businessman and they move to Tokyo.  While the plot may not make it sound like the film is a comedy, it is.  This is the kind of independent film that relies almost entirely on the female lead, and she is wonderful.  Greta Gerwig (writer and director of the recent Barbie film) brings the perfect comedy touches to the film.  Highly recommended.

The film has just left Mubi. 

 

Before that Deb chose Paprika, an anime feature from 2006.  Someone steals several unfinished experimental devices that supposedly allow two sleepers (friends) to share a dream.  But in the wrong hands the device can be used to control people and drive them to do things they do not want to do.  And so the battle versus good and evil is on.  This is a rich film, filled with movement, colour, a good story, some fun characters, a fast pace, and several unexpected turns.  Directed by Satoshi Kon.  Recommended.

 

Leaving Criterion Dec. 31st. 

 

 Farther back, and the final film for now, is called Mafioso.  From 1962 Italy, it stars Alberto Sordi as a Sicilian who has left the island to seek his fortune.  He has done well, with a high level management job at a factory.  He has a beautiful wife and two sweet little girls.  He brings his family back to meet his family, and the laughs never stop.  A very funny moment when he greets his mother, only it turns out to be an aunt instead.  However, not so funny is when he agrees to do a small errand for the local Godfather.  However, the film becomes even funnier.  It was selected for Criterion by Alan Arkin, and I can easily see him in the role played by Sordi.  With a title like it has one does not expect a very rich comedy.  Of course the murder is unsettling, and it changes our hero somewhat.  But only somewhat.  The movie might have been called Sicilian Vacation.   Directed by Alberto Lattuada.  Recommended.

Now showing on Criterion.

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

Gr. 8 Graduation, 1967

Deb came across this priceless photo in the upstairs closet this week, as she was (unsuccessfully) searching for an older art work of hers.  My Catholic school Gr. 8 graduation!  I'm actually on Facebook with two of my old classmates!  Vittorio P. back row, 3rd from left, became a Toronto area narcotics officer, and collapsed suddenly at his home on Christmas morning, 1990, as he was opening presents with his family.  He died the next day, of mysterious causes.  At 37.  Vittorio was a good guy, serious, and kept to himself a lot.  Very tragic.

Yes, I'm, in there. 

 

Deb had her teeth cleaned and x-rayed on Thursday.  Prices have gone up a lot since last year.  No surprise there.  It was sunny and very mild (52 F), so we went downtown for lunch afterwards.  As usual, I sat in the car and read while she was inside the dentist's office.  There is a brewery nearby, so I stopped in and purchased a few cans of ale, too.

 

Last Monday we had our first snow event.  By bedtime it was coming down hard, and no sooner had my head hit the pillow than the snowplow began its ritual passing.  From a snowstorm to sun and mild weather; I think it's going to be a somewhat unusual winter.  Of course the snow is now long gone.  It's interesting to watch the birds in full panic mode during the first snowstorm.  All their ground food disappears, and if they are yearlings they have no idea what is going on.  So I put out extra food that day, as it was also windy and very cold.

 

Earlier Monday we had an afternoon visit from Phil, a former student from many years ago.  Phil now lives in Pennsylvania, but was here to visit his dad.  Phil has had a rough year.  His mom died in April, his wife left him in October, and his dad was recently diagnosed with cancer.  Phil runs a music podcast that deals with Irish rock, a la Pogues, called Paddyrock.  He makes a great dj, but the music is a bit too head banging for us these days.  And speaking of the Pogues, this is the day after Shane MacGowan passed away, at 65.  How he managed to live that long will always be a mystery to this blogger.  We heard the Pogues live in Detroit many years ago, but Shane had been removed from the band by then.  I would have loved to have heard him in his prime days.  As to Phil, he will return after Christmas, bringing his two youngest kids along this time.

We have also purchased our final two replacement windows, for the back TV room.  Once these are in, all the windows have been replaced since we moved in.  No more cold air leaks!  The master measurer came on Wednesday.  They will be installed Dec. 15th.

 

In movie news, I will first finish up with Deb's final two festival choices.  Her two remaining films were both Japanese, and both in the SF and fantasy genre.  First came Princess from the Moon, from 1987, and directed by Kon Ichikawa.  The story comes from an 8th C folktale, easily believable to have some truth at its root, of an alien spacecraft crashing, leaving one survivor.  She is one strange little thing, growing in a matter of days into a beautiful young woman.  The costumes in this film are to die for, with more yards of cloth used than perhaps any other period film.  After getting settled on Earth and liking her life and the people around her, her friends from beyond (the folktale says the Moon) return in a spacecraft to retrieve her.  there is no appeal, and she sadly leaves her human family behind.  This is a very fun film, and extremely beautiful to watch.  Highly recommended.

 

Princess From the Moon, now showing on Criterion. 

 

Next came a historical fantasy, based on the origins of Japanese civilization.  Again there is some mighty fine apparel in this flic, called Himiko, from 1974.  People who worship the Sun are in conflict with those who worship the Mountain.  And so it goes.  Himiko is the legendary priestess who is the only one who can get messages from the Sun, which she passes on to her people. An oddity definitely worth catching.

 

Himiko, from 1974, is now showing on Criterion. 

 

My leaving pic was Invisible to the Eye, a Turkish documentary from 2020.  Here is the summary from Mubi, where the film was showing (it's gone now).  Inspired by Eremya Çelebi Kömürciyan’s book “History of Istanbul: Istanbul in the Seventeenth Century”, Invisible to the Eye traces this particular itinerary in contemporary Istanbul and opens up an endless path into the multifaceted visual history of this long-standing city.

 

It is a dreamy look into the city's architecture and spaces and people, as readings from a 17th C traveller's description is read.  I have always been intrigued by Turkey, especially Istanbul.  Just by pure coincidence, direct flights from Detroit began last month.  If you are interested in historical views of ancient cities, you will find this film fascinating, as I did.

 

This film has just left Mubi. 

 

It's a rainy and dark Friday here at the Homestead.  The trusty wood burner is cranking out heat.  Piano social is this Sunday afternoon.  Deb is working on her new film, and getting a lot of acceptances for her most recent completed films.  All is well.

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

November 2023 Reading Summary

 Again it was a mixed month for reading, with 5 clear nights of astronomy wiping out 5 nights of reading.  I still managed to get through several books, a few of them quite long.

Beginning with Robert Silverberg, Starborne is from 1995, and is a novelization of a 1973 short story called "Ship-Sister, Star-Sister."  I always have mixed feelings about taking a really good short story and turning into a full novel.  Why do such a thing?  Well, for one thing, it makes putting another novel out there a lot easier for the writer.  And perhaps there is an inner pull to expand on certain parts of the story that were rushed over at the time of first writing.  For this book, I go with the former reason.  Silverberg was lazy, needed to publish his novel a year, and was likely burning out from writing so many great works lately, including his enormous Majipoor series.  And besides, who would ever remember that short story from 1973?  Ah.  Welcome to the world of reprinting everything that certain authors have ever written.  Hardly anything is hidden from view anymore, and indeed with the publishing of all of Silverberg's short fiction in a marvellous series of large edition paperbacks (see my first Silverberg page in this blog), it is so.  In brief, then, the short story is pretty amazing.  But the novel adds nothing much that is needed to enjoy the tale.  Do we really need more background on the several characters aboard the first star ship sent out to colonize new worlds?  Hardly.  The best parts of the novel deal with the first two planets encountered that might be able to support human life.  These parts contains wonderful SF writing, giving a good sense of alien landscapes, and teaching us the difference between what scientific instruments can tell us about a planet, and what human feet on the ground can tell us.  If you cannot find the short story, then read the novel.  Otherwise, the short story will do just fine.

The Tides of Kregen is the 12th book in Kenneth Bulmer's huge fantasy series featuring the adventures of Dray Prescott.  Dray is now involved in a new series of adventures, and starting to learn a bit more of the strange powers that are controlling his destiny.  He has been stripped of one of his most cherished titles, and must find a way to earn back his place among his warrior brethren.  I have no doubt that he will eventually do it.  A decent addition to the story.

From 1956 comes another short (118 pages) but effective western from the pen of one of the greatest of the pulp writers of the 50s, E C Tubb.  I wonder if the author could have ever imagined that someone would read and review The Liberators (also known as "Vengeance Trail", a much better title), in the year 2023.  What remarkable times we live in.  Not so remarkable were the times that fictional General Grant lived in.  A lone Confederate general returns home after the war, to find that his plantation and home have been burned to the ground, his parents murdered by rogue Union soldiers, and his slaves have left the area.  One loyal black servant remains.  Joseph gives readers the side of what it was like to be a slave, and Tubb pulls no punches about the topic.  Joseph is a great character, and he and Grant embark on a search for the killers.  Of course the five men they are seeking are low life outlaws, and the story heads to a dusty and thirsty small Mexican town.  Into the saloon we go, and eventually one of the men is found.

The book has a tight focus, with a small number of main characters.  The action takes place in the saloon first, and then out in the wilderness, where the rest of the outlaws are tracked.  When the Indians make an appearance, again Tubb seeks to educate the reader about their customs, way of thinking, and ultimately hopeless situation that they face in their battle to keep their land.  Add to this the addition of a credible black character (Joseph the freed slave), and the defeated Confederate general, and Tubb's novel would make good reading even today, possibly even in a high school English class, where the concept of vengeance, which is central to the story, could also provide lots of room for discussion.  A quick but decent read.

From 1978 (my edition is from 1986) comes this sprawling 378 page fantasy, Gloriana, owing much to the Gormenghast books of Mervyn Peake, to whom this volume is dedicated.  Besides Peake, other influences could be Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare. Think of Gloriana as a substitute for Queen Victoria, living in the largest palace ever conceived.  Gormenghast, as sprawling as it is, would fit into one wing of Moorcock's palace, which is in London.  Also, think of some of the American colonies as still loyal to England, as is Arabia, India, China, etc.  The empire still glows mightily.

Gloriana's biggest problem is that all lovers leave her unsatisfied; she has never experienced a proper orgasm.  She has rooms and rooms of decadent sexual inhabitants, to which she visits on whims.  This is the first main fantasy novel I have read that brings sex well into the picture, and uses it as it probably is and would used; to gain loyalties and to seal bargains, as well as for pure amusement.  In that sense it harkens towards the writing of Fritz Leiber.  But like Leiber, the book uses sex, but does not dwell upon it.  Queen Gloriana soon has more problems facing her than probably any other monarch in fiction or fact.

The novel begins slowly (like Peake's series), but continues to build throughout.  There are perhaps too many characters for a single book, even such a long one, but eventually most of them will become familiar to the patient reader.  There are so many surprises and twists and turns to the plot that I won't attempt to convey anything of what takes place to move the story along.  But move along it does, to its rapturous conclusion.  The ending itself is one of the novel's biggest surprises.  Certainly one of the best fantasy novels ever written.

 

Published in 2023, Collaborative Capers contains 25 SF stories that Malzberg wrote with different authors.  There is a short interview at the beginning between the editor and Malzberg.  The volume is 273 pages long.  Most of the stories are pretty short, with the longest being about 20 pages.  It is quite a fascinating collection, with Malzberg's voice sounding very clearly in many of the stories, and more subdued in others.  It is a collection probably best read a few stories at a time, rather than at once, which is how I read it.  Two stories are connected; the rest are individual.  There is a story about the Mona Lisa, another two about Van Gogh's painting Starry Night (Stars Nit), one that mimics the writing of Falkner, there is a tie  in to Cheever, as well as a story about Mozart.  Of course the Kennedy assassination (attempt) is also in there, and a few with Jewish themes.  Many stories are light-hearted, though, like the final one, sometimes have a serious underlay.  All in all a very worthwhile collection to acquire and to read.  It is probably a good way to get introduced to Malzberg, or to enjoy him more if you find his solo writing too much to bear.  There are several stories here to which I will eventually return.

That covers the five Avon/Equinox authors, my required reading for the month.  After this I found myself footloose and fancy.  First up came an early novel by Arthur Machen.  The Secret Glory was written between 1899 and 1908, but not published until 1922.  And the final two chapters were not included in that edition, nor were they published during the author's lifetime.  It is a story about a schoolboy, 15, 5th form, at a public school.  He is a loner but must face up to the horrors of such a life, of which he is ill suited.  The story jumps back to memories he has of his late father, and their excursions into the forests and mountains of Wales.  His father instilled a love of deep Nature in his son, and Ambrose has not forgotten those lessons.  In fact, it is those past memories of walks with his father that sustain him and enable him to face the realities of day to day life at boarding school.  While everyone at school finally sees him settling in after receiving a brutal caning, he is in fact in full rebellion.  The story sometimes jumps ahead, as well, to his 18th year when he leaves the school, tries university for a half term, then virtually disappears from the map.

So many people face demeaning lives and are unable to fit into society.  Ambrose is religious, but has been taught by his father about the older Celtic form of Christianity, which he can accept much more readily than the weekly trudge to chapel and the inevitable sermon.  He keeps certain secrets of past events locked in his heart, and this clarifies his vision and sees him through his troubled years.  A quite brilliant scholar, he realizes that what he wants to learn he won't learn at university.  He is a very strange boy, and only an outsider would be able to understand him and what he seeks.  This is a compelling novel and virtually required reading for those who feel that they don't fit in, and enjoy things that most others do not.  His search for what he wants was actually completed at ten years, and he is able to use his past experience to elevate himself spiritually in the present.  One gets a strong feeling that rather than turn out scholars, sportsmen, and jolly good fellows, the public schools in England at the time were great crushers of spirit and innovation.  In Ambrose's case, he was able to stay above the worst of it, keeping his values and beliefs strong within him despite the best efforts of the system to beat them out of him.  A recommended read.

Next up was the 2nd novel by Richard Marsh, Daintree, from 1883.  I enjoyed his first novel immensely.  The Devil's Diamond, also from 1893, was a funny and very original tale (see blog entry from October 1st, 2022).  Daintree, on the other hand, is a tough nut to crack.  In fact, it just might be the worst novel I have ever read.  The story, in one sentence, concerns two sons who wish to leave the farm life behind them, despite their father's wishes that they carry on the good work.  That's it; the whole enchilada.  This novel has more bible quotations than the actual Bible.  Seriously.  Avoid avoid avoid.

I needed a reward, big time, after that.  Dave Barry came to the rescue.  Or so I thought.  His first novel is called Big Trouble, from 1999.  Barry is a very funny guy.  There are plenty of funny things in this novel, which is a crime caper a la Elmore Leonard.  But the pace is unrelenting, with things happening every single paragraph.  And there are plenty of paragraphs.  There is some good satire, especially about voting, and airport security (pre 911 days), and radio programs.  But there is also a good deal of sadism, mostly aimed at women.  And after a while the reader notices that the author is using the same few jokes over and over again (dog and toad get way too much mileage, for one example).  So despite the rave reviews, and the book being made into a film, I would not give it more than 2 1/2 stars.  The beginning showed promise, but ultimately I was left rather chilled and worn out by it all.

Lastly came a very long novel by George Meredith.  Called by some the first truly modern novel, The Ordeal of Richard Feveral is an epic by any consideration.  In many ways it is an astounding novel, and though somewhat bloated with prose in places, it does cut to the quick when needed.  A baronet raises his only son under his own devised scientific System, hoping to turn out the perfect human to sit at his side and eventually take over the estate.  Being separated from his wife, his view of women is not only very low, but he even leaves them completely out of his System.  So when Richard, at eighteen, falls in love with the girl next door, things begin to go awry very quickly.  Meredith has written a novel that was included in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series called The Shaving of Shagput, which is how I came to know him.  Last October I read his second novel, a brief and not very substantial affair.  This, his third novel, has garnered several tons of literary criticism, which quickly becomes an entire study in itself.  Definitely recommended.  What an improvement in the relating of the eternal father/son struggle compared to Richard Marsh's effort, also read this past month.

 

December reading now commences with one of Robert Silverberg's final novels, The Alien Years.

Mapman Mike